46 Members of Congress Have Student Loan Debt; Pell Grant Eligibility Changes Hurt Some States

46 Members of the 113^th Congress Have Student Loan Debt. A report from the Center for Responsive Politics found that the new class of Congress is carrying more student debt than ever before. According to CRP, the debt load owed by the 22 Democrats and 24 Republicans totals between $1.8 million and $4.3 million. The exact number is unknown, since members are permitted to report debts in ranges. [Center for Responsive Politics]

Obama Plans Vast Research Project on Human Brain. President Obama’s administration plans to announce a project, dubbed the Brain Activity Map and organized by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, as soon as next month. The decade-long effort, that would involve both public and private scientists, could pump hundreds of millions of dollars into the research. The research is intended to do for brain science what the Human Genome Project did for genetics. [The New York Times]

Pell Grant Changes Hurt Poor, Least Educated State the Most. The University of Alabama conducted a study demonstrating that the changes in eligibility for Pell grants, which are designed to help low-income students afford college, have significantly impacted students in some of the poorest and least-educated states in the nation. Due to the new rules on Pell Grants over 5,000 students lost their eligibility last fall in Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi, with another 17,000 expected to lose eligibility this upcoming fall. [University of Alabama]

Student Expelled for Facebook Posts Sues. Craig Keefe sued Brainerd's Central Lakes College in Minnesota, after he was expelled due to posts on his private Facebook page. Keefe said school officials never explained how they found his posts objectionable or how he violated the college’s policies. His lawyer called the expulsion “a huge, glaring absence of due process and a violation of his free-speech rights.” The college officials have not yet responded. [Pioneer Press]

James King is an Online Communications Intern with Campus Progress. You can follow him on Twitter at @jamesmuratking

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