The Lantern

campus Student loans not hot topic during Obama’s OSU visit JOSEPH FRAZIER Lantern reporter frazier.193@osu.edu

CODY COUSINO / Photo editor

The crowd chants while listening to President Barack Obama speak at his “Ready to Go” Rally on May 5 at the Schottenstein Center at OSU.

President Barack Obama did not address student loan interest rates in his speech at Ohio State, an issue he discussed at three other universities just days before Saturday’s speech.

Obama kicked off his re-election campaign Saturday with the “Ready to Go” Rally at the Schottenstein Center where he addressed a crowd of about 14,000 people.

While Obama addressed education in his speech, he did not talk about student loan interest rates, though they came up during his two-day tour to the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, the University of Colorado at Boulder and the University of Iowa April 24 and 25.

The interest rates on new Stafford subsidized loans is set to double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent on July 1 unless Congress passes legislation to prevent the increase.

Democrats and Republicans agree that interest rates should not increase. They do not agree, however, on how to fund the extension of the current rate.

Senate Democrats sponsored a bill that will extend the current rate for one year and fund the extension by amending the tax code by raising payroll taxes on some corporations. The Senate has not yet voted on the legislation.

The U.S. House of Representatives has already passed Republicansponsored legislation to freeze the current interest rate for one year.

The legislation pays for the extension with money from the Prevention and Public Health Fund, which finances efforts like tobacco prevention, obesity and heart disease.

If the House legislation makes it to the president’s desk, the Obama administration said it would veto it.

Obama’s focus instead was on the importance of furthering education.

“I’m running to make sure that by the end of the decade, more of our citizens hold a college degree than any other nation on Earth. I want to help our schools hire and reward the best teachers, especially in math and science,” Obama said. “I want to give 2 million more Americans the chance go to community colleges and learn the skills that local businesses are looking for right now.

“In the 21st century, higher education can’t be a luxury. It is an economic imperative that every American should be able to afford.

That’s the choice in this election. That’s why I’m running for president.”

First lady Michelle Obama mentioned student loans in her speech, although she did not talk about the potential increase in rates.

“Student loans for our young people, that is what my husband has been fighting for every single day as president,” Michelle Obama said.

Noah Taylor, a first-year in mathematics, said there was a reason for Obama not discussing student loan interest rates.

“This is the start of his election campaign, so he wasn’t actually talking specifically to Ohio State students,” Taylor said.

Former Gov. Mitt Romney, likely the Republican nominee for president, did, however, address the issue of student loans to a group of students at Otterbein University on April 27. Romney said it was time for the government “to get serious about not passing on massive debts to you,” talking to the mostly-student audience.

“My generation will never pay it back. We’ll be dead and gone,” Romney said. “That interest and that principal gets paid by you guys.

And for year after year after year, your income taxes are going to include a very substantial amount to pay the interest on the debt we’re accumulating now.”

Even though Obama’s speech was an election speech, Laura MacInnis, who graduated from OSU in December with an English degree, said she was disappointed Obama did not address student loan interest rates.

“In all honesty, I’m a fan of the president and I think he’s done a lot of positive things, but I feel like his speech today could have been a little more specific on issues,” MacInnis said. “I feel like there’s a lot of rhetoric, and I kind of wish that he would have addressed some of the issues that we’re facing today as college kids.”

Sen. Sherrod Brown did address student loan interest rates as well as both the House and Senate legislation, of which he is a co-sponsor, in his speech.

For Dan McKay, a fifth-year in political science, Brown’s speech and Obama’s previous remarks about student loan interest rates were enough. “(Loan rates) came up in Sherrod’s speech just before (Obama’s). I know the president just told people the other day to call your congressman … I think he’s said it enough, but that’s one issue out of many big challenges that we face,” McKay said. “He’s going to get us focused on all the right areas. I know he supports us in it, so I’m pretty happy with the speech today.”

Rhetoric plays key role in ‘firing up’ support in election NADINE AKRA Lantern reporter akra.2@osu.edu

KAYLA BYLER / Lantern photographer

Open Line Coffee, started by a father-son team in the Short North, will feature coffee and only coffee in their store.

Specialty coffee shop brews up in the Short North KAYLA BYLER For The Lantern byler.18@osu.edu As a father-son team prepare to open a new coffee shop in the Short North, their aim is clear: “Our goal is not to be a Starbucks,” said Dave Forman, son of Mark Forman.

Instead they will open One Line Coffee, which will feature coffee from their own Newark-based roastery. The store will also provide wholesale distribution and host home-brewing classes.

They chose to open their store in the Short North because it is “a neighborhood that can appreciate that we are serving coffee,” Dave Forman said. “We’re not serving flavored coffee, we’re not serving flavored lattes or frozen drinks.”

Sarah Rhodes, third-year student in environmental policy, said she was excited to hear of a coffee shop specializing in black, non-flavored coffee.

“All I drink is black coffee and I love the Short North,” she said.

Tim Kubick, third-year student in technical education and training, disagreed. Kubick said he probably would not go somewhere that did not serve flavored drinks.

In addition to the absence of flavored coffee, there will not be any sandwiches, scones or muffins at One Line.

“It is literally all coffee,” Dave Forman said.

Every drink will be brewed in single cup servings, as ordered by each individual customer.

This style of brewing is the best way to serve coffee because “it maximizes freshness,” Mark Forman said.

This specificity and attention to detail is what prompted Mark and Dave Forman to start roasting coffee three years ago, Dave Forman said.

The Formans began with the River Road Coffeehouse, with a store in Granville and another in Newark.

After six years of buying from local roasters, they sought more control over the ethics of sourcing, traceability and sustainability of coffee.

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“We couldn’t find anybody who fit what our needs were, so we decided to start our own roasting, and that was when One Line Coffee was born,” Dave Forman said.

Sustainability, ethical sourcing and quality are the most important factors that make up the perfect cup of coffee, said Dave Forman, which means paying close attention to every component of the process, from budding seed to steaming mug.

“A coffee is not sustainable unless every part of the supply chain is beneficial to everybody involved, including the environment,” Dave Forman said.

The Formans traveled to El Salvador in February to visit some of the farms they will be using as sources of their coffee.

“The backbone of our coffee is that a farmer has a lot more to do with the characteristics of the cup than we do as roasters,” Dave Forman said.

Each bag of coffee One Line produces comes from a single farm. The name of the farm and the farmer’s name, often accompanied by a photo of the farmer, are printed on every bag of coffee.

“We’ll be doing a lot of home brewing courses.

We’ll have educational courses on cultivation, processing and talk about the whole supply chain,” he said.

Existing coffee shops in the area do not pose a threat to One Line, Dave Forman said.

“The whole concept of the single farm coffee and a focus on coffee specifically sets us apart; it is what our niche is,” Dave Forman said.

Dave Forman said the goal of the new shop is to bring great coffee to Columbus and educate consumers about that coffee, and Mark Forman agreed.

“It’s not really a coffee house, it’s a coffee place,” Mark Forman said. “A place for people to get excited about coffee.”

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“Change we can believe in,” “Yes we can,” “The Original Maverick,” “Country First” and “Hope and change” were all regularly heard phrases four years ago during the 2008 presidential elections.

The “Ready to Go” Rally on Saturday in the Schottenstein Center was no exception to the common, possibly overuse of campaign slogans.

President Barack Obama kicked-off his campaign trail for his second term as president at Ohio State when he spoke to a crowd of about 14,000 at the Schottenstein Center. A big part of his speech, promotional videos and first lady Michelle Obama’s speech was based on the phrase, “fired up, ready to go.”

“It sounds like you all are already fired up and ready to go,” Michelle Obama said at the beginning of her speech. “I’m feeling pretty fired up and ready to go myself.”

Former Gov. Mitt Romney, likely the Republican presidential nominee, has campaign slogans such as “Believe in America,” or “Smaller, Smarter, Simpler Government.”

While these slogans might get voters’ attention, some are questioning where the substance is in the phrases.

Michael Holt, a second-year in English, said despite the catch phrases, the election is about policy. Holt said Barack Obama needs four more years to fully put his plan in place. “(Barack) Obama didn’t really get a fair chance in four years,” Holt said. “He came into a situation that you can’t repair in four years. It’s more difficult than that and it’s more complex than that.”

At the rally, Barack Obama echoed Holt’s thoughts. He said they are not done, and he asked for support to continue to make the country a better place.

“We are still fired up. We are still ready to go.

And we are going to remind the world once more just why it is that the United States of America is the greatest nation on Earth,” Barack Obama said.

Brock Flint, a fourth-year in international studies, said four years is not enough time to change an entire nation.

“I feel that he’s worked towards a lot of things that he wanted to change and that he promised, and he should be given a chance to complete what he started,” Flint said.

College students had a significant impact on the outcome of the presidential elections in 2008. About 22 million voters from the 18-to-29 demographic took to the polls, making it one of the highest turnouts of younger generation voters in American history, according to a Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement poll.

Flint said part of the excitement had to do with the political rhetoric.

“In 2008, I preferred President Obama over (Republican nominee John) McCain as president because I thought he would be a good departure from the (former President George W.) Bush years,” Flint said. “He was more energetic, he was very personable and you could connect with him on a personal level. I think there was a younger voter turnout because of Barack Obama’s campaign and his ability to motivate people to vote.”

College students weren’t the only ones who became politically passionate in 2008. Celebrities became increasingly involved in the Barack Obama campaign. YouTube videos titled “Yes We Can” and “We are the Ones” by hip-hop artist Will.i.am are two examples of videos featuring celebrities supporting Barack Obama. A song titled “My President is Black” by rapper Young Jeezy was released in September 2008, two months before Barack Obama was elected.

Courtesy of johnmccain.com

Courtesy of barackobama.com

Courtesy of mittromney.com

Despite the slogans and chants at the rally Saturday, some students said the luster of voting and optimism about the election has faded in the last four years. “(Barack) Obama back then was like the Ron Paul of now, he gave hope for change in the largely flawed system,” said Omar Gowayed, a secondyear in science and engineering. “In 2008, there was optimism, there was this happiness to vote. But now, there isn’t really a joy to vote.”

While Barack Obama’s “Hope and change” ended up prevailing over McCain’s “Original Maverick” platform, many students said the election is not decided and it will not come down to meaningless rhetoric.

Many students said frustrations over the economy and unemployment rates continue to be a concern.

Issues including school loans, the economy and the job market have left some students struggling to pay for college, and some wonder if it’s even worth it. Many are unable to find jobs, and paying off student debt is a big concern, said Adrianne Smith, a second-year in exploration.

“I think (the Obama administration) have promised a lot of things and then they haven’t completed it yet,” Smith said. “Hopefully they’ll get another chance.”

Tuesday May 8, 2012