Beacon Journal - Brown talks tuition during University of Akron visit

(The Akron Beacon Journal)

Candidate talks tuition in UA visit

Brown says governments fail in student aid

By Carl Chancellor

Beacon Journal staff writer

The story that Dan McKay, a University of Akron sophomore, shared Friday afternoon was one that most in the audience could relate to.

``My tuition is eight grand,'' McKay told the two dozen students gathered in room 312 of the UA student center. He said he has two jobs -- at a pizza shop and as a telephone solicitor at a local bank -- to pay for his education. He said his work schedule barely leaves him time to study.

``I'm just trying to keep on keeping on,'' said McKay.

Although Sherrod Brown is many years removed from being a college student, the congressman and candidate for the U.S. Senate said he fully understands the plight of McKay and his peers.

Brown, who is challenging Republican Sen. Mike DeWine, said that both the state and federal governments have failed middle-class students and their families. ``We have to look at a college education as an opportunity for everyone,'' said Brown.

He said that since 2000, tuition at Ohio's public colleges and universities has increased more than 68 percent.

Brown added that the maximum Pell Grant, the need-based federal education grant, covers only 42 percent of the typical costs at a four-year public university, compared with 84 percent just 20 years ago.

``Skyrocketing tuition rates are driving talented students from Ohio and saddling middle-class families with debt,'' said Brown.

``When it comes to paying for higher education, Sen. DeWine has left students behind. We must provide students with every opportunity and incentive to succeed here in Ohio, so that they will stay and reinvest in the state,'' Brown said.

Brown was on campus at the invitation of the UA College Democrats. Accompanying him was former Akron Mayor and Congressman Tom Sawyer, who is a Democratic candidate for the state school board.

Sawyer said that a key step to making college affordable begins with secondary school education. ``The largest gap in American education is between years 12 and 13, between senior in high school and freshman in college,'' said Sawyer. He said the cost of remedial studies adds to the financial burden of college students who have to take a number of courses before being able to embark on a degree tract.

In a question-and-answer session, Brown was asked about state Issue 3, which promises to earmark part of profit from proposed casino gambling operations to help with college tuition.

``I'm old enough to remember the promises the lottery made 30 years ago,'' Brown said. ``It's not the answer. It can possibly help, but it is not the answer.''

Brown added he has yet to take a stance on the issue.

Brown, who is endorsed by the Ohio Federation of Teachers and the Ohio Education Association, said DeWine has