Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

3 days ago

Trump Says He’s Willing to Let Migrant Farm Laborers Stay in US

3 days ago

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

4 days ago

Eyeing Arctic Dominance, Trump Bill Earmarks $8.6 Billion for US Coast Guard Icebreakers

4 days ago

Trump’s Sweeping Tax-Cut and Spending Bill Wins Congressional Approval

4 days ago

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

4 days ago

US Supreme Court to Decide Legality of Transgender School Sports Bans

4 days ago

Nvidia Set to Become the World’s Most Valuable Company in History

4 days ago

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

4 days ago
Berkeley Student With College Loans Doesn't Want Her Debt Forgiven. Here’s Why
By admin
Published 2 years ago on
July 13, 2023

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

I have $7,248 in student loans but I’m not disappointed that the U.S. Supreme Court blocked President Biden’s attempt to forgive student debt.

I understand that student loan debt is a problem and that I’ll work to repay mine. But given the opportunity again, I’d gladly take it. Lifting a portion of debt off a select group of Americans will add to inflation and lead to the growth of already crushing tuition prices – even at UC Berkeley where the semesterly cost for a California resident is $9,595, much lower than the nonresident $25,108.


Eythana Miller

Special to CalMatters

My stance probably isn’t popular among my classmates, but it might help to tell you a little about my family and myself.

My parents grew up Amish and, traditionally, kids begin working after 8th grade. I did the same. Instead of going to high school, I stocked shelves and managed inventory at my family’s small grocery shop nine miles outside of a former logging town called Libby, Montana.

I studied for my GED diploma, and at 17, moved on my own to Redding, the seat of Shasta County. I worked multiple jobs, determined to be self-sufficient.

Community College Served as Gateway

I hadn’t grown up thinking about college. I didn’t know anyone who had gone. But one night during a restaurant shift, I overheard a coworker talking about his classes at Shasta College, the local two-year.

He wasn’t paying tuition – in California, community college is all but free – and I instantly bookmarked the fact for investigation. After many emails, swimming through bureaucratic layers of establishing residency and understanding requirements, I enrolled, and began making up for years of missed high school through algebra Zoom classes in the summer of 2020.

I hated being behind my peers, struggling through algebraic factoring and slopes after work on weekend nights, calling friends who were “normal” college freshmen and loved mathematics for help on 9th-grade problems.

After two years of full-time studying while nannying, freelance writing and tutoring, I applied to UC Berkeley and, to my surprise, started school there last fall. In a thousand small ways, I began discovering what had been out of my reach. I digested political theory, economic history and international relations while working to pay tuition and living expenses.

This spring, I took out a loan. My parents help when they can and I’m deeply appreciative, but generations without exposure to academics meant that education was relegated to a lower rung on the financial priority ladder.

Unintended Consequences of Loan Forgiveness

President Biden’s proposed loan forgiveness plan would’ve cost between $300 billion and $980 billion, according to the Penn Wharton Budget Model. While many students would gladly have had their loans forgiven – and understandably so – they’re missing the rest of the picture.

As a professor told me last semester, “The history of U.S. public policy is essentially a series of unintended consequences.” Loan forgiveness gives universities the incentive and ability to raise tuition prices even higher, as students will be more comfortable taking out loans to cover these additional costs, with the potential of forgiveness looming.

College prices rose 31% from 2010-2020, and this plan would’ve worsened the cycle, feeding into the swelling inflation we love to complain about. The U.S. household debt crisis is a concern, but data shows that individuals who hold a college degree earn a much higher income on average, and therefore are more equipped to pay off debt and continue building wealth.

Those without a degree are more often stuck in paycheck-to-paycheck dependence, lacking the skills necessary to climb into a higher income bracket. The accessibility of community college as the spark to kickstart an educational journey should not be understated.

Offering two years for free across the country would do more to bring new students into higher education than forgiving debt for those who’ve already had the privilege of attending. I know firsthand the significance of the second chance that community colleges provide.

About the Author

Eythana Miller is a student at UC Berkeley and writes for the student-run publication Berkeley Political Review. The author wrote this for CalMatters, a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s Capitol works and why it matters.

About CalMatters

CalMatters is a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom committed to explaining California policy and politics.

Make Your Voice Heard

GV Wire encourages vigorous debate from people and organizations on local, state, and national issues. Submit your op-ed to rreed@gvwire.com for consideration. 

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

TikTok Building New Version of App Ahead of Expected US Sale, the Information Reports

DON'T MISS

Hamas Government Office Rejects US Accusation of Involvement in Gaza Aid Site Attack

DON'T MISS

Death Toll From Texas Floods Reaches 78, Trump Plans Visit

DON'T MISS

Trump Calls Musk’s Formation of New Party “Ridiculous” and Confusing

DON'T MISS

Fresno DUI Driver Slams Into CHP Motorcycle, Tow Truck on Highway 99

DON'T MISS

Russia Downs 120 Ukrainian Drones Overnight, Defense Ministry Says

DON'T MISS

Israel Sends Delegation to Qatar for Gaza Talks Ahead of Netanyahu Trip to US

DON'T MISS

San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Grows to Nearly 80,000 Acres, 30% Contained

DON'T MISS

Musk Announces Forming of ‘America Party’ in Further Break From Trump

DON'T MISS

Death Toll From Texas Floods Reaches 59, Including 21 Children

UP NEXT

How Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Will Make China Great Again

UP NEXT

July 4th Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of the Founding Fathers

UP NEXT

Presidential Election Reveals Big Shift in California Voting Patterns. Will It Last?

UP NEXT

From Victims to Perpetrators: Israeli Soldiers’ Nazi Comparisons and the Unfolding War Crimes in Gaza

UP NEXT

Dear Mayor and City Council, Fresno’s Housing Bottlenecks Are a Modern Form of Redlining

UP NEXT

A Path Forward on Immigration Reform That Strengthens America

UP NEXT

Israel Faces Genocide Accusations Amid Gaza Food Aid Killings

UP NEXT

CA’s Population Shrank in Trump’s First Immigration Crackdown. It Could Happen Again

UP NEXT

Controversial Climate Rule That Could Raise Gas Prices About to Take Effect

UP NEXT

I Detest Netanyahu, but on Some Things He’s Actually Right

Trump Calls Musk’s Formation of New Party “Ridiculous” and Confusing

15 hours ago

Fresno DUI Driver Slams Into CHP Motorcycle, Tow Truck on Highway 99

22 hours ago

Russia Downs 120 Ukrainian Drones Overnight, Defense Ministry Says

22 hours ago

Israel Sends Delegation to Qatar for Gaza Talks Ahead of Netanyahu Trip to US

22 hours ago

San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Grows to Nearly 80,000 Acres, 30% Contained

22 hours ago

Musk Announces Forming of ‘America Party’ in Further Break From Trump

22 hours ago

Death Toll From Texas Floods Reaches 59, Including 21 Children

22 hours ago

California’s Politics Drifts Right While New York’s Leans Left

23 hours ago

How Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Will Make China Great Again

2 days ago

What’s Caitlin Clark Worth to the WNBA? A Lot More Than Her $78,066 Salary.

2 days ago

TikTok Building New Version of App Ahead of Expected US Sale, the Information Reports

TikTok is building a new version of its app for users in the United States ahead of a planned sale of the app to a group of investors, The I...

15 hours ago

A logo is displayed over a door at the U.S. headquarters of the social media company TikTok in Culver City, California, U.S. January 17, 2025. (Reuters File)
15 hours ago

TikTok Building New Version of App Ahead of Expected US Sale, the Information Reports

Boxes of aid are stacked as Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said it has commenced operations to begin distribution of aid, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, May 26, 2025. (Reuters File)
15 hours ago

Hamas Government Office Rejects US Accusation of Involvement in Gaza Aid Site Attack

A volunteer searches for flood victims after deadly flooding in Kerr County, Texas, U.S., July 6, 2025. REUTERS/Sergio Flores
15 hours ago

Death Toll From Texas Floods Reaches 78, Trump Plans Visit

Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk listens as US President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with House Republicans at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Washington, DC, U.S. on November 13, 2024. (Reuters File)
15 hours ago

Trump Calls Musk’s Formation of New Party “Ridiculous” and Confusing

A 22-year-old suspected DUI driver crashed into a parked CHP motorcycle and tow truck on Highway 99 near Fresno, narrowly missing an officer and bystanders, CHP said Saturday, July 5, 2025. (CHP)
22 hours ago

Fresno DUI Driver Slams Into CHP Motorcycle, Tow Truck on Highway 99

A service member of a drone unit of the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after King Danylo of the Ukrainian Armed Forces controls a heavy combat drone while it flies over positions of Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk Region, Ukraine June 12, 2025. (Reuters File)
22 hours ago

Russia Downs 120 Ukrainian Drones Overnight, Defense Ministry Says

An Israeli tank maneuvers in Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, July 6, 2025. (Reuters/Amir Cohen)
22 hours ago

Israel Sends Delegation to Qatar for Gaza Talks Ahead of Netanyahu Trip to US

The Madre Fire near New Cuyama has burned nearly 80,000 acres as of Sunday, July 6, 2025, morning, prompting widespread evacuation orders and warnings across three counties. (CalFire)
22 hours ago

San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Grows to Nearly 80,000 Acres, 30% Contained

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend