OBESITY EPIDEMIC
COACH-IN-WAITING
BALBOA BELLIES
Unhealthy eating habits are fattening the nation.
Does Rocky Long have his sights set on SDSU’s head coaching job? page 4
“Super” dance troupe will be coming to Balboa Theatre Sunday afternoon. page 6
dailyaztec page 3
the
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Vol. 96, Issue 19
San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper since 1913
w w w. T h e D a i l y A z t e c . c o m
INDEX:
calendar ... 2
opinion ... 3
Tw i t t e r : T h e D a i l y A z t e c
sports ... 4
entertainment ... 6
TODAY @ STATE The Labyrinth of Desire 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Experimental Theatre Aiana String Quartet, noon Smith Recital Hall
features ... 7
backpage ... 8
The president addresses education RENEE VILLASEÑOR NEWS EDITOR
& SARAH KOVASH A S S I S TA N T N E W S E D I T O R
Underfunding. Budget cuts. Bleak job prospects. Unaffordable student loans. These are some of the discouraging words and phrases that often bombard the psyche of college students. However, President Barack Obama had words of encouragement for young people during a phone conference with student journalists on Monday. During the teleconference, Obama spoke with several college and university reporters throughout the country about the subject of higher education and the future of young Americans. One of the president’s main focuses was his three-point plan to work toward the U.S. having the highest amount of college graduates in the world by 2020. He pointed out that the U.S. has fallen from first to 12th place worldwide, in terms of college graduates. “I’ve been talking about this a lot lately,” Obama said. “We have fallen behind.” His first point is to make college more affordable by redirecting bank bailout money to students and increasing college tax credits for middle-class families. Additionally, he referenced his Affordable Care Act that would enable students to remain on their parents’ health insurance plans until they are 26 years old. “And that obviously provides relief to a lot of young people who are looking maybe at their first job not providing health insurance,” Obama said. It also included a plan in which graduates would not have to pay more than 10
percent of their salaries toward student loans. Additionally, public service workers, such as teachers, police officers or firefighters, would have the remainder of their debts forgiven after 10 years of making payments. “That’s obviously going to be a big boost that would have helped me out a lot,” Obama said. “Because I ended up having 10 years worth of loans I had to pay down after I got out of law school.” The president also referenced the need to focus on community colleges. He stressed the importance of making sure they turn out a properly prepared workforce. Next week, Jill Biden, Vice President Joe Biden’s wife, will host the first ever White House Summit about community colleges.
What students can do now A student journalist asked if the president agreed that college students today make up the “lost generation,” pointing out that they are accruing record amounts of debt and job prospects are bleak. However, the president offered words of encouragement in addition to his plan. “Don’t let anybody tell you that somehow your dreams are going to be constrained (from) going forward,” Obama said. “You’re going through a slightly tougher period.” Eventually, the focus shifted to what students can do on an individual level to help themselves during these tough times. He emphasized the need for students and parents to be smart consumers of universities. The president referenced the sometimes comparatively lavish athletics and dining facilities at universities, noting that money should be funneled into creating a better educational experience rather than luxurious amenities. “You’re not going to a university to join a spa,” Obama said. “You’re going there to learn so that you can have a fulfilling career.”
Pete Souza / Official White House Photo
President Barack Obama participated in a conference call with student journalists in the Oval Office, Sept. 27.
Noting that information, Obama mentioned the importance of students knowing where their tuition dollars are going and being able to make decisions based off of that information. “There should be a pie chart at every university that says, out of every dollar you spend in tuition, here’s where your money is going,” Obama said.
Government steps forward
MCT Campus
MCT Campus
Besides allowing young adults to stay on their parents’ health care plans until they are 26 years old under the Affordable Care Act, Obama and his administration are taking other steps toward helping young Americans be more successful despite the economic climate. The administration has already increased the Pell Grant. “We’ve made it available to more people,” Obama said. “We’ve made it more reliable. So hopefully students who are studying now are going to be able to keep their student loan — their debt — lower than I did when I went to school or Michelle (Obama) did when we went to school.” While Obama stressed that he has been taking large strides toward change in the country and keeping his campaign promises, he also acknowledged reform has been stifled by disagreements on both sides, which may have discouraged many of his supporters. “Naturally, some of the excitement and enthusiasm started to drain away because people felt like, gosh, all we’re reading about is constant arguments in Washington and things haven’t changed much,” Obama said. Although, Obama continued to point out that change is difficult in this country. He is focused on communicating with young peo-
ple and reminding them that they have to be consistently involved to help facilitate change.
Public universities Obama also addressed the reasons tuition at public institutions keeps rising. State budgets are being strained, causing cuts to fund higher education.
“Don’t let anybody tell you that somehow your dreams are going to be constrained (from) going forward ... you’re going through a slightly tougher period. —President Barack Obama
To help the states, Obama said he can help to ensure states are taking in more tax revenue. He also stated that the cost of higher education is the only area where inflation is higher than health care’s. Again, he stressed that the way to help solve issues plaguing higher education and young Americans is to be involved and informed. “I hope that everybody starts paying attention these last five weeks,” Obama said. “We’ve got an election coming up. I want everybody to be well-informed and to participate. If you do, then I feel very optimistic about the country’s future.”