Are you interesting in reporting on the college affordability issues in President Obama’s proposed budget? This is going to be relevant to young people everywhere in the coming years, and there are some great local angles that would make for a great story. Here are some ideas you might consider:

·        How does your state’s college affordability compare to the national average? The Campaign for America’s Future has some interesting breakdowns on its web site. There’s also the National Report Card on Higher Education, which includes state-by-state breakdowns. This could provide good background for a story on how your state stacks up against the rest of the country; if you want to take this angle, I’d recommend supplementing this information with at least a few original interviews, perhaps your college’s financial aid department or students struggling to pay for college. You may also want to interview policy experts from the US Students Association, US PIRG, Campaign for America’s Future, or (shameless plug) Campus Progress.

·        Is your school or representative fighting against progress? The FFEL program, which guarantees student loans of independent entities and nonprofits, is more costly to taxpayers, more prone to corruption, and less reliable for students than the Federal Direct Loan Program, even though both programs award the same loans to students. Yet some politicians and institutions are still fighting for the continuation of FFEL, even as President Obama and many in Congress want to end it. Call or meet with your school’s financial aid department and its government relations office, or try your U.S. representative and senators, to see how they feel about FFEL. You may also want to interview policy experts from New America Foundation’s Higher Ed Watch program, the Institute for College Access and Success, or Campus Progress.

·        How would your school be affected by proposed changes to the Perkins Loan Program? Currently, wealthy and prestigious schools receive more funds from the Perkins Loan program than many state schools and community colleges. President Obama is proposing a change to a central formula of the Perkins loan program. Besides expanding the Perkins program, this will also distribute funds more evenly among colleges. How will your school be affected? How do students and your financial aid department feel about this? Besides officials at your school, you may want to interview experts from New America Foundation’s Higher Ed Watch program or the Institute for College Access and Success.

·        Explore issues of access and completion rates in your community or campus. President Obama’s budget proposes creating federal-state partnerships for increasing college access and graduation rates. It might be interesting to talk to similar, already-existing programs in your area (e.g., TRIO and GEAR UP). See how they feel about the changes, and why they feel their programs are important. The US Students Association, and the Institute for College Access and Success would be good organizations to speak to about these issues. You may find some of the work that the Education Trust and the Education Sector have done on higher education helpful.

Finally, you may find these two articles from Nieman Watchdog, a publication for investigative journalists, by a Campus Progress staffer helpful:

Following up on Obama’s plans for higher education
ASK THIS 
Can the U.S., now lagging badly, regain a position as one of the world leaders in educational attainment? Pedro de la Torre III poses some questions and offers leads for reporters. 
 
Sweeping change for the better in student loans
ASK THIS
Obama’s proposed overhaul of the student financial aid system would pump in more funding and still result in savings to taxpayers. Naturally, therefore, it is generating controversy and misinformation.

 

Campus Progress would love to help with these and other stories on the budget. We can comment, help you find information, connect you with policy experts within and outside of our organization, connect you with students to interview, and more. To get in touch, contact Katie Andriulli at kandriulli@americanprogress.org, or call us at (202) 682-1611.

– David Spett
Campus Publications Associate
Campus Progress

&

– Pedro de la Torre III
Advocacy Senior Associate
Campus Progress