Pres. Obama announced Thursday that the healthcare bill that passed the Senate last Sunday (3/28) would significantly change the way student loans are handled, where all student loans would be given by the U.S. government.
Currently, private businesses offer loans for many students. But Obama said that allowing the government to have control of all student loans would make it easier to pay back.
"Already, many students are struggling to pay back their student loans," Obama said. "This legislation states that you will not be required to pay back more than ten percent of your earned income."
The legislation will take effect on July 1.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
The Expanding Campus
OU Budget Increasing During Recession
Time is quickly passing and money is quickly disappearing as OU Construction Science junior Nicholas Drannon desperately searches for a job.
The cost of higher education has caused him to move from his own one-bedroom apartment to a house with three roommates.
That combined with the fact his father — who has partially helped him pay for his education — has lost his job, helped to create the perfect economic storm for Drannon.
“It’s just really hard to make ends meet,” Drannon said. “Most of my family is going through really hard times right now.”
Most families, like Drannon’s, have had to cut back because of the recession. Unlike these families, OU President David Boren’s administration seems to be spending more and more money during the recession, expanding the Norman campus.
OU’s educational and general revenue budget for the Norman campus, which consists of tuition and fees, state appropriations and other revenues, has increased every year since 2007, according to the minutes of various OU Board of Regents meetings.
In 2007, the Norman campus budget was $339 million. In 2008, it was $362.8 million and 2009 had a budget of $390.4 million. The 2010 budget skyrocketed to $399.8 million, nearly $60 million more than it was three years earlier.
It is clear that the Norman campus has been expanding, illustrated by the minutes of an OU Board of Regents meeting:
“The sponsored research programs of the faculty are growing in size and complexity, requiring increased support and coordination among the various offices on campus that handle submission, technology transfer and strategic planning.”
Chris Purcell, the executive secretary of the Board of Regents, was asked about the expansion of the Norman campus. Purcell, who has the job of representing the Board of Regents, decided to pass the questioning to President Boren’s press secretary, Jay Doyle.
Doyle said OU has seen its share of sacrifice during the recession.
“Due to the recession, several projects have been placed on hold and last year OU decided to not take on any significant bond debt for new projects,” Doyle said.
The National Bureau of Economic Research “determined that a peak in economic activity occurred in the U.S. economy in December 2007,” the start of the recession.
And since that time, the OU Board of Regents has decided to implement several new projects including a $76 million power plant that provides “chilled water, steam and electricity necessary for expanding campus facilities,” $10.46 million for the sixth phase of construction of the Student Housing Residence Hall Improvements Project to renovate Couch Restaurants and reroof Kraettli Apartments and $847,090 to implement a new parking management software system to have “reliable parking enforcement including electronic ticketing capabilities.”
These new projects may be why OU has seen an increase in the budget. However, state appropriations also play a role.
Doyle said that OU’s success in implementing cost-cutting measures, such as salary and hiring freezes, have “helped to partially offset the continued drop in state appropriations to OU.”
“In 1982, state appropriations accounted for 42 percent of OU’s overall budget,” Doyle said. “The percentage fell to 32 percent in 1994 and 20 percent in 2004.”
Even though the percentage of the budget allocated for state appropriations has decreased over the years, the actual amount given to the university has significantly increased.
According to the minutes from the 2003 and 2009 Board of Regents meetings, September 2003 showed state appropriations consisted of $124.4 million of the budget. In September 2009, that number was $156.9 million, a $32.5 million increase.
For the entire year of 2007, $136.3 million was given to the university by the state. In 2010, that number increased to $138.6 million, according to budgets e-mailed by Doyle.
While OU has been increasing spending, universities in Arizona have had to truly sacrifice.
Rep. Kirk Adams, R-Ariz., said universities have proposed to cut their overall budgets up to 12 percent. This demonstrates “just how bad the budget situation really is for the foreseeable future in Arizona.”
Doyle said OU is looking at cutting their overall budget, but would only be willing to cuts costs “by at least an additional four percent for fiscal year 2011, in hopes of keeping tuition as low as possible next year for students.”
Revenue generated from tuition and fees have increased in recent years. In September 2003, tuition and fees composed $88.8 million of the budget; In September 2009, tuition and fees consisted of $180.2 million of the budget.
Doyle said the reason for this increase is because of Think 15!, a program that “encourages students to enroll in enough hours to graduate in four years.”
