INPIRG pushes new site supporting Pell Grants

Entering IU, Brandon Houston had dreams of becoming a lawyer. But five years and $30,000 in debt later, those plans dealt him a major blow. While Houston, now a senior, still plans on going to graduate school -- despite nearly doubling his debt -- he hopes future students won't face similar difficulties.\nHouston spoke at the Sample Gates Monday where the Indiana Public Interest Research Group debuted a new Web site aimed at convincing the federal government to increase Pell Grants and decrease debts like Houston's.\n"If an average student is graduating with $17,000 in debt and someone like me is graduating with $30,000 in debt, I think it's one of the most important things we can do," Houston said. "Higher education -- we keep talking about No Child Left Behind and everything else -- we're leaving as many as possible behind by not increasing federal aid."\nThe new Web site -- www.StudentAidAction.com -- connects students and families with congressional representatives and local newspapers to help promote the initiative. Ideally, INPIRG Higher Education Campaign Leader sophomore Ben Carollo, said the Web site seeks to increase the maximum Pell Grant award by $450 -- from $4,050 to $4,500. \nThe Web site offers background information on the FY05 budget approved by the House and Senate, which would freeze the maximum Pell Grant award at its current level. \n"Calling for $450 per award isn't in the grand scheme of the federal budget going to effect it that much," Carollo said. "It's just roughly a billion dollars. In the federal budget of multiple trillions of dollars, to educate everybody in this country is really not a big price to pay."\nINPIRG provides a form letter online anyone can edit and send to their congressional representative through the Web site. It also includes a feature allowing users to send letters to the editor on the issue to local newspapers, personal stories about student aid and information to coordinate the campaign at other college campuses.\nSophomore Chris Erickson was just walking by the Sample Gates when he stumbled upon INPIRG's booth. He visited the Web site at a laptop computer setup for passersby and said he is hopeful the campaign will ultimately yield Pell Grants of higher value. \n"I sure hope so," he said. "Right now I'm in the process of applying for private loans because my other loans just aren't cutting it. I have to pay for college all on my own, so this would be a big help."\nAs for Houston, he said students need more education today and, without a change in grant money, they won't be able to afford it.\n"Growing up, we were taught if you get a college degree you're OK," he said. "Anymore, that's not true. Now, you need a masters degree to be OK. But if you can't pay for it and you can't pay for an undergraduate degree, we're just propelling the circle of poverty and it's not working at all."\n-- Contact campus editor Gavin Lesnick at glesnick@indiana.edu.