NCAI Op-Ed: Stopping the Student Loan Interest Rate Hike Is Critical for Indian Country Too
The following opinion piece by Jefferson Keel, NCAI President, was published in Indian Country Today.
Over the last week President Obama, in public events at high schools and speeches throughout the country, has led the charge to ensure that higher education for all students from all backgrounds is affordable. The President has done this because on July 1, 2012, if Congress doesn’t act, interest rates on federally subsidized student loans will double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent. He has also made a direct tie between access to education and the rebuilding of the economy. What has received very little attention, however, is the impact that such an increase would have on access to education, educational achievement, and ultimately the already fragile economy of Indian Country.
Native college enrollment has more than doubled between 1976 and 2006. Education after high school, whether it be at a tribal college, a vocational training program, community college, or a four-year institution, has become a real option for the next generation of tribal citizens to advance their knowledge and skills. The number of our young people seeking those opportunities will only increase in the years to come, as 32 percent of the American Indian and Alaska Native population are 18 years old or younger.
Financial aid is critical in helping our young people pursue higher education and earn their degrees. Today approximately 63,000 Native students and their families rely on federal loans—a large percentage of which are subsidized Stafford loans—to help pay for college. With already increasing costs, the steep rise in interest rates would come at a time when Native people need access to higher education more than ever.
College has become more expensive for Native students: between 1995 and 2008, the cost of a full-year education at an undergraduate institution increased from $11,500 to nearly $20,000. Couple those increasing costs with a higher interest rate, and the rate increase will burden students, including Native students, with an average additional $1,000 per school year in student loan debt.
As Indian Country knows all too well, this dramatic cost increase will make higher education even more expensive for those who already struggle to afford it. Twenty eight percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives lived below the federal poverty line in 2010, compared to 15 percent of the general population. Poverty rates are even more pronounced on Indian lands at 38 percent. To afford the rising expenses of college, Native students rely on financial aid of all forms to reach graduation.
College is America’s “economic imperative,” as President Obama has stated, and the stakes are even higher in Indian Country. The profound value of higher education for tribal nations extends beyond just economics: it is essential to ensuring our cultural economy, our political survival, and the vitality of our sovereignty.
Today’s generation of Native youth presents a tremendous opportunity to transform Native nations through higher education. Tribal nations need Native college graduates to bring their skills back home, boost available human capital and thereby attract new businesses, reduce unemployment, stimulate reservation economies through direct spending, and launch their own entrepreneurial ventures.
Yet, the United States Congress could stand in the way of the next generation of entrepreneurs and lawyers, natural resource managers and engineers, agribusiness managers and artists, who all are looking to bolster tribal economies, strengthen our communities, and lead our governments.
Congressional inaction threatens to saddle Native students with even more student loan debt. The rate hike will not only push higher education beyond the reach of many American Indians and Alaska Natives, but will also make it more difficult for Native students to return home after graduation. With higher student loan debt, our young people will be forced to take higher-paying jobs in areas away from Native communities. We can’t afford this loss – culturally or economically.
That’s why, for the sake of economic recovery and our collective future, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is calling on Indian Country to pick up your phones, write letters, and urge Congress to maintain these crucial investments in higher education and keep college within the reach of all Americans by taking immediate action. Tell members of Congress to stand up against doubling the interest rates for subsidized Stafford loans.
The need is clear: if Native nations are to participate in the global information economy as equal partners and make a robust contribution to America’s economic recovery, more of our citizens must obtain postsecondary degrees. For Native nations to seize this opportunity and significantly increase college completion rates, however, one considerable barrier to higher education must be torn down: cost.
The consequences are not something Indian Country—nor the entire nation— can afford. Congress must act now to ensure that all Americans, including American Indians and Alaska Natives, have a fair shot at higher education.
Jefferson Keel is the President of the National Congress of American Indians, the nation’s largest and oldest American Indian and Alaska Native advocacy organization and serves as the Lt. Governor of the Chickasaw Nation, located in Oklahoma. President Keel earned his Bachelor’s degree from East Central University and Master’s degree from Troy State University. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army
Founded in 1944, NCAI is the oldest, largest and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization in the country. NCAI advocates on behalf of tribal governments and communities, promoting strong tribal-federal government-to-government policies, and promoting a better understanding among the general public regarding American Indian and Alaska Native governments, people and rights.
BIE Funded Schools Are Eligible to Apply for New Farm to School Program
On April 17, 2012, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan announced that the USDA will be investing in farm to school programs nationwide to help eligible schools improve the health and wellbeing of their students and connect with local agricultural producers.
The
Farm to School Grant Program is part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (Act), which authorized and funded the USDA to assist eligible entities, through grants and technical assistance, in implementing farm to school programs that improve access to local foods in eligible schools. The new investments will assist schools in procuring food from local producers. Farm to school initiatives can also include agriculture and nutrition education efforts such as school gardens, field trips to local farms, and cooking classes.
