Republican Congressional Candidates Against President's College Proposal

Posted by Susan Petroni

On Tuesday, Oct. 15 voters in the 5th Congressional District will decide which of three Republican candidates will face off against a Democratic challenger to be the district's newest U.S. Representative. The final election is in December.

The three Republican names on the Tuesday, Oct. 15 primary ballot are Frank Addivinola, of Malden, Mike Stoppa, of Holliston, and Tom Tierney of Framingham.

Patch asked each of the candidates a series of questions. The answers to those questions will be published now through Sunday, Oct. 13. 

Today's report focuses on higher education.

To attend an in-state public college for the 2012–2013 academic year averaged $22,261 and to attend a private college averaged $43,289, according to the latest survey by the College Board.

Patch asked: "There's been a lot of discussion about the cost of a college education. President Obama has proposed a ranking system tying student loan rates and payments to the job placement and salary rates of graduates compared to a school's total cost. Is this a proposal that works for the fifth district, which has a significant number of colleges and universities?"

Stoppa: "Any proposal that undermines student choice, as this one does, ultimately undermines the higher educational system."

Tierney: "No.  It’s too cumbersome.  I don’t want Framingham State competing with Harvard; they should complement each other.  The availability of funds should be driven by student’s needs and the payback should depend upon their post-graduation income with everyone paying the same interest rate [the President’s original proposal]. 

Addivinola:  "I agree that college education is very expensive and places significant financial burdens on graduates.  As someone with extensive experience in the American higher education system as a student, instructor and private consultant for graduate school applicants, I have a perspective on this issue. The President’s proposal, while aimed at helping students, is flawed in several ways.  We cannot shift the focus from the quality of education and have government pick winners and losers as such a policy usually turns into a disaster.  A metric of job placement and salary rates would hurt students who graduate from schools that have high placements into graduate schools, public service and other fields where we need talent. When determining a school’s eligibility for federal loan programs, the focus should be on the overall quality of education.  With respect to interest rates, student loans are guaranteed by the federal government and therefore financial institutions that underwrite these loans should be subject to free market competition to ensure that the interest they earn is reflective of the low risk level of these taxpayer-backed loans."