District 15 Candidate Prioritizes Student Debt Relief
A campaign event for Jonathan Ortiz (Photo Credit: Hector Bello)
By Hector Bello
Jonathan Ortiz is running for Bronx District 15’s Congressional seat in the 2020 Democratic primaries on a campaign to eliminate student loan debt, and Lehman students welcomed the initiative.
“We signed contracts to get loans that we didn’t fully understand; we can’t get rid of debt through bankruptcy,” Ortiz told the Meridian in an August team meeting at his Soundview residence.
The Democratic candidate said high school graduates feel less motivated to pursue higher education because they fear the consequences of student loan debt. “One of the main reasons why I am trying to eliminate student loan debt is because it keeps families from getting decent homes and might also contribute to depression,” Ortiz said.
If elected, he plans “to help Congress tax five percent of the wealthiest citizens across the country and use that money to eliminate the debt.” He compared his idea with Elizabeth Warren’s plan of funding student loan debt forgiveness programs by using a two percent annual tax on people whose fortune exceeds 50 million dollars.
“I think it’s pretty cool that Ortiz is trying to relieve student loan debt, which prevents most people from continuing their education. I have a $30,000 debt, and it adds more hardship to my future career plans,” said Lehman junior and studio art major Liz Thomas, 26. “After college, people try to be independent; debt is blocking my independence.”
“After college, people try to be independent; debt is blocking my independence.”
A campaign event for Jonathan Ortiz (Photo Credit: Hector Bello)
Other Lehman students and alums agreed that student debt is often prohibitively high.
“My debt is really high compared to my income, which makes it really hard for me to purchase a home; I will have to rent forever,” said Elise Rodriguez, a 31-year-old who participated in Ortiz’s meeting.
Rodriguez could not graduate from her community college because of student loan debt, explaining, “I’m forced to be in an income-driven repayment plan because I don’t have enough money. I would love a loan forgiveness plan; I wish I was more educated about this before.”
Student loan debt is a problem that currently affects thousands of students across the state. The Department of Consumer Affairs stated that in New York City, more than one in six, or approximately one million adults, have at least one student loan debt that collectively amounts to $34.8 billion. Bronx’s District 15, which houses 731,101 residents, is one of the poorest in the country, with a median household income of $23,894 per year; this includes Lehman’s neighborhood, Bedford Park.
Some neighborhoods within the district include Mott Haven, Hunts Point, High Bridge, University, West Farms and Fordham, where only 10 out 60 percent of high school graduates hold college degrees, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
At Lehman, 21 percent of all undergraduate students, including freshmen, utilize federal student loans to afford a college education, College Factual reported. Lehman’s onine financial section advertises that borrowers have a fixed interest rate of 3.7 to 4.4 percent based on the first disbursement date. But many Lehman students say the entire system of student loans should do better.
“I think student loans are a travesty,” said Lehman senior and journalism major Wayne Townsend. “We’re an advanced, rich and developed country, so education should not be a capitalistic industry!”