Letters of Intent are suggested, but not required, by May 18, 2012, while proposals are due June 15, 2012.
Please see the attached announcement for more information. If you have questions, please contact Brandi Sweet, BIE Program Analyst, by email at
brandi.sweet@bie.edu, or by telephone at (202) 658-9593.
Webinars
USDA will host two webinars to assist eligible entities in preparing proposals.
· On Tuesday, May 15, 3:00 pm EST (note: this is a time change), USDA will offer an Implementation grants webinar.
· On Thursday, May 17, 1:00 pm EST, USDA will offer a Planning grants webinar.
BIE funded schools are highly encouraged to participate in the trainings and apply.
Both webinars will be presented by Deborah Kane, National Farm to School Director, FNS, and Greg Walton, Grants Management Specialist, FNS. The webinar will help to explain to interested applicants the details of the grant and will include a brief Q&A session. Interested parties may submit questions ahead of time via the registration link below. These sessions will all be recorded and posted on the Food and Nutrition Service website shortly following the sessions.
Department of Health and Human Services Announces Available Funding for Construction and Renovation of School-Based Health Centers
During her remarks at a Healthy Schools Campaign and Trust for America’s Health event, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the availability of funding for the construction and renovation of school-based health centers.
These new investments, totaling up to $75 million, are part of the School-Based Health Center Capital (SBHCC) Program, which was created by the Affordable Care Act, the health care law of 2010.
School-based health centers are an important component of the nation’s health care safety net. The centers enable children with acute or chronic illnesses to attend school as well as help to improve the overall health and wellness of children and adolescents through health screenings, health promotion and disease prevention activities. By making the connection to health care easy, school-based health centers ensure that children have access to the services they need to lead healthy lives.
“President Obama’s health care law is helping keep kids healthy and as a mother, I know how important a child’s health is to how they do in school. Whether establishing a new site or upgrading an existing facility, the availability of funding for school-based health centers that we’re announcing today will help kids more easily get the health services they need to thrive,” said Secretary Sebelius. “The goal is to keep our children healthy so they can learn, grow and prosper.”
The Affordable Care Act appropriated $200 million for the SBHCC Program to address capital needs in school-based health centers. The funding opportunity announced today is the third in a series of awards that will be made available to school-based health centers through the Affordable Care Act. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) oversees the SBHCC Program.
“It is critical for children and adolescents to be healthy so they can maximize their potential, and being healthy starts with access to primary and preventive care,” said HRSA Administrator Mary K. Wakefield, Ph.D., R.N. “These grants will greatly improve that access and help make our children, and America’s future strong.”
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), part of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the primary Federal agency for improving access to health care services for people who are uninsured, isolated, or medically vulnerable. For more information about HRSA and its programs, visit www.hrsa.gov. For more information about Affordable Care Act investments in community health centers, visit www.HealthCare.gov.
Department of Education Releases Vision Document on Reforming the Teaching Profession
The RESPECT Project, which stands for Recognizing Educational Success, Professional Excellence and Collaborative Teaching, is the Obama Administration’s effort to honor and elevate America’s educators. A vision document for reforming the teaching profession created by active classroom teachers working temporarily for the U.S. Department of Education has been posted for public comment on the Department’s website today as part of Teacher Appreciation Week. The 14-page document reflects input from more than 2,500 teachers across the country who participated in approximately 200 roundtable meetings over the past six months.
We R Native Script Writing Contest
We R Native, a comprehensive health resource for Native youth, is hosting a script writing contest for Native youth. American Indian and Alaska Native youth ages 13-21 years old are invited to write an original script that includes one of the following themes:
· I strengthen my Nation.
· A young adult helping their community.
· A young adult standing up to peer pressure.
· A young adult impacted by drugs or alcohol.
· A young adult impacted by bullying.
· Or another health-related topic of your choice.
Trends, Data, and Reports
· Major Accountability Themes of Second-Round State Applications for NCLB Waivers (Center for Education Policy): This report analyzes the NCLB waiver applications submitted by 26 states and Washington, D.C. to the U.S. Department of Education in February 2012. Among the findings in the report is that, like the first round of applications, these states are proposing new accountability systems that will lead to greater complexity both within states and between states, but at the same time will be more integrated with states’ own existing accountability systems. Nearly all the state applications propose annual achievement targets and performance levels that are more nuanced than what is currently in place under NCLB. On the other hand, 19 of the 27 applications analyzed will use a combined subgroup for accountability decisions, rather than all of the student subgroups mandated under NCLB. None of the states analyzed will continue to require school choice and SES in schools identified for improvement.