“Each semester that the total number of credit hours taken increases, total tuition revenue increases accordingly,” Doyle said.
Higher tuition and fees revenue may also be because of increased tuition and fees. While “OU did not increase tuition or mandatory fees last year,” fees for specific programs like aviation have increased.
In order for the university to continue to expand, OU also needs to be able to lobby successfully for federal funding.
It is not surprising that the amount of money spent on federal lobbying has also increased in the last three years. According to OpenSecrets.org, a Web site created by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, OU federal lobbying spending increased from $240,000 in 2008 to $360,000 in 2009.
Danny Hilliard, OU director of government relations, was contacted via e-mail to provide an explanation for this. Hilliard decided to replicate Purcell’s actions by forwarding the message to Doyle. Doyle said the reason for this lobbying increase can be attributed to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
“In an effort to maximize opportunities to bring federal funding to the state, especially federal stimulus dollars, OU increased its federal government relations efforts this year,” Doyle said. “These efforts have helped the university earn more than $23 million in funding for over 30 projects.”
When asked what helps fund these increased lobbying efforts, Doyle simply said “no state appropriate dollars are expended for these efforts.”
There is no question that the budget for the OU Norman campus has continued to increase. Drannon said this reality is simply not fair.
“I think it’s ridiculous that OU continues to spend more and more money on projects while students are barely getting by,” Drannon said. “It’s not right.”
Time is quickly passing and money is quickly disappearing as OU Construction Science junior Nicholas Drannon desperately searches for a job.
The cost of higher education has caused him to move from his own one-bedroom apartment to a house with three roommates.
That combined with the fact his father — who has partially helped him pay for his education — has lost his job, helped to create the perfect economic storm for Drannon.
“It’s just really hard to make ends meet,” Drannon said. “Most of my family is going through really hard times right now.”
Most families, like Drannon’s, have had to cut back because of the recession. Unlike these families, OU President David Boren’s administration seems to be spending more and more money during the recession, expanding the Norman campus.
OU’s educational and general revenue budget for the Norman campus, which consists of tuition and fees, state appropriations and other revenues, has increased every year since 2007, according to the minutes of various OU Board of Regents meetings.
In 2007, the Norman campus budget was $339 million. In 2008, it was $362.8 million and 2009 had a budget of $390.4 million. The 2010 budget skyrocketed to $399.8 million, nearly $60 million more than it was three years earlier.
It is clear that the Norman campus has been expanding, illustrated by the minutes of an OU Board of Regents meeting:
“The sponsored research programs of the faculty are growing in size and complexity, requiring increased support and coordination among the various offices on campus that handle submission, technology transfer and strategic planning.”
Chris Purcell, the executive secretary of the Board of Regents, was asked about the expansion of the Norman campus. Purcell, who has the job of representing the Board of Regents, decided to pass the questioning to President Boren’s press secretary, Jay Doyle.
Doyle said OU has seen its share of sacrifice during the recession.
“Due to the recession, several projects have been placed on hold and last year OU decided to not take on any significant bond debt for new projects,” Doyle said.
The National Bureau of Economic Research “determined that a peak in economic activity occurred in the U.S. economy in December 2007,” the start of the recession.
And since that time, the OU Board of Regents has decided to implement several new projects including a $76 million power plant that provides “chilled water, steam and electricity necessary for expanding campus facilities,” $10.46 million for the sixth phase of construction of the Student Housing Residence Hall Improvements Project to renovate Couch Restaurants and reroof Kraettli Apartments and $847,090 to implement a new parking management software system to have “reliable parking enforcement including electronic ticketing capabilities.”
These new projects may be why OU has seen an increase in the budget. However, state appropriations also play a role.
Doyle said that OU’s success in implementing cost-cutting measures, such as salary and hiring freezes, have “helped to partially offset the continued drop in state appropriations to OU.”
“In 1982, state appropriations accounted for 42 percent of OU’s overall budget,” Doyle said. “The percentage fell to 32 percent in 1994 and 20 percent in 2004.”
Even though the percentage of the budget allocated for state appropriations has decreased over the years, the actual amount given to the university has significantly increased.
According to the minutes from the 2003 and 2009 Board of Regents meetings, September 2003 showed state appropriations consisted of $124.4 million of the budget. In September 2009, that number was $156.9 million, a $32.5 million increase.
