News Students take on Canada Student Loans Shara Lee, The Peak (Simon Fraser University) VANCOUVER -- (CUP) Two students at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia have launched a campaign to change Canada’s student loan systems. But while the feds say they’re listening, no actual changes seem to be on the horizon. Julian Benedict graduated from SFU in 2006 and he was shocked to discover just how much he was faced with paying back. “T had huge student loans to deal with. I started to make payments and I couldn’t believe all the problems I was having with lost documentation, misinformation, and generally things that were wrong with the system,” said Benedict. Rather than complaining about his problem, Benedict and his friend Mark O’Meara started the Coalition for Student Loan Fairness to address the needs and concerns of other student loan borrowers. The organization has already started collecting names in an online petition seeking support for eight points that the CSLF wants to present in Ottawa. The eight-point plan is a list of major issues that the CSLF has compiled and includes the creation of a student loan ombudsperson, a reduction of interest rates on loans, and a demand for online up-to-date statements to allow students to stay informed about their loan status. They have also started working on an education campaign to make people more aware of their campaign. “Federally, there are over 990,000 student loan borrowers,” said Benedict, “Considering that the average debt according to the Canadian Federation of Students is about $27,000, Canadian students owe the government a lot of money.” “We're paying among the highest interest rates in the G8 for student loans at a time when governments across the developed world are saying that they want to make it easier and more accessible for students to get into education systems,” he added. The CSLF believes that there are two fundamental stages of a student’s financial life. “The first one is when you’re in school and dealing with issues like tuition fees. The second stage is in repayment, when you’re paying back your student loans,” said Benedict. The CSLF’s membership is composed of both students and graduates but is also getting some external support. “{By] form[ing] alliances with other groups like credit counseling societies and other groups who would not necessarily be aligned with students, our organization is open to any reasonable means to get the voices of student loan borrowers heard,” said Benedict. Benedict is looking at paying back about $40,000, but his case is far from the worst. Peter Watt, another former student, said that his debt amounts to approximately $110,000. “I’ve gone bankrupt twice to try putting it off. That didn’t work, obviously, because you can’t do that — all it really does is put it off. The creditors are sill bugging me, but that’s calming down now,” said Watt. The government collection agencies “are pretty relentless if you can’t pay and the interest is higher than on other loans so it’s kind of frightening, actually. Other than a potential settlement, I really have no hope of paying it back,” he added. Officials with Canada Student Loans know of problems like Watt’s, and acknowledge that something needs to be done to help them. Leesha Lin, acting director of operational policy and research for the Canada Student Loans Program, stated in a recent article to Maclean’s. ca that although a review of the student loan program has been launched, it still hasn’t happened, and neither is there a timeline for any recommendations and action plans. As for people like Watt, they are exactly the kind of people that the CSLF hopes to help. “I’m really encouraging everyone to come to our website and find out the facts about the student loan system and help us make it better,” said Benedict. The CSLF believes that with enough support, their eight-point plan and petition can make a difference in the way that Canada’s student loan borrowing system operates. More women suffer from student debt than men Canada Student Loans examines gendered debt William Wolfe-Wylie, CUP National Bureau Chief TORONTO -- (CUP) While women are dominating the post-secondary landscape, they are, on average, deeper in debt and have more trouble paying back their loans once they enter the workforce. Between 2002 and 2005, approximately 57 per cent of Canadian university students were female. But according to the newly released 2004- 05 annual report from Canada Student Loans (CSL), the organization services far more women than that number would suggest. A total of 337,256 students received a Canada Student Loan in 2004-05. Of those students, 60 per cent were female. The difference between men and women applying for student loans is even more pronounced when examining part-time students. In the 2002-03 academic year, 65.1 per cent of borrowers were female. By 2004-05, that number had risen to 67.3 per cent of all borrowers. In addition, women borrowed more money in order to pay for their education and were an average $494 deeper in debt upon graduation. But the gender gap between who attends 4 post-secondary institutions and who needs help paying for it goes beyond the loan process. Once students graduate and begin paying back their loans, far more women than men are forced to apply for interest relief, the first stage of institutional debtor’s help. In the first five years after graduation, CSL offers Interest Relief programs whereby students can apply to cease repayment on their loan for a period of six months without accruing any more interest. Students can apply for Interest Relief up to five separate times. At 64 per cent, nearly two-thirds of the 108,000 students who applied for interest relief in 2004-05 were women. “A large number of people have problems repaying,” said Canada Student Loans director Rosaline Frith at the semi-annual general meeting of the Canadian Federation of Students. But the issue could have little to do with Canada Student Loans and more to do with barriers to women succeeding in the workforce. According to Amanda Aziz, the national chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students the fact that women are still only making an average of 80% of men’s wages increases the burden on women. “Women are often the ones who have to take a pause in their career to have children,” Aziz said. Frith also said that the issue has been noticed by CSL. “We examine constantly for gender issues,” she said. Aziz said that the CFS will be working with Frith to further examine how women are being affected by student loan policies and providing input on “what sort of research should be done.” “Tt’s a really important area,” said Aziz.