The rising cost of a college education has many students feeling "on the rocks" in more ways than one. And Penn State student leaders, in conjunction with a nationwide movement, are working to change that.
"Tuition on the Rocks" -- described as a "happy hour" for student aid and reform -- will be held tonight at Zola New World Bistro, 324 W. College Ave. Featuring free food and drinks, it'll host presentations from University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) President Gavin Keirans and Chris Smith, director of the Pennsylvania Tuition Coalition.
"It's a nice way to start off the semester but also a way to inform students and empower them behind this cause that links all of us," UPUA Governmental Chairwoman Colleen Smith said.
Smith (sophomore-biology), who has been working to promote Tuition on the Rocks, said she is enthusiastic about the event's ability to educate students about the proposed Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA).
The legislation will invest an additional $40 billion dollars into Pell Grants, the largest student aid program in the country, funded by eliminating subsidies to banks and other lenders who offer student loans.
The House of Representatives passed SAFRA in September, but it is currently awaiting a vote in the Senate.
Smith said her committee had been working internally with SAFRA last semester.
"Now, with this event, we're completely reaching out to the student body to make them more aware for the need for reform," she said.
Organizers echoed this
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sentiment. Pedro De La Torre, a senior associate for the Center for American Progress, said the event is as a way to get people together to talk about SAFRA.
"We hope students come away being a bit more familiar with Congress as it relates to their pocketbooks," De La Torre said, adding he would like students to be more concerned with the issue.
Tuition on the Rocks is a statewide initiative being held in Allentown, Philadelphia Pittsburgh and State College in January. Students Over Banks, The Center for American Progress, the federation of state Public Interest Research Groups and the United States Student Association are sponsoring the events.
Keirans (senior-business management) said the event is a great way to get students involved in a nontraditional way.
"It's unique," he said. "It's not in a lecture or a classroom, but instead in a social setting."
