Guest Mark W. Huddleston, President Emeritus, University of New Hampshire.
Student loan debt in the United States now exceeds $1.6 trillion dollars, having nearly doubled over the last ten years. Some maintain that this debt burden is so onerous that young Americans have been forced to delay starting families and to forgo buying their own homes. Although the federal government has declared a temporary moratorium on debt repayment in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, many are pressing for more permanent relief, including, in some quarters, wholesale debt forgiveness. This presentation examines the various dimensions of the student debt issue. Who exactly has compiled what debt? Where do the burdens press most heavily? What has contributed to the sharp rise in borrowing? What public policy options are available and appropriate?
Interview by Dartmouth student Shawdi Mehrvarzan '22. Edited by Laura Hemlock. Music: Debussy Arabesque no 1. Composer: Claude Debussy