For the entire year of 2007, $136.3 million was given to the university by the state. In 2010, that number increased to $138.6 million, according to budgets e-mailed by Doyle.
While OU has been increasing spending, universities in Arizona have had to truly sacrifice.
Rep. Kirk Adams, R-Ariz., said universities have proposed to cut their overall budgets up to 12 percent. This demonstrates “just how bad the budget situation really is for the foreseeable future in Arizona.”
Doyle said OU is looking at cutting their overall budget, but would only be willing to cuts costs “by at least an additional four percent for fiscal year 2011, in hopes of keeping tuition as low as possible next year for students.”
Revenue generated from tuition and fees have increased in recent years. In September 2003, tuition and fees composed $88.8 million of the budget; In September 2009, tuition and fees consisted of $180.2 million of the budget.
Doyle said the reason for this increase is because of Think 15!, a program that “encourages students to enroll in enough hours to graduate in four years.”
“Each semester that the total number of credit hours taken increases, total tuition revenue increases accordingly,” Doyle said.
Higher tuition and fees revenue may also be because of increased tuition and fees. While “OU did not increase tuition or mandatory fees last year,” fees for specific programs like aviation have increased.
In order for the university to continue to expand, OU also needs to be able to lobby successfully for federal funding.
It is not surprising that the amount of money spent on federal lobbying has also increased in the last three years. According to OpenSecrets.org, a Web site created by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, OU federal lobbying spending increased from $240,000 in 2008 to $360,000 in 2009.
Danny Hilliard, OU director of government relations, was contacted via e-mail to provide an explanation for this. Hilliard decided to replicate Purcell’s actions by forwarding the message to Doyle. Doyle said the reason for this lobbying increase can be attributed to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
“In an effort to maximize opportunities to bring federal funding to the state, especially federal stimulus dollars, OU increased its federal government relations efforts this year,” Doyle said. “These efforts have helped the university earn more than $23 million in funding for over 30 projects.”
When asked what helps fund these increased lobbying efforts, Doyle simply said “no state appropriate dollars are expended for these efforts.”
There is no question that the budget for the OU Norman campus has continued to increase. Drannon said this reality is simply not fair.
“I think it’s ridiculous that OU continues to spend more and more money on projects while students are barely getting by,” Drannon said. “It’s not right.”
Sunday, February 21, 2010
State Appropriations Increasing Despite Boren's Comments
When the likelihood of tuition hikes increases, OU President David Boren seems to blame the Oklahoma State Legislature for the decrease in funding.
"In spite of a short fall of revenues, the governor and the state legislature did their best to avoid cuts in education budgets," Boren said. "In addition, OU made approximately $8 million in internal savings through freezes in hiring, in compensation, and other areas."
Despite Boren's attribution of costs to the state legislature, the state has increased their appropriations to the Norman campus from $131.2 million in 2006 to $156.9 million in 2009.
Jay Doyle, the press secretary for President Boren, has been contacted about this issue but has failed to give a response.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Puerto Rico Named One of Best Spring Break Destinations
With spring break quickly approaching, many college students are attempting to book travel arrangements to premium destination sites. And according to a Web site created to disperse spring break information to college students, Puerto Rico is ranked No. 2 in the best spring break sites for students.
Nadine Hernandez, a member of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, said it is an ideal place for American college students because a passport is not required and U.S. currency is used on the island.
"It is a really great place to visit," Hernandez said. "We have seen an increase in college students in recent years. We now have roughly 200,000 visitors to the city of Ponce every year.
Even though Ponce is a popular city to visit, the most popular site is San Juan (See Slide Show below). San Juan consists of two million people and has an active nightlife scene. Hernandez said this is why San Juan is more notably known, and is expecting to bring in about $2 billion in tourism in 2010.
Nadine Hernandez, a member of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, said it is an ideal place for American college students because a passport is not required and U.S. currency is used on the island.
"It is a really great place to visit," Hernandez said. "We have seen an increase in college students in recent years. We now have roughly 200,000 visitors to the city of Ponce every year.
Even though Ponce is a popular city to visit, the most popular site is San Juan (See Slide Show below). San Juan consists of two million people and has an active nightlife scene. Hernandez said this is why San Juan is more notably known, and is expecting to bring in about $2 billion in tourism in 2010.
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