Student Loan Debt Greater than Credit Debt; University Group Causes Campus Controversy

Student Loan Debt Now Greater Than Credit Debt. A new analysis from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York finds that Americans had a total of about $870 billion in student loan debt in the third quarter of 2011. The report states the nation’s credit debt is $693 billion. Nearly 80 percent of Americans are holding credit cards, compared to the 15 percent of Americans who hold student debt. The report also touches on the high rates of student loan delinquency as well as the high rate of borrowers over 50 years old. [Chicago Tribune]

University Group Causes Campus Controversy. After messages of “White Pride” were written in chalk around Towson University’s campus, students have begun to fight back against the group responsible, Youth for Western Civilization. The group’s president has defended their actions: “What we want to do is be able to promote on campus for students who want to be proud of their heritage and the foundations of this country.” The university facilitated a meeting between school groups in hope of creating positive dialogue. [CBS Baltimore]

Student Senate in Favor of DREAM Act. The student senate at Baylor University called for the school’s administration to “publicly advocate for providing certain classes of illegal immigrants a pathway to citizenship,” and “compose an official university stance,” in favor of the DREAM Act. After over an hour of heated discussions, the bill passed with a vote of 25-20. [The Baylor Lariat]

U.S. Adds 227,000 Jobs in February. With the economy seemingly improving, the February jobs report supports that belief. Government layoffs have slowed down, payrolls have risen, and 227,000 jobs have been added. Officials said they feel that these numbers will encourage the unemployed to begin looking for jobs again—and be more confident that they’ll be successful. [USA Today]

Leor Reef is a journalism intern with Campus Progress.

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