thedrifter
03-10-08, 10:06 AM
Troops may get college loan aid
Combat duty figures into Davis proposal
By Greg Wiese
UNION-TRIBUNE
March 9, 2008
While stationed in Iraq, Marine Cpl. Stephen McGinnis discovered firsthand that insurgents weren't the only problem many service members faced during their combat deployments.
He and other military personnel also dealt with the interest accruing on their college loans.
“The last thing you want while you're there is to have to worry about stuff back home,” said McGinnis, now based at Camp Pendleton. He took out loans to study at West Chester University of Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2005.
Rep. Susan Davis, D-San Diego, is out to change the situation. She has attached an amendment to a legislative package on higher education that bans accrual of interest on federal student loans held by military personnel while they're serving combat tours.
Davis' amendment would affect active-duty and reserve troops. The interest accrual would resume when those service members return home from the war zone.
The average service member could save upward of $1,500 over the course of a 12-to 15-month activation period, Davis' office estimated.
The House and Senate have approved the overall higher-education package, and a compromise bill is expected to reach President Bush's desk sometime next month.
“You have these college students getting called overseas. But while they are out there, their (loan) interest just keeps piling up,” said Aaron Hunter, a spokesman for Davis.
McGinnis, in need of financial help, said he depended on loans for his college education. He later felt compelled to serve in the military, so he interrupted his schooling after two years to join the Marine Corps.
McGinnis was soon deployed to Iraq as a combat correspondent.
He counts himself lucky to have been able to manage his loans during his combat tour. Other former or current college students seemed to struggle with making loan payments, he recalled.
Davis' amendment “is a great way to alleviate stress for us while we are over there,” McGinnis said.
The interest-relief provision is a small part of the bill to renew the Higher Education Act of 1965. The larger package includes provisions to:
Increase the Pell Grant maximum to $9,000 per school year.
Reduce predatory practices among lenders.
Require textbook companies to provide full pricing information to schools and offer supplemental textbook materials, such as CDs, separately.
Make colleges and universities give more details about their tuition increases and use of endowments.
Provide money for colleges to set up veterans centers that support former service members' higher-education goals.
Simplify the application process for student assistance through means such as allowing families to update their financial information annually, instead of having to reapply from scratch.
“It's an evolution, a very positive evolution,” said George Conant, legislative director of federal relations for the California State University system. “Really, they took a lot of laws and improved them.”
Greg Wiese is an intern for Copley News Service.
Ellie
Combat duty figures into Davis proposal
By Greg Wiese
UNION-TRIBUNE
March 9, 2008
While stationed in Iraq, Marine Cpl. Stephen McGinnis discovered firsthand that insurgents weren't the only problem many service members faced during their combat deployments.
He and other military personnel also dealt with the interest accruing on their college loans.
“The last thing you want while you're there is to have to worry about stuff back home,” said McGinnis, now based at Camp Pendleton. He took out loans to study at West Chester University of Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2005.
Rep. Susan Davis, D-San Diego, is out to change the situation. She has attached an amendment to a legislative package on higher education that bans accrual of interest on federal student loans held by military personnel while they're serving combat tours.
Davis' amendment would affect active-duty and reserve troops. The interest accrual would resume when those service members return home from the war zone.
The average service member could save upward of $1,500 over the course of a 12-to 15-month activation period, Davis' office estimated.
The House and Senate have approved the overall higher-education package, and a compromise bill is expected to reach President Bush's desk sometime next month.
“You have these college students getting called overseas. But while they are out there, their (loan) interest just keeps piling up,” said Aaron Hunter, a spokesman for Davis.
McGinnis, in need of financial help, said he depended on loans for his college education. He later felt compelled to serve in the military, so he interrupted his schooling after two years to join the Marine Corps.
McGinnis was soon deployed to Iraq as a combat correspondent.
He counts himself lucky to have been able to manage his loans during his combat tour. Other former or current college students seemed to struggle with making loan payments, he recalled.
Davis' amendment “is a great way to alleviate stress for us while we are over there,” McGinnis said.
The interest-relief provision is a small part of the bill to renew the Higher Education Act of 1965. The larger package includes provisions to:
Increase the Pell Grant maximum to $9,000 per school year.
Reduce predatory practices among lenders.
Require textbook companies to provide full pricing information to schools and offer supplemental textbook materials, such as CDs, separately.
Make colleges and universities give more details about their tuition increases and use of endowments.
Provide money for colleges to set up veterans centers that support former service members' higher-education goals.
Simplify the application process for student assistance through means such as allowing families to update their financial information annually, instead of having to reapply from scratch.
“It's an evolution, a very positive evolution,” said George Conant, legislative director of federal relations for the California State University system. “Really, they took a lot of laws and improved them.”
Greg Wiese is an intern for Copley News Service.
Ellie