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Michael Corlew works in student support and development at the University of Maine at Augusta Bangor campus. His views are his own and do not represent those of the university.
I work at the University of Maine at Augusta in student support and development. I do not speak for the university, and my views are my own.
The majority (64 percent) of our student body qualifies as low income. Most take out loans to cover the expenses that Pell grants do not. Many are single parents, or work multiple low-paying jobs, or have experienced abuse, or have struggled with homelessness. In short, these are not the “elitists” that Rep. Jared Golden identified in a recent post defending his opposition to a Biden administration student loan forgiveness plan. These are people Golden claims to advocate for, yet they are significantly harmed by his stance on this issue.
Among our largest programs are veterinary technician, dental assisting, nursing, and mental health and human services. These are professions that are desperately needed, and ones that you absolutely need a college degree to perform. However, the pay they provide is not enough for students to both cover the cost of living and pay back their student loans.
Every day, I see graduates who get trapped in a cycle of debt, only able to pay back the interest on the loans they had to take. Yet they show up to work day-in and day-out performing the hard tasks needed to keep their clinics, dentists offices, hospitals, and veterinary offices running.
In other words, they are critical for the smooth functioning of many of the services we take for granted. They deserve better than to live under the cloud of never-ending student loan debt.
Those are the students who complete their studies. Many do not. Every semester, I see promising students forced to leave college due to circumstances beyond their control. I have seen students leave due to domestic violence, cancer diagnoses, the sudden collapse of childcare, the sudden loss of housing, or having to care for sick family members.
These students do not get their dream jobs. They do get to keep their student loan debt, however. That debt will follow them forever in many cases. They cannot escape it through bankruptcy. If they stop paying, their wages will be garnished.
These students chose to do the right thing, the responsible thing. They sought education to better their lives and their economic circumstances, but life got in the way. Now they will have to pay, perhaps for the rest of their lives.
That is why Golden’s recent statement on student loan debt relief felt to me like a slap in the face. I would call it callous or uncaring, but it felt worse than that. It felt malicious.