One of the things that makes UMBC great is how wonderful our alumni, students, faculty, and staff are. Because of these amazing people, UMBC often finds itself “in the news,” so each week, we’ll be sharing with you a round-up of the most newsworthy achievements from our community.

• Upal Ghosh, CBEE, Receives AAEES Award
• Craig Saper, LLC, Co-Edits New Publication on Critical Studies in the Humanities
• Kimberly Moffitt, American Studies, Reacts to the Freddie Gray Story on The Marc Steiner Show
• Lipitz Lecture: India, Pakistan, and Nuclear Weapons: Deterrence Stability in South Asia
• Erle Ellis, GES, in The New Yorker

Read more at UMBC Insights!

Resolutions and changes in tuition work to improve students’ financial situations during college

College students are graduating with thousands of dollars of debt hanging over their heads. President Obama’s free two years of community college plan and some universities’ tuition changes will change the face of student debt and tuition for the future.

Post-graduation debt is a major concern for many students who are crushed by payments after leaving college, but recent calls for reform in tuition may help to alleviate this growing state of student debt.

On April 21, six congressional Democrats proposed a resolution stating that all students from public colleges and universities would be able to graduate without debt. The resolution is supported by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, who hope to make the topic of debt-free college a major discussion in the upcoming 2016 presidential campaign.

This topic needs to become a vital issue during the campaigns, as students are struggling to afford higher education. Over the last 30 years, the cost of college has increased by 300 percent. With 71 percent of students earning a bachelor’s degree graduating with an average debt of $29,400, the effects on the economy are terrible.

One of the Democrats proposing the resolution, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said, “When students graduate with loads of debt, the ripple effects are endless; they’re less likely to start a business, to buy a house and to realize their full potential.”

In January, President Obama also proposed a solution to some college tuition, when he called to have 2 years of community college free for students who are at least part time and maintain a GPA of 2.5.

Universities like Stanford and Princeton are also taking steps to improve their tuition costs for students whose parents fit a financial criteria. If the parents of a Stanford University student have an income under $125,000 a year, they owe no money to the school whatsoever. Furthermore, if the parents’ income is under $65,000, the room and board will also be covered for the student.

Princeton has a similar system, but the parents must be making under $140,000 a year to receive free tuition and between $60,000 and $120,000 to have a reduction in room and board.

Such changes will be the saving grace for many students who are finding college to be simply unaffordable. It will also help motivate students to apply and stay in school without the stress of maintaining full time jobs to alleviate their impending post-graduation debt.

Opposers of free two year community college program claim that this is another “liberal handout” that contributes to more useless government spending. They also argue that 22 percent of community college students graduate within three years and 28 percent graduate within four.

80 percent of students claim to want their bachelor’s degree or a higher degree, but only 20 percent of these individuals transfer to a four year university in five years. Their point is that students are not graduating within that two year time bracket and many do not end up continuing on with higher education.

However, if tuition can be eliminated and students are given the incentive to finish within two years and maintain a 2.5 GPA to avoid paying anything, it seems like those numbers have the possibility to improve. Students may not feel as pressured to maintain a full time job and a full course load simultaneously, which may allow for a quicker graduation date.

These resolutions are at least a sign of positive changes in the price of universities or the state of student debt in the United States. While the changes will most likely be slow to come, these proposals show promise for a better future for American universities.

Sources

http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/20/opinion/horn-community-college/

http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/09/opinions/granderson-community-college/index.html

http://money.cnn.com/2015/04/01/pf/college/stanford-financial-aid/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/21/debt-free-public-tuition_n_7104796.html?utm_hp_ref=college&ir=College

Read more stories from: The Retriever Weekly

Interdisciplinary
Kevin “KAL” Kallaugher: “Where to Draw the Line: Cartooning in the Shadow of Charlie”
Tuesday, May 5 | 4:00 p.m.
104 ITE Building

In celebration of his ten years as artist-in-residence at the Imaging Research Center, the celebrated political cartoonist Kevin “KAL” Kallaugher presents a lecture, “Where to Draw the Line: Cartooning in the Shadow of Charlie.” A reception will follow at 5:00 p.m. in the Imaging Research Center, 108 ITE Building.

The recent brutal massacre in Paris sparked by the publication of controversial cartoons in the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo shocked the world. It also launched an emotional debate over the value and limits of free speech in free societies. International award-winning editorial cartoonist Kevin “KAL” Kallaugher has navigated through the increasingly delicate minefield of visual satire for nearly four decades and reflects upon the current uncertain state of affairs and what it might mean for cartoonists and society.

Kal has been the political cartoonist for the Economist Magazine for the last 37 years and is also currently a special contributing cartoonist for the Baltimore Sun. This year he has received two prestigious awards: the 2015 Herblock Prize for editorial cartooning, and the Grand Prix for the 2014 Cartoon of the Year in Europe. In addition to his political cartooning, Kal is also a sought after public speaker addressing audiences around the world on issues of current events, satire, cartoons and freedom of expression. Kal has presented TEDx talks in Warwick, England; Jackson Hole, Wyoming; as well as other talks at Oxford, Harvard, Yale, Duke, Stanford, Pixar Studios and Google headquarters.

The Grand Prix Press Cartoon Europe 2015 was won by KAL for the cartoon pictured, published in The Economist on the 18th of October 2014.

Kal’s Artist in Residency was supported, in part, by the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation; the Office of Institutional Advancement; the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; the Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs; and the Sondheim Public Affairs Scholars Program.

This event is co-sponsored by the Imaging Research Center; the Dresher Center for the Humanities; the Center for Innovation, Research, and Creativity in the Arts; the Maryland Institute for Policy Analysis and Research; the Sondheim Public Affairs Scholars Program; and the Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.

Both the lecture and reception are free and open to the public. Parking information is available here.

Walk In Advising Hours May 4th-8th
Got a question? Stop on by! 

Monday, May 4th
10am-11:30am and 1:30pm-3pm

Tuesday, May 5th
1:30pm-3pm

Wednesday, May 6th
10am-11:30am and 1:30pm-3pm

Thursday, May 7th
10am-11:30am and 1:30pm-3pm

Friday, May 8th
10am-11:30am

Advisors are also available by appointment. Our advising offices are located in ITE 202-206.