As the countdown to the next presidential election continues,
Democratic candidates have begun to release their policies on
higher education, aiming at reducing the tuition and increasing the
number of students who attend college.
Of all the democratic candidates, only former Vermont Gov.
Howard Dean, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential
primary, has released a detailed policy on how he plans to improve
higher education.
Dean spoke with students and reporters last Thursday via
telephone conference after unveiling his plan for higher
education.
He said his plan will guarantee each student access to at least
$10,000 a year for college through a combination of grants and
loans.
The candidate hopes to use this financial incentive to entice
students in elementary school to stay in school because only 62
percent of students in the eighth grade finish high school, Dean
said.
Dean also addressed the financial burden students face after
they finish college.
“(Students) will never have to pay more than 10 percent of
their income after college on student loan payments,” he
said.
“If they go into public service, they will never pay more
than 7 percent of their income,” he added.
Dean’s policy also guarantees students that their loans
would be completely paid off if they made payments for 10
years.
Dean might have taken a risk by releasing such an extensive
policy four months before the presidential primaries because when
candidates announce sizable policies early, it gives their
opponents more points on which to attack, said political science
Associate Professor Matthew Baum.
“There is an overarching pressure to not take specific
positions early on,” Baum said.
Dean also proposed an expansion of AmeriCorps, a large volunteer
organization. His entire plan has an estimated price tag of $7.1
billion, Dean said.
Dean blamed the Bush administration for the national increase in
college tuition rates and said the finances for his plan would come
from a repeal of the Bush tax cut.
The three main branches of higher education in California, the
University of California, California State University and community
colleges, have all raised student fees recently. Over the past six
months, the UC system has raised student fees by 30 percent.
“These … public schools are raising their tuitions
because the government’s cutting back their share (of federal
funds),” Dean said.
The other front-runners in the Democratic primaries have less
specific policies on higher education, but many blame the current
administration for the problems currently afflicting colleges and
universities.
Senator John Kerry, D-Mass., aims to stop rising tuition through
his program entitled “State Tax Relief and Education
Fund.” The plan would increase the amount of federal funds
schools receive by $50 billion, which would come from a repeal of
tax cuts for the wealthiest taxpaying bracket, said a spokesman for
Kerry.
Kerry also proposed a plan to help schools work together to make
operations more efficient while maintaining educational quality,
according to a press release from Kerry’s campaign
headquarters.
Congressman Richard Gephardt, D-Mo., has made several brief
statements on higher education, asserting that he will protect
affirmative action and increase federal funding to help students
pay for college.
Ret. Army General Wesley Clark has yet to issue an official
policy on higher education. A spokesman for Clark said he was
unsure when such a policy would be released.
Laura Stoker, associate professor of political science at UC
Berkeley, said most candidates will wait until later in their
campaigns to appeal to college students because students’
opinions are easily swayed.
“It is early … and they will take stands on the most
salient issues now,” Stoker said.