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May 6, 2008
Contact: Sujatha Jahagirdar, (323) 309 6120
Indiana Voter ID Law Turns Students Away from Polls
Student PIRG New Voters Project staff stationed at polling locations near Indiana campuses today are beginning to hear from young voters turned away at the polls for a failure to meet voter identification laws upheld by the Supreme Court last week. The law, which requires voters to possess in-state or federal identification, such as an Indiana Driver’s License or federal passport, has been widely criticized for creating additional voting barriers. Three incidents of student voters turned away from the polls documented by Student PIRG staff in past two hours are included below. To contact profiled voters, please contact Sujatha Jahagirdar at (323) 309 6120.
19-year old Angela Hiss, a sophomore and computer science major at the University of Notre Dame, was turned away from the polls this afternoon as she attempted to vote in her first election. After arriving at her polling location, she presented several forms of identification - her school ID, a piece of mail that showed her campus address and an Illinois driver’s license – but was misinformed that she could not vote because she could not show in-state ID. Poll-workers, according to Hiss, also did not advise her that she could cast a provisional ballot, as required by state and federal law. Instead, they suggested visiting local Department of Motor Vehicles to obtain the in-state identification required by Indiana’s newly-upheld law, an endeavor that could take hours, she explained. Furthermore, while the law allows her ten days to obtain the required ID from the DMV, Hiss’s travel plans will not give her time. As a result, she said, she will not be able to vote in the primary.
19-year old Allyson Miller, a sophomore at the University of Notre Dame and volunteer at a local children’s clinic was similarly turned away from the polls today. An Indiana resident since the age of five, Miller left her driver’s license in her dorm room, and arrived straight from class at the polls with her school ID and registration confirmation papers from the County Registrar. Upon arriving, however, poll-workers did not allow her to vote without a state-issued ID. “I plan to come back because voting is a big deal to me,” said Miller, “but it’s a huge inconvenience, especially with a final tomorrow.”
19-year old Becky Jenkins, a sophomore and member of the tennis team at Butler University was also unable to vote in her first election today. “I didn’t know that I had to have an Indiana ID,” she said after she was turned away from the polls for attempting to cast her ballot using a driver’s licenses issued by the State of Illinois. When asked if she would instead cast a provisional ballot, Jenkins also said her travel plans wouldn’t allow her to.
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The Student PIRGs’ New Voters Project is the nation’s largest youth voter mobilization program. Since 2004, we have registered more than 600,000 young people and made more than 650,000 peer to peer voter turnout contacts to get young people to the polls on Election Day. Due in large part to our efforts, the youth vote increased by 4.3 million votes, or 9% in 2004 and an analysis of our work in 2006 found that in the student dense precincts in which we worked with our allies, youth voter turnout increased on average by 157%.
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One
thousand professors
from over 300 colleges in all 50 states released a statement declaring their preference for high-quality,
affordable textbooks, including open textbooks, over expensive commercial
textbooks.
Open
textbooks are high
quality open-access textbooks reviewed
and written by academics that can be used online at no cost and printed for a
small cost. Open textbooks are already used at some of the
nation’s most prestigious institutions, like Harvard, Caltech and Yale.
Textbooks cost students an average of $900 per year, which is a quarter of tuition
at an average four-year public university and nearly three-quarters of tuition
at a community college, according to the GAO. Research conducted by The Student PIRGs
identifies publisher tactics as the primary cause of escalating prices.
Bundling textbooks with unnecessary supplements forces students to purchase
items they do not need; unnecessary new editions undermine the used book
market; and withholding critical price information keeps faculty in the dark.
“As faculty members, our top priority is to choose the
textbook that is best for our students. We share concerns about
affordability, and face similar frustrations with publisher practices,” said
Sandra Schroeder, Chair of the American Federation of Teachers Higher Education
Program and Policy Council. “Open textbooks and other affordable options,
when appropriate for a course, are a win-win for everyone.”
Here are some examples of open textbooks:
Introduction
to Economic Analysis
A
First Course in Linear Algebra
Introduction to Physical
Oceanography
Check out a great front-page article in the Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette |
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Student PIRG chapters across the country released the "Campus Credit Card Trap" report,
which outlined the unfair marketing practices of the credit industry.
Students overwhelmingly support limits on campus credit card marketing,
according to the results of the nationwide USPIRG survey of more than
1500 students at 40 colleges in 14 states.
The average student
receives nearly 5 credit card offers a month and nearly two in three
students reported that they had at least one credit card. Fifty-five
percent of cardholding students said they used their card for
day-to-day expenses. Reflecting escalating college costs, 55 percent
said they charge their books and nearly one-quarter said they pay their
tuition with a card. On average, freshmen had a balance of $1,301 and
seniors had more than twice that, $2,623.
Credit cards are
marketed to students using free gifts and introductory teaser rates.
The use of aggressive marketing techniques obscures students' ability
to be scrutinizing consumers when considering a credit card contract.
Seventy six percent of students reported stopping at tables on campus
to apply for credit cards, and nearly one-third were offered a free
gift to sign up.
Check out the Washington Post article printed April 13th 2008
Learn more at: truthaboutcredit.org |
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By David Weisburd (printed in the Indiana Daily Student)
For the last five weeks, I’ve been meeting with numerous professors,
administrators and students about the issue of financial literacy.
There is overwhelming support for having IU add financial planning to
the mandatory curriculum for every student. In fact, in a
statistically-validated, third-party survey done by Indiana Public
Interest Research Group, 85 percent of students responded that they
believe more needs to be done in order to promote financial literacy.
Despite this, the issue is being pigeonholed and completely ignored by
the IU president and his administration.
There are several
important reasons why teaching financial planning at the university
level is crucial. For one, lack of financial planning has led to more
personal strife then any issue in the country. Financial mismanagement
is often cited as one of the top reasons for divorce in America. For
many years after graduation, students carry loans and credit card debt
that decrease their standard of living – all of which could have easily
been avoided with proper financial planning. For example, by using a
tax-free College 529 plan, parents could cover the cost of tuition and
board at an in-state school with as little as $25 per month for every
child. Credit cards could be reconsolidated. The problem is not that
these solutions are difficult to understand. The problem is they are
not being taught in universities.
In my previous column, “An
Inconvenient Truth,” I brought up national security, the low U.S.
savings rate and the possibility of class warfare as reasons for why
our educational system must change. The problem is deeper than even
these issues, and has spread throughout society. As a society, we have
embraced a policy of social welfare over personal empowerment. The
government has focused on taxing individuals more in order to account
for the poor decision making of a segment of the population. This is
different from the original intent of taxes, the idea of focusing tax
dollars toward supporting those who couldn’t support themselves: the
physically and mentally handicapped. This has led to higher taxes and a
co-dependent culture in the lower class. The national debt continues to
rise and the dollar is devaluated. This is not a sustainable model.
In
fact, the issue of accountability has spread throughout our educational
systems and universities. Tenured professors and administrators with
guaranteed job security and large pension plans have become out of
touch with the issues concerning the student body. The administration
has taken the attitude of “why should we embrace this policy change,”
rather then taking responsibility for their role in teaching the
student body. Issues such as funding, curriculum and faculty (which are
all taken into consideration in our proposal) have been overblown and
used as excuses to preserve the status quo.
I have personally
admired the work of IU President Michael McRobbie in connecting with
the student body. However, when the president spends an entire week
focusing on firing a basketball coach and will not take 30 minutes to
sit down with a student-led group, there is a big problem at our
university. This issue will not go away until the student body has a
voice at the table. If you support this issue, take two minutes to
e-mail President McRobbie at iupres@indiana.edu and join the “Financial
Literacy @ IU” group on Facebook. Let’s make this happen. |
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On December 6th, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a 21st Century energy bill that will harness American ingenuity and put us on a path to cleaner, smarter new energy future for America.
This bill is a breakthrough on energy policy and sets the country firmly on a path to increasing clean energy, lowering energy demand, and reducing U.S.
dependence on oil.
We're now calling on the Senate to pass this bill quickly and for President Bush to sign it into law.
Highlights of the bill include:
Promote Clean Energy - by following the lead of half the states to establish a national renewable electricity standard, requiring utilities to produce 15% of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020. The bill also extends renewable energy production tax credits for four years and investment tax credits for 8 years.
A national renewable electricity standard will substantially reduce global warming pollution while sparking a clean energy boom across the U.S.
According to a recent analysis by Environment America, renewable energy development in states with RES policies is already boosting local economies by luring new manufacturing and other skilled jobs. It's projected that the standard would save consumers at least $13 billion and cut 126 million metric tons of global warming pollution per year by 2020 (equal to taking more than 20 million cars off the road).
Reduce U.S. Dependence on Oil - by increasing fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks to 35 mpg by 2020. This would be the first meaningful increase in fuel economy standards in more than 15 years. The provision replaces the current standards with an attribute-based system that gives the auto industry tremendous compliance flexibility by allowing for different mileage requirements per vehicle size. The standards in the Senate bill would save 1.2 million barrels of oil a day in 2020, save consumers $25 billion at the gas pumps, and substantially reduce global warming pollution.
With oil prices continuing to set new records above $80 a barrel, Americans want new standards and more efficient vehicles now.
Save Energy - by adopting strong energy-efficiency incentives and standards.
Both the House and Senate bills contain legislation that would help Americans save energy in their homes and businesses. These policies include appliance and lighting efficiency standards, tax incentives, and building codes.
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The New Voters Project registered 34 students to vote in the Arboredom from one until three on Wednesday, October 24. Way to engage students in their political processes! |
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What’s Your Plan? held a photo petition drive in Collins Hall on Tuesday, Oct. 23, from 5 to 7 p.m. and got sixty-one photos out to the 2008 presidential candidates. Nice work, What’s Your Plan?! |
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Hunger and Homelessness collected canned food donations on Sunday, October 21, to donate to Hoosier Hills Food Bank. Volunteers colleted twelve large bins of donations to assist the local hungry. |
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Wednesday, September 19, 2007 INPIRG's Hunger and Homelessness campaign urged students to call in to their state representatives. The students urged their legislators to increase funding for housing affordability projects. More information and pictures can be found on the WFIU website: http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wfiu/news.newsmainaction=article&ARTICLE_ID=1150848 http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wfiu/news.newsmainaction=article&ARTICLE_ID=1150819 |
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On September 7th, 2007, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives passed
the College Cost Reduction and Access Act by broad bipartisan votes of 79 to 12
and 292 to 97 respectively. The bill now goes to the President who has said he
will sign the legislation into law.
The College Cost Reduction and Access Act is the most meaningful higher
education reform in more than 15 years. The bill addresses the financial
challenges of access and affordability that face American college students. It
provides billions of dollars a year in additional grant aid to low-income students
through the Pell Grant program. It will also help students address the burden
of rising student debt through lower interest rates and a new repayment system.
The bill also trims excessive subsidies that benefit a handful of banks and
directs them to millions of students and families who are working to pay for
college.
The College Cost Reduction and Access Act will:
- Increase the maximum Pell
Grant award by $490 for each of the next two school years, by $690 for the
following two school years and by $1,090 for each following year. The Pell
Grant is the nation’s premier college access program, providing grants to
5 million low-income students each year. The maximum Pell Grant is
currently $4,310.
- Create an income-based
repayment program that allows borrowers to repay their loans as a
percentage of their income. This new program will protect borrowers with
low salaries from having to make unmanageable payments. As a result
students will be able to make employment and life decisions based on their
values rather than the volume of their debt.
- Reduce interest rates on
student loans for more than 5 million low and middle-income student
borrowers receiving subsidized Stafford
loans.
- Finance increased education
spending by reducing subsidies to student lenders. Lenders will receive a
reduced rate of return for offering federal student loans and a slightly
reduced reinsurance rate from the federal government. As a result, the
increased grant aid and loan benefits will have no additional cost to
taxpayers.
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On July 11th, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the "College
Cost Reduction Act of 2007" (HR 2669) by a vote of 273-149. The bill
will substantially increase the purchasing power of the Pell Grant, the
nation's premiere need-based grant program which benefits millions of
low income students, increasing the maximum grant amount by $100 for
five years beginning in 2008-9. It will make student loan debt more
affordable by cutting the interest rate on student loans in half, to
3.4%, by 2012, and by capping loan repayment amounts to a reasonable
percentage of a graduate's income. HR 2669 goes a long way toward
solving the college affordability and access crisis in the country.
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The U.S. House of Representatives
voted to increase the size of the maximum Pell Grant by $260, to $4,310. This
is the first time the size of the Pell Grant has been increased since 2002. The
Pell Grant is the federal government’s premier need-based grant aid program,
providing aid to more than five million low-income
students.
Over the last five years, while
students have paid more for college, the maximum Pell Grant has remained frozen.
As a result students have had to make up the gap between tuition and aid with
more work and larger loans. This increase will start to provide students with
the aid they need to access an affordable college education. To fully restore
the Pell Grant to its historic value, we’re continuing to call for the maximum
to be increased to $5,100 in the coming budget cycle. |
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On
January 18th, by a vote of 264 to 163, the
U.S. House of Representatives passed the Clean Energy Act. The U.S.
PIRG-backed measure closes some tax loopholes for big oil companies, recovers
billions in lost royalties for drilling in public waters, and shifts more than
$14 billion to investments in clean energy.
By harnessing renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and clean biofuels, we
can secure our economy and create jobs. By promoting technologies to save
energy, we can dramatically reduce our dependence on oil and save consumers
money. More than ever, America
needs a new direction on energy policy. With the passage of the CLEAN Energy
Act of 2007, Congress would send a clear message that they are ready to start
solving our energy problems.
For more information, read
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7006189616.
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On January 17th, by a vote of 356 to 71, the U.S. House passed, by an
overwhelming bipartisan majority, legislation to lower the interest rates on
student loans over the next five years. According to an analysis by the Student
PIRGs, the move would save the average low or middle-income borrower starting
school in 2007 $2,300 in debt.
“H.R. 5 pays for better benefits for
students by cutting excessive federal subsidies to private lenders,” explained
U.S. PIRG Higher Education Advocate Luke Swarthout. “The bill saves millions of
students thousands of dollars over the life of their loans by eliminating
wasteful subsidies.
The
bill, H.R. 5, will lower interest rates on subsidized Stafford student loans, which are used overwhelmingly by
students from low- and middle-income families. The Senate will likely take up the issue of lower
interest rates as a part of a larger package of higher education policies in the
next several months.
For more information, read http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/18/us/18loans.html |
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Dedicated volunteers from our New Voters Project (NVP) passed out free cookies to voters on Election Day. This was the culmination of a semester long non-partisan campaign to register students to vote. NVP volunteers registered 205 students on campus to vote, and then extended that effort by following up with these new registrations to remind them to vote on Election Day. We had tables set up in numerous places on campus passing out information regarding the canidates that were running for each position, polling sites, and where they could vote early.
Our efforts were once again noticed by the campus paper, the Indiana Daily Student. Check out the article with the link below:
http://www.idsnews.com/news/story.php?adid=search&id=39042 |
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Thanks to the support of over 1,100 Indiana University students and the dedication of INPIRG volunteers we held a very successful fundraising drive this semester. The money raised will allow us to to continue to work on important issues like protecting the environment, fighting hunger and homelessness, making college more affordable for students, and registering students to vote. The membership pledges allow us to hire professional staf to work on these issues, run an internship program on campus, and ensure that we are an effective voice for students here at IU. We couldn't do it without your support, and we thank you!
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Campus Climate Challenge volunteers passed out hundreds of bagels and pastries to students that were riding their bikes on campus as a way to get out the word about INPIRG, Campus Climate Challenge, and easy ways to help reduce global warming. Students were very excited for the free food and info!
Check out our article in the campus paper, the Indiana Daily Student!
http://www.idsnews.com/news/story.php?adid=search&id=38327
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