Bill Nelson came to UF looking for stories.
The U.S. senator sat down with 13 students in the Bob Graham Center’s reading room Tuesday at about 1:30 p.m. to discuss student loans and debt and hear what they had to say.
He announced he’s working on legislation to lower the cap on interest rates for undergraduate loans from 8 to 4 percent and give students the ability to consolidate multiple loans under one interest rate.
The cap on rates for graduate students would also be lowered, he said.
The students in attendance included Mario Agosto, the Student Body vice president; Janae Moodie, chair of SG’s Allocations Committee and former Impact Party spokesperson; two Santa Fe College students; and a UF graduate student.
After a round of introductions, Nelson got straight to business.
“The big barrier to me passing this legislation is the cost,” he said. “I want you to bolster my argument with your particular circumstances, and I will tell (your) stories as I will try to pass this legislation.”
For the next 40 minutes, students shared their histories, families situations, and fears of the future -- especially paying off loans.
Ian Maikisch has dreams of being an entrepreneur.
When he was 19, he started his own business and ran it for a year while also in school, before the pressure of coursework became too much, he said.
Now, 23, the UF public relations junior said he worries about whether he’ll be able to pursue business. He estimates he’ll walk out of UF with about $40,000 in debt from student loans.
“My dream would be to graduate and open up my own business and be an entrepreneur like my father,” Maikisch told Nelson and the other students. “But with $40,000 in student loans right out of college, I’m not really going to be able to do that.”
A little more than halfway through the meeting, UF President Kent Fuchs slid into the room with a wide grin to personally thank Nelson for making time for students.
Nelson immediately took a moment to commend Fuchs for disinviting the white nationalist Richard Spencer from speaking on campus Sept. 12.
“Big, courageous decision by the big man,” Nelson said.
Before closing out, Nelson asked the students if they had any questions for him, and Moodie, a 21-year-old UF psychology and family youth and community senior, asked where cuts would be made to pay for his suggested legislation.
Nelson responded by saying his legislation wouldn’t necessarily result in cuts to other departments.
“The federal government is a big, big entity,” Nelson said. “We have lots of money that is spent, lots of tax revenue that’s presently out of balance — in other words, there’s more spending than there is tax revenue.”
Meaghan Hanley said she thinks it’s crucial that Nelson took the time to hear students out.
Hanley, a 22-year-old UF business management graduate student, said that as a graduate student, she wants younger students to have the same ease of access to education she had, if not better.
She repeatedly told Nelson just how vital she feels the issue of loans and barriers to education are.
“From a young age, in our public schools, we’re brought up that education can open doors.” Hanley said. “Well, a lot of times those doors are automatically shut.”
Sen. Bill Nelson (D - Florida) laughs as he talks to UF President Kent Fuchs. Fuchs dropped by during Nelson’s discussion with college students about student loan rates at Pugh Hall on Tuesday.
Sen. Bill Nelson listens to students’ concerns at Pugh Hall on Tuesday. Nelson came to UF to speak with students from both Santa Fe College and the University of Florida about student loan rates.
Sen. Bill Nelson listens to UF business management graduate student Meaghan Hanley, 22, as she talks about her experience with student loans. Hanley said that she came to talk about student loans from a graduate student’s perspective.
