This presidential election has been very much focused on the shortcomings of both candidates, and less so focused on the actual positions and policies proposed by them. As up and coming members of society, college students need to be especially careful in terms of who we vote for, as the next President of the United States will be actively shaping our future. This is what Clinton and Trump think on some of the issues that matter most to college students.
College Tuition:
Clinton:
Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, has made college affordability one of the cornerstones of her campaign. Clinton understands that college debt is now a crisis, with student debt now exceeding $1.2 trillion.
Clinton has outlined a plan on her website where she details that she will ensure all borrowers can refinance their student loans, enroll in income-based repayment, and get relief from debt for starting a business. Clinton will also push employers to contribute to student debt relief by creating a payroll deduction portal for employers and employees to simplify the repayment process. Additionally, Clinton will create a program to forgive loans of those who complete two years of service in AmeriCorps.
In terms of future students, Clinton aims to eliminate college tuition for families with an income under $125,000 at in-state colleges. Students will be expected to work 10 hours a week to help defray the full cost of attendance, so Clinton’s plan does not simply mean free money. She has measures in place to ensure her plan will actually be viable.
See Clinton’s full plan on her website here.
Trump:
Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, has not released as many details on his plans for college tuition and debt, and what he has released is much less thorough than Clinton. Trump does not have a plan for college debt on his website, but he has said at a rally in Ohio that, “if borrowers work hard and make their full payments for 15 years, we’ll let them get on with their lives”.
Trump has also said he would cap repayment to an affordable 12.5% of the borrower’s income, a surprisingly liberal plan for the Republican nominee. Trump believes students should not walk around with debt for the rest of their lives, and although he does not have a solid plan outlined to tackle debt as Clinton does he seems to have at least a few ideas for policies to be put in place.
The Washington Post outlined Trump’s plan here.
Sexual Assault:
Clinton:
Clinton has an entire page on her website dedicated to campus sexual assault, and the headline reads, “It’s not enough to condemn campus sexual assault. We need to end it.” Clinton understands the importance of a safe learning environment, and she outlines three core principles in her plan to end sexual assault on campuses.
First, provide comprehensive support to survivors, from counseling to health care. Second, ensure a fair process for all by increasing transparency in campus disciplinary proceedings and ensuring all filed complaints are treated seriously and honestly. Third, increase prevention efforts with more education programs that start earlier and cover consent and bystander issues closely.
Read more about her plans here.
Trump:
Trump clearly has had a rocky past with the issue of sexual assault, especially after a video was recently released of him saying he can grab women by their privates because he’s famous. Trump dismissed this as ‘locker room talk’, but for young women in college especially this should be a red flag.
Recently, many women have come out and accused Trump of kissing or touching them inappropriately. Trump denies the accusations and made a speech addressing them here.
Trump does not have any policy in regards to sexual assault outlined on his website.
Abortion:
Clinton:
Clinton believes that a woman’s personal health decision should not be regulated heavily by the government, but rather the decision lies with a woman, her family, her faith, and counsel from her doctors. Clinton has the endorsement of the Planned Parenthood Action fund and promises to defend essential health and reproductive care. This includes Planned Parenthood provided services such as access to legal abortion.
Clinton aims to fight against the Republican attempts to restrict access to quality and affordable reproductive care. She will also “repeal the Hyde amendment to ensure low-income women have access to safe reproductive health care”.
Clinton’s full position is outlined on her website here.
Trump:
Donald Trump has said on many occasions that he is pro-life, and believes abortion should be banned after some point in the pregnancy unless in extreme cases like rape, incest, or danger to the life of the mother.
In terms of Planned Parenthood, Trump said, “And I wouldn’t fund it. I would defund it because of the abortion factor, which they say is 3 percent. I don’t know what percentage it is. They say it’s 3%. But I would defund it because I’m pro-life.” Trump opposes the use of any government funding to pay for abortions.
Read more about Trump on abortion here.
Clearly, both candidates have very different opinions on many of the issues that matter to students who are in college or about to be in college, so these things are certainly important to keep in mind when voting on November 8th.