The Oracle T H U R S DAY, J U N E 1 2 , 2 0 1 4 I VO L . 5 1 N O. 1 2 4
w w w. u s fo r a c l e . c o m
The Index
News.................................................................1 Lifestyle......................................................4 Opinion.......................................................6
classifieds..............................................7 Crossword.........................................7 sports............................................................8
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
Paying the bills
Obama, USF help students navigate loan repayments By Alex Rosenthal E D I T O R
I N
C H I E F
According to a recent report from the White House, an increasing number of students are relying on student loans to pay for tuition at public universities, which has more than tripled in the past three decades. Roughly 71 percent of the country’s students graduate with debt that averages about $29,400, and on Monday, President Barack Obama ordered more action be done to assist students in repaying their loans. While student debt at USF is significantly lower, with only 59 percent of students graduating with debt, directors at USF said only about 11 percent of students are aware of all their repayment options. “I think there is a feeling
that there isn’t much awareness among students,” Director of the USF Office of Financial Aid Billie Jo Hamilton said. “For some students this may be their first experience with credit … Learning how to know what is the best thing for you is hard to do.” Knakeera Bason, a senior majoring in finance and business advertising, said she is just one of many students worrying about paying off student loans. “All my friends say to stay in school as long as possible, and many are now going to grad school after graduation because they are afraid and they want to put off paying back the loans as long as possible,” Bason said. “I’m all smiles, but it’s worrying.” Bason said she will graduate USF this fall and she doesn’t worry about getting a job that
will eventually pay off her more than $31,000 in loans, but she is concerned about the question of when she can pay back her loans. “I’m worried that if I miss a payment, I’m going to get calls harassing me when I’m trying to do something positive and get my education,” she said. While Bason said she is unaware of the different options to repay her loans, the White House is making new efforts to assist students in repaying loans. In a Presidential Memorandum, Obama directed the Secretary of Education to allow nearly 5 million more borrowers be added to the president’s existing Pay As You Earn (PAYE) repayment plan, which caps federal loan payments at 10 percent of a student’s income. These added students, who
would be able to start the option after it takes effect at the end of 2015, include more than 1.3 million in Florida. Currently, there are over 2.3 million students who account for roughly $61.7 million in student loan debt in the state, according to a report from the White House. Nationally, student loans account for $1.1 trillion in debt — more than the combined total of mortgages or credit cards throughout the country. In addition to expanding the PAYE plan, Obama urged more strategies be implemented to promote awareness of various repayment options for students. Similarly, USF began educating students on their options of repaying their loans through the Bull2Bull program, which was started last year to educate stu-
■ See BILLS on PAGE 3
New dean to bring Honors College into ‘global century’ By Roberto Roldan M A N A G I N G
E D I T O R
In recent years, USF has attempted to make classrooms more globally oriented and Charles Adams, the newly appointed dean of the Honors College, said he wants to bring that focus to the Honors College. On Wednesday, university officials announced Adams would replace the former dean of the college, Stuart Silverman, who held the position for nearly 27 years. Adams is currently the director of international education and an English professor at the University of Arkansas. Even at a young age, Adams said he was always thinking of the world in a larger context. His father worked for a large Charles Adam will become the corporation and Adams spent new dean of the Honors College in much of his time traveling August. ORACLE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU
with him and living all over the world. The longest he ever stayed in one place as a child was when he spent six years in London. “Living in foreign places and doing international travel was in my blood by the time I got to college,” Adams said. “So when I went into literary studies I was interested all along in figures that helped to span international gaps.” Throughout his life, Adams learned to speak French and Spanish and picked up German as a Fulbright professor of American Studies in Germany. Adams began his career as an administrator when he moved from professor to head of the English department at UA. From there, he became an associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences and oversaw a number of international programs, including the university’s International
Education and the Asian Studies Program. “Dr. Adams is uniquely qualified to enhance USF’s global reach and help our students excel academically,” USF President Judy Genshaft said. “His innovative spirit and passion for learning will have a significant impact on our students and our institution.” For some, his transition from English professor to administrator of international programs might seem odd, but Adams said it was something his personal experiences and studies had prepared him for. “I have no academic credentials in that area, but I was asked to take on those programs for administrative reasons,” he said. “They suited me because I’m interested in international studies in general. There has been a theme all the way through my career of international interests.”
As the new dean of the Honors College, Adams said he wants to bring his passion for international studies to the students. He said he has three main goals he hopes to pursue in the coming years: student success, community engagement and a global education. In addition to ensuring students graduate on time, Adams said he wants honors college students to be successful in the fast-paced, global world they will become a part of after graduation. “The world is changing in a hurry,” Adams said. “In the past 15 years we’ve seen enormous changes in the way we get information and the way we communicate. We have no idea where this is going or what the world will look like in another 15 years, but we do know the basic talents, skills
■ See DEAN on PAGE 2