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Majoring in International Studies with minors in Political Science, Non-Violence Studies, and French, Rachel Stanley is a junior at Elon University in North Carolina who comes from Snellville,...
Where do young people come down on questions of faith, values, and public life? How do they relate their values to public policy issues including education, economic inequality, and the environment? These questions, critically important for the 2012 election, are at the center of a campus conversation being organized by the Berkley Center and Georgetown University. This blog features an ongoing conversation about these issues between students selected as Millennial Values Fellows through a national competition. You can read and comment on their blogs here.
To learn more about the project, visit the Campus Conversation on Values page.
OTHER POSTS
Millennials on Social Media and Politics
November 15, 2012
Millennials on Social Issues and Diversity
November 12, 2012
Hira Baig (Rice) on Why the Presidential Election Matters to Millennials
November 7, 2012
Millennials on Religion and Interfaith Work
November 7, 2012
Ryan Price (Drake) on E Pluribus Duo
November 6, 2012
Mohammad Usman (DePauw) on Unpredictable Millennials
November 5, 2012
Millennials on Affirmative Action Policy
November 3, 2012
Seth Warner (Vassar) on What Happens as the "God Gap" Widens
November 2, 2012
Josina De Raadt (Dordt) on How Social Media Is Like Wii Bowling
October 31, 2012
Zachary Yentzer (Arizona State) on the Next Greatest Generation
October 29, 2012
Brice Ezell (George Fox) on Post-Racial America? Race, Millennials, and the 2012 Election
October 25, 2012
Tyler Bishop (Vanderbilt) on a Future of Hashtags #whatitmeansforus
October 23, 2012
Brice Ezell (George Fox) on How the People Can Heal a “Divided,” Partisan Nation
October 4, 2012
Hira Baig (Rice) on Religion and American Democracy
October 4, 2012
Tyler Bishop (Vanderbilt) on How It’s All About Relatability: Voter Turnout
October 3, 2012
Josina De Raadt (Dordt) on Mistaking Politics for a Hollywood Blockbuster
October 2, 2012
Mohammad Usman (DePauw) on the Internet Solution
October 1, 2012
>> more
AT THE CENTER
EVENTS (69)
Education and Social Justice International Summer Research Fellowships 2011 Report Launch
February 15, 2012
February 15, 2012
PUBLICATIONS (36)
The Education and Social Justice Project: International Summer Research Fellowships 2010
January 26, 2011
January 26, 2011
The Education and Social Justice Project: International Summer Research Fellowships 2011
February 6, 2012
February 6, 2012
INTERVIEWS (402)
LETTERS (291)
POSTS (57)
RELATED RESOURCES: EDUCATION
Rachel Stanley (Elon) on Repaying or Forgiving Student Debt
September 4, 2012
As the 2012 presidential election heats up, the candidates are trying to figure out the American public—figure out how many different audiences they can reach and convert. Young people, while historically not big voters, are definitely one of those groups.
Whether we are in school, thinking about school, or being cajoled into going to school, school is a big topic in the lives of many Millennials. Nearly 60 percent of college students borrow money annually to help cover costs. There is nearly $1 trillion in outstanding student debt. That’s $1,000,000,000,000,000. This enormous debt is larger than America’s huge consumer debt and cannot be wiped clean in bankruptcy court.
What are the candidates saying on this? Mitt Romney has been assuring students that he is not going to increase Pell grants or provide student loan forgiveness, saying: “I’m not going to promise all sorts of free stuff that I know you’re going to end up paying for. What I want to do is give you a great job so you’ll be able to pay it back yourself.” In a recent speech in Virgina, vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan explained, “Our rights come from nature and God, not the government. We promise equal opportunity, not equal outcomes,” even though he himself has consistently benefited from government programs throughout his life.
President Obama is trying to turn the table, describing the Romney-Ryan view of access to education and student debt through a one percent-er lens. “I want to make sure everybody understands not everybody has parents who have the money to lend,” he said recently in a speech at Capital University.
Whichever way you lean or even if you’re standing upright, Millennials will have to decide which educational philosophy they want to vote for in November. In the Berkley Center’s April 2012 report, “A Generation in Transition: Religion, Values, and Politics Among College-Age Millennials”, only 46 percent of Millennials said that they were definitely planning on voting. Millennials with a bachelor’s degree and white Millennials were the groups most certain that they will be voting in November.
No matter whom we vote for, whether or not we reach the ballot on November 6, the educational policies of the winning team will affect all of us, directly or indirectly. Let’s make sure that we are weighing into this debate that so affects us.
What are the candidates saying on this? Mitt Romney has been assuring students that he is not going to increase Pell grants or provide student loan forgiveness, saying: “I’m not going to promise all sorts of free stuff that I know you’re going to end up paying for. What I want to do is give you a great job so you’ll be able to pay it back yourself.” In a recent speech in Virgina, vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan explained, “Our rights come from nature and God, not the government. We promise equal opportunity, not equal outcomes,” even though he himself has consistently benefited from government programs throughout his life.
President Obama is trying to turn the table, describing the Romney-Ryan view of access to education and student debt through a one percent-er lens. “I want to make sure everybody understands not everybody has parents who have the money to lend,” he said recently in a speech at Capital University.
Whichever way you lean or even if you’re standing upright, Millennials will have to decide which educational philosophy they want to vote for in November. In the Berkley Center’s April 2012 report, “A Generation in Transition: Religion, Values, and Politics Among College-Age Millennials”, only 46 percent of Millennials said that they were definitely planning on voting. Millennials with a bachelor’s degree and white Millennials were the groups most certain that they will be voting in November.
No matter whom we vote for, whether or not we reach the ballot on November 6, the educational policies of the winning team will affect all of us, directly or indirectly. Let’s make sure that we are weighing into this debate that so affects us.