By Roselynn Intriago
CCC Journalism Program
BLACKWOOD — As the 2024 presidential election draws near, education continues to be a universally pressing concern for college students. Both major candidates for president, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, have discussed and debated the topic, making their opposing stances clear. Students at Camden County College are no exception to this, as many express their thoughts and concerns about their education.
The Harris campaign has a few acts and policies about education that they hope to implement if the election goes in their favor. One of those plans, having been adopted from Joe Biden’s presidency, is to continue alleviating the debt of those with heavy student loans.
This policy in the past has been met with resistance, as Congress had originally denied Biden’s newest student loan forgiveness program. This started the speculation over whether Harris would be able to succeed where Biden had failed.
CCC communications major Madison Jones says about the Democratic candidate, “Harris was district attorney so I think that she will be able to freeze things a bit better and with enough persuasion and better wording, it will come into effect.”
They also plan to prioritize college affordability for students belonging to low- and middle-class families, a policy that aligns with Harris’ middle-class-centered campaign. This act is essential for community colleges such as CCC, as the majority of students plan to transition to four-year colleges with as little debt as possible.
The Trump campaign, on the other hand, opposes student-loan forgiveness programs and plans to shut them down as he believes it is unfair to those who have paid off their student debts through hard work.
A proposal such as this frightens many students, including education major Sarah Elizabeth Colon, who states, “I don’t agree with Trump. I feel like he should give students the chance to be able to go through college without having to worry if they are going to be able to afford the debt that everyone has when they get out of college.”
That isn’t Colon’s only concern about Trump’s education policies, as her future profession may be affected as well. This is because of the numerous acts he hopes to impose on teachers, such as merit pay and abolishing teacher tenure.
“I don’t think it’s good because when you have tenure, you’re basically secured, so you don’t have to be worried about losing your job or being fired. If he takes that away, you can then be replaced or let go if something happens in your school’s district,” Colon said.
Moreover, included in Trump’s political agenda is to close the Department of Education, an institution that heavily funds public schools and community colleges. Jones was upset to hear this and said, “That is a godawful idea if he shuts down the Department of Education. We won’t be able to know if the schools are safe, it would allow the schools to be able to behave in a way that isn’t kosher or unconstitutional and be able to get away with it.”