Column: Too many students can’t shed crushing debt

I can only describe the beginning of my college career at Ohio University in 2014 as magical. The sheer beauty of the campus, the people and energy, the city of Athens — the school has had a remarkable impact on my life. As a young, nonbinary, African American, first-generation student attending college, I felt lucky to break through the barriers that keep so many people out of higher education in our country.

Then, circumstances forced me out halfway through my sophomore year, and I left owing money for room and board. I was scrambling, so paying the school took a back seat to finding a job and a place to live.

In many ways, students starting college on Ohio’s public campuses this year, in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, face a different reality — whether online or distanced, the magic I felt may be missing.

But one thing hasn’t changed. Ohio law still requires public colleges and universities across the state to turn student debt over to the Ohio attorney general’s office for collection. By the time I found out about this, my debt to OU had grown dramatically and now fees and fines have almost doubled it to just over $18,000. It’s not uncommon for debt being collected through the AG to grow even more exponentially, according to a report by Policy Matters Ohio, because state law allows the AG and collectors and lawyers it contracts with to add heavy fees and fines to original debt amounts.

To make matters worse, students who owe money to Ohio’s public colleges and universities are generally barred from reenrolling, even at other schools, and can’t get their official transcripts. This traps us, making it hard to achieve our educational goals or move up to a better-paying job.

I’m not alone. According to Policy Matters, Ohio’s public colleges and universities have turned over to the AG’s office more than 390,000 student debt accounts worth more than $735 million.

This punitive approach to student debt means I’ve been scraping together money to attend community college in Cleveland, my hometown, while trying to figure out how to enroll in a four-year school. Money to pay for school isn’t the problem — I’m eligible for state and federal aid. The problem is that I can’t resolve my old debt.

This story is not unique to me, but it does have a bigger impact on people like me. The Policy Matters report showed that the way Ohio collects student debt hits students of color the hardest, along with those who are older, attending part time, or the first in their families to attend college.

College is more expensive than ever, and it’s more important for people who want to make a living wage and move up. I’m pursuing a double-major in Environmental Science and Environmental Studies, but my financial and educational purgatory is slowing me down.

Ohio’s punitive approach to student-debt collection is slowing the state down, too. Ohio has set a goal that by 2025, 65% of Ohioans will have a college degree, certificate or credential of value. Unless our leaders rethink debt collection, we will never achieve that goal.

Fortunately, some schools and organizations are trying to work with students by forgiving their debt and helping them reenroll, with extra support to stay on track. They’ve found that this approach helps students and the schools’ bottom line — they get more in new tuition and fees than they do by collecting debt. Two bills in the Ohio House of Representatives, HB 595 and HB 597, would take us in the right direction by stopping collection of student debt during the pandemic and banning transcript withholding.

We’re living in a truly strange time, and the pandemic is making it hard to see the future. But it’s clear that throwing more barriers in the way of students doesn’t help anyone, especially now.

In this moment, many people need support that will allow them to make a better world for themselves and their communities. Taking a different approach to student debt can make a difference, and it will show the country, and the world, just how great a state Ohio can be.

Jarrod Robinson is a member of the Ohio Student Association.