Teleconference Summary on Higher Education Accessibility for Latinos

On Thursday October 11, 2007 Latino supporters from across the nation called in to speak with Congressman Rubén Hinojosa and the Hillary Clinton for President Policy Team to speak about college accessibility for all Latinos. The call was in reference to Hillary's economic plan which she had announced earlier in the week.

Congressman Rubén Hinojosa introduced himself and talked about his work as Chair for the Subcommittee on Higher Education and how he has been a longtime advocate for increasing educational opportunities for Hispanics. He also talked about his interaction with Hillary and how he believes that she has the experience and leadership to bring about change as President. He then touched upon his work with the Higher Education Reauthorization Act.

Crystal Patterson from the Hillary Policy Team talked about Hillary's plan which included:

• Lowering the cost of college through a $3,500 tuition tax credit, enough to cover more than 50% of the cost of tuition at the average public institution for many families.
• Increasing the Pell Grant.
• Strengthening community colleges and training programs.
• Improving college graduation rates.
• Providing additional aid for people who do public service.
• Simplifying student aid.
• Enact a student borrowers’ bill of rights to ensure that loan payments are reasonable.
• Providing clear information about the real cost of college well in advance to help families plan.
• Work to increase funding for work-study and other federal financial aid and cut student loan interest rates.

Callers where then able to ask questions. Most questions had to do with FAFSA form and ways to improve its function. Overall the teleconference was informative and productive. i encourge everyone to take the opportunity to listen in on conversations wbout issues that interest you and your family.