They that have eyes

A Case Against US Student Debt Forgiveness

by Jessel Brizan
VALSAYN, Trinidad and Tobago
October 18, 2021

 
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I write this article with the understanding that the written word will inescapably get lost in translation despite my careful and calculated attempts to utilize the literary tools to which any writer can avail oneself. Such is human nature, particularly in the absence of emotional, spiritual and God-given intelligence.

I preface this article with the expectation that some readers will take offence to what I perceive to be truth in stark contrast to the opinions of those who might, for the sake of nothing better do with their time, lend opposition to my point of view. That said, I welcome ‘all the smoke.’

According to the U.S. Federal Reserve, Americans owed an estimated record-breaking $1.73 trillion in student loans in quarter two of 2021. This amid the Biden administration’s Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), a federal student loan forgiveness program which according to several sources “has long been plagued by problems including complicated eligibility requirements and low approval rates.”

Despite America’s demonstrated history of institutional racism, it would be foolhardy to play the race card, not only because there is no such thing as race, but for the undeniable fact that the so-called ‘student debt crisis’ has failed to discriminate based on ethnicity or any other demographics (gender, colour, occupation, socioeconomic status, etc.) one might be inclined to suggest.

The only crisis that is evident here is the blatant contempt for sight in preference for the veil of ignorance that is akin to the American welfare system. And yes, the PSLF is nothing more than welfare for the blind. But what do you mean blind? they asked.

I propose that the Americans so afflicted with student debt are nothing more than self-appointed welfare recipients who have intentionally overlooked the seemingly infinite supply of educational scholarships and grants, both private and public, afforded citizens and residents. That, in deference to rapid loan application procedures with simple eligibility requirements?

Sorry, please forgive my modesty. Rather, I propose that many Americans are too lazy to fulfill the “complicated eligibility requirements” that is part and parcel of most scholarship application processes.

Yes, I said it! “Go now, run along and tell your Xerxes that he faces free men here, not slaves!” Sorry, wrong movie. Go now, run along and tell your Uncle Sam to take away my U.S. Visa.

We have all heard the irrational tirades from Americans who claim that immigrants, legal and illegal, are stealing their jobs as much as they are a burden on the American economy. These are some of the same Americans who have taken for granted their inalienable rights and freedoms to “promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity” only to cast aspersions at immigrants, who in pursuit of the same, employ a purposeful approach underpinned by discipline, diligence and a strong work ethic which are the very same attributes that most American employers extol in their workforce. And God forbid that an immigrant attains rapid upward mobility on account of the said qualities only to be the recipient of further disdain from their native counterparts.

As with other U.S. immigrants, many Caribbeans have been noted to excel on their sojourn in the United States. Please permit me to share my experience in the land of “milk and honey.”

During my eight-year residency in the American north, Springfield, Massachusetts to be more precise, I enjoyed the privilege of living, working and furthering my education in a land that was strange as much as it was kind to me.

I matriculated at American International College (AIC) in Fall 1998 having been granted a partial academic/athletic scholarship due to my abilities on the football (soccer) field. As an international student, I recall living paycheck to paycheck because the allotted sixteen hours per week of on-campus employment was analogous to a break-even analysis with books, supplies, food, and living expenses. Thank God my scholarship covered tuition.

In financial desperation, I embarked on an extensive campaign in search of scholarships during my sophomore year. And for an international student from Trinidad and Tobago pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Communication, and whose only journalism experience was the school newspaper, the pickings are slim to none. Nonetheless, my crusade netted only two potential results.

Upon completion of the “complicated eligibility requirements” and subsequent waiting period, I received letters from both private organizations. In no uncertain words, my applications were denied. As no stranger to faith, I remained undaunted in my disappointment. Following a Summer 2000 internship as a staff-writer with the Springfield Union-News / Sunday Republican, I reapplied for the aforementioned scholarships the following year.

My senior year, I took over the reins of the college newspaper as editor-in-chief which unbeknownst to me came with an additional scholarship award. Save for off-campus living expenses, all my costs were now fully covered including a much-welcomed college meal plan.

Following a short passage of time, I received two letters in the mail. I was the recipient of a US$2,500 Non-Sustaining Scholarship from the National Association of Black Journalists, and a US$500 Mary A. Gardner Scholarship from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

My elation was further heightened when I received notification from the college bursar’s office. On account of all my college-related expenses being fully compensated, AIC disbursed a cheque in my name for US$3,000. I previously had never won anything in life, and receiving that cheque was nothing short of winning a lottery. And though fleeting, money can buy some measure of happiness.

My story is not one of uniqueness.

The American forefathers did not imply reliance on welfare.

In a land that boasts of “milk and honey” the system is so contrived that success, how ever you choose to define it, is attainable to all those who are willing to use their eyes to seek out the opportunities that exist, and take the time to fulfill the “complicated eligibility requirements” that are intentionally imposed to lower approval rates.

Wake up!

Jessel BrizanA Case Against US Student Debt Forgiveness, US student debt crisis, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, PSLF, Jessel Brizan, JBDG, Jessel Brizan Design Group, The Urban MilitiaComment