Join PHENOM this Friday Sept 5th!
Starting school … Ending Debt!
JOIN US, this Friday, September 5th at 12PM. PHENOM will be in Government Center in Boston, demanding action on the student debt crisis and thanking Senator Elizabeth Warren for her efforts to cut student loan interest rates. Please help us spread the word and ask all of your contacts to sign PHENOM’s Thank You card to Sen. Warren.
Here are a few of the fantastic speakers that will join us on Friday:
Senator Eileen Donoghue is the Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Higher Education. She also co-chairs the Subcommittee on Student Loan and Debt, which held seven public hearings throughout the state on the issue of student loans and debt and published a Report earlier this year.
Ruthie Liberman is the Vice President of Public Policy at the Crittenton Women’s Union in Boston. CWU formed the Workers’ Pathways to Education and Jobs Coaltion, together with PHENOM and other community partners, to substantially increase access to education and training for low-income, non-traditional students.
Anastasia Wilson is a PhD candidate in Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Anastasia is finalizing a paper that explores the causes and consequences of student debt in Massachusetts.
Marven Hyppolite is a recent graduate of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Marven majored in Political Science and was the President of the Student Government Association.
There will also be remarks by a Representative of the UMass President, Robert Caret, the new President of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, Barbara Madeloni, and a Representative of Senator Warren.
Friday, September 5
12 noon to 1 PM
15 New Sudbury Street, Boston
Nearly one million Massachusetts residents have student loan debt. The total of debt for the state is startling at more than $24,000,000,000 (that’s billion!).
Senator Warren has introduced a bill that would allow student loan borrowers, including those with graduate and parent loans, to refinance their loans to a lower interest rate. The bill is unique as it provides relief for those with federal loans and/or private loans. According to Generation Progress, 581,000 Massachusetts borrowers would benefit from student loan refinancing. Nationally, the savings could total as much as $14 billion in the first year alone.
Bring your friends and join PHENOM, Jobs with Justice, Campaign for a Debt-Free Future, Generation Progress, Higher Ed Not Debt, Youth Jobs Coalition, Crittenton Women’s Union and others:
Friday, September 5
12 noon to 1 PM
15 New Sudbury Street, Boston
If you can’t attend the event, you can still be part of the action by signing PHENOM’s Thank You card.
For more information about the legislation, please see:
http://genprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Refi_Warren_Fact_Sheet2.pdf
http://genprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Refi_Fact_Sheets_MA1.pdf
Remember — this is just the beginning of an exciting year for PHENOM — with a packed organizing, advocacy and action agenda. If you are interested in learning more or plugging into PHENOM’s activities write to me at phenom@phenomonline.org.
Natalie Higgins
Executive Director
Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts