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Carbajal unveils updated bill to expand Pell Grant KENNETH SONG/NEWS-PRESS PHOTOSU.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal unveils updated legislation to expand the Pell Grant during a news conference at Storke Plaza at UCSB.
U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal came to UCSB this week to announce legislation that is designed to expand the Pell Grant and make college more affordable.
He was joined by students from UCSB and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo during the news conference Wednesday in Storke Plaza.
Rep. Carbajal’s Degrees Not Debt Act would double the maximum Pell Grant award to $13,800 a year, decreasing the amount of student loan debt for individuals pursuing higher education.
“American college students owe nearly $2 trillion in student loans, and the tools that we have to prevent students from taking on additional debt to complete their education aren’t keeping up with the rising costs of higher education — even at our public colleges and universities,” Rep. Carbajal said in Storke Plaza. “As someone who was the first in his family to graduate college and someone who relied on Pell and other federal aid to earn that degree, I know it’s unacceptable that the value of these programs have eroded in recent years.
Angela Bradley, a UCSB sociology major and single mother, talks at the press conference about how the Pell Grant enabled her to go back to school.“The numbers don’t lie: Pell needs a dramatic overhaul,” Rep. Carbajal said. “That’s why I’ve renewed my push to double the maximum Pell Grant award to improve Pell’s ability to cover the costs of a modern education, and I’m pleased to have universal support from the Central Coast’s student organizations as well as many of our colleges and universities.”
At Wednesday’s press conference, students shared their experiences with the Pell Grant and voiced support for the legislation.
Angela Bradley, a single mother and a UCSB sociology major, said the Pell Grant enabled her to return to school.
“The Pell Grant gave me more time to focus on school and spend a little more time with my kids,” she told the media in Storke Plaza. “It also helped me put gas in my car … purchase more nutritious groceries, and buy books and supplies I needed for school. Even with the help of the Pell Grant, I had to use my credit cards to supplement the other needs of my family.
“If the Pell Grant were doubled the amount that it is today, it would enable me to get through school with less stress, less debt, and more time to earn my degree in a timely manner … It could also offset the rising cost of food and gasoline,” she said.
“Thanks to the federal Pell Grant…(my) loans were definitely diminished, which helped me and my mom and all our worries,” said Sara Steichen, a student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. But she added that the current amount of the grant doesn’t cover all of her tuition and dormitory costs.Sara Steichen, a political science major graduating this year from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a first-generation college student, said the Pell Grant proved to be a great help with her goals.
“Thanks to the federal Pell Grant…(my) loans were definitely diminished, which helped me and my mom and all our worries,” Ms. Steichen said during the Storke Plaza conference.
“With that being said, the current amount that the Pell Grant has to offer does not fully cover all my tuition and dorm costs,” she said. “If the federal Pell Grant had been doubled before I attended Cal Poly, I would be able to spend next year solely prioritizing my career goals. College has become increasingly accessible thanks to various programs like the Pell Grant, but there is still so much more work that can be done to make college education accessible to people across various socioeconomic backgrounds.”
Rep. Carbajal was also joined by Saúl Quiroz, director of the UCSB Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships.
The Degrees Not Debt Act has been endorsed by Associated Students of UCSB and the Cal State Student Association, as well as the University of California system, the California State University system, Allan Hancock College, Cuesta College and Santa Barbara City College.
More than seven million students nationwide rely on the Pell Grant to cover the cost of higher education. However the current maximum Pell Grant award of $6,895 only covers about one-third of the average tuition at a four-year institution, according to Rep. Carbajal’s office.
The congressman’s legislation, which he has introduced previously to increase the Pell Grant, was revised this year to double the current level of Pell Grants available.
Meanwhile, student loan debt in the U.S. totaled more than $1.7 trillion last year. California holds the record for the largest amount of student loan debt in the states, at $141 billion with an average of $37, 000 per borrower.
Rep. Carbajal joined more than 100 Democrats in Congress in March in a letter urging President Joe Biden to extend the moratorium on student loan payments until December and to provide meaningful student debt cancellation.
email: kzehnder@newspress.com
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