Students from across the country gathered in the nation’s capital Monday, March 26, to protest the student debt crisis in the United States, leading to the arrest of 36 student leaders including ASUO Vice President Katie Taylor and ASLCC (Lane Community College) President Mario Parker-Milligan.
Students rallied outside the headquarters of Sallie Mae in Washington D.C. — one of the nation’s prominent student loan providers — to get their voices heard on the issue of increasing student debt, which recently surpassed credit card debt of more than one trillion dollars.
After months of asking for a meeting between Sallie Mae officials and student leaders on the issue, the United States Student Association planned the protest to demand a meeting with Sallie Mae CEO Albert Lord. According to ASUO Chief of Staff Kerry Snodgrass — who wasn’t among those arrested — hundreds of students formed a picket line outside chanting slogans such as, “Sallie Mae, you can’t hide, we can see your greedy side!”
In an act of civil disobedience, student leaders sat on the front steps of the Sallie Mae building, blocking the door. The peaceful protest ended with their arrests — a planned, symbolic gesture aiming to bring broader attention to the issue.
“I’m here today because I’ve heard countless stories at the University of Oregon about how skyrocketing student loan debt is ruining students’ lives,” Taylor said. “It’s important that students know they don’t have to keep quietly bearing this burden alone.”
Among the detained was USSA President Victor Sanchez, President of the Wisconsin Statewide Student Association United Council Seth Hoffmeister, Associated Students of Madison Chair Allie Gardner and many others from various universities and colleges throughout the nation.
Other students continued to lobby their elected officials to pass legislation to address the debt crisis by keeping interest rates low on federal rooms and allowing students to file bankruptcy on their private loans.
“We protested because we wanted to get noticed, and we got noticed,” Snodgrass said.
Snodgrass and others believe this rally was a step in the right direction to increased national concern for student debt as well as a meeting with Sallie Mae representatives on what students need.
“It’s getting to the point where student leaders can’t sit back and wait for this to be addressed,” Snodgrass said. “I think this is the beginning of a more active and public fight for students rights.”
Taylor and other protesters were released soon after.