Secretary of Education Arne Duncan hosted a higher education Twitter chat on Monday night, teaming up with organization Student Voice for its weekly #StuVoice Internet dialogue — and it was “dope,” according to Duncan.
As long as one didn’t pay attention to that pesky little student debt question, a question that the Obama administration has been asked — and dodged — before.
The Secretary participated in the hour-long conversation by asking students and parents questions about how the government could help young people navigate the often-confusing realm of higher education. He asked five questions during the chat, and tweeted answers or additional comments at some Twitter users participating in the discussion.
Students: What information do you need to compare colleges? #StuVoice
— Arne Duncan (@arneduncan) January 14, 2014
Students: When comparing colleges, what matters most to you in making a decision– price, quality, geography, program, other? #StuVoice
— Arne Duncan (@arneduncan) January 14, 2014
Students: How should we ensure that a college ratings system is valid and reliable? #StuVoice
— Arne Duncan (@arneduncan) January 14, 2014
Students and parents: What do you look for when choosing a college? #StuVoice
— Arne Duncan (@arneduncan) January 14, 2014
Students, what is important to think about when you consider the “value” of a college? #StuVoice
— Arne Duncan (@arneduncan) January 14, 2014
At the very beginning of the chat, Duncan also tweeted out a White House fact-sheet from August that detailed President Barack Obama’s plan to make college more affordable. And like the fact-sheet, Duncan’s answers to Twitter users were stale. Duncan didn’t seem to have any concrete answers for students, but simply repeated the same rhetoric the Obama administration has been using for years — even if one grants the chat was a forum to allow students and parents to speak to Duncan, instead of the other way around.
And one thing the Secretary definitely didn’t have an answer for was the weight of debt many college graduates are currently fighting, giving a trite response to a young man who asked about paying off loans on an entry-level salary.
.@jamirochriss Please visit http://t.co/hNTRnjDXo2 for lots of info about repayment options. #stuvoice
— Arne Duncan (@arneduncan) January 14, 2014
Twitter users tweeted back at Duncan, explaining that some of them don’t qualify for the government repayment programs or loan forgiveness, even though they’re not making much.
“I’m a huge @BarackObama supporter but we need help,” user @MarkOttoNYC tweeted.
The Secretary didn’t respond again.
Young people shouldn’t be surprised by the Obama administration’s ‘plan’ for graduates who are struggling to pay off debt in a terrible job market. It’s the same ‘plan’ the President himself offered back in August: nothing.
But Duncan didn’t let the debt question distract him from the real takeaway from evening: the chat was “dope” — even if the real problems got avoided.
— Arne Duncan (@arneduncan) January 14, 2014
