by Emily Mosier
The Supreme Court heard arguments regarding President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan on February 28, and Troy University students have mixed opinions on the issue.
The court, which has a conservative majority, showed serious skepticism regarding the plan’s fairness and whether or not it is outside the reach of executive power. The justice’s arguments questioned whether Biden could pass such a large, pecuniary bill without Congress.
Tana Causey, a sophomore human services major from Wewahitchka, Florida, said she has seen firsthand how student loans have impacted her peers.
“A lot of students here struggle,” Causey said. “They struggle to pay for stuff because they don’t want debt, and I even have friends who don’t know where their next meal is coming from because they’re so desperate to pay off their tuition without loans.”
She said she believes student debt limits opportunities.
“I come from a small town without a lot of opportunities,” Causey said. “This requires us to go out of state or further, and those universities cost more.
“Debt forgiveness gives them opportunities they normally wouldn’t have had.”
Bruna Roqueta, a senior global business major from Barcelona, Spain, said that higher education in America is unfairly costly.
“Every single young person in America should have a right to education without working their a** off because a degree is not worth that much money,” Roqueta said. “In Spain, education costs way, way, way less.
“They shouldn’t have to work their whole lives for a degree.”
Students who do oppose Biden’s forgiveness plan said it is because they have concerns for the nation’s economy.
Destiny Manning, a senior marine biology major from Geneva, Alabama, who currently has student loans, is worried about inflation. She said it was a stretch to label the plan as COVID-19 relief.
“At least here in the South, most are back to working jobs in person and have a source of income,” Manning said. “I feel like it’s their way of convincing others to agree with the plan.
“An argument could be made that COVID has long term effects on people with getting income, but I feel like that’s not enough to warrant all of us being able to get debt relief. “
26 million people have already applied to have up to $20,000 of debt forgiven, according to a statement from the White House.
According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, there is a collective debt of $1.75 trillion owed by 44.5 million people in the U.S. who have student loans. 55% of those student debt holders took out loans to attend a public, four-year institution, like Troy University.
The Supreme Court is expected to issue a decision in June.
