Arkansans Work To Make Dreams Possible Even With Student Debt

Graduating from college, getting married, having children and buying a home are all part of the quintessential “American Dream.”

By Abbi Ross
The Razorback Reporter

When author James Truslow Adams coined the “American Dream” idea in 1931, student debt was not the $1.6 trillion weight pushing down on the shoulders of the American people.

The following young Arkansans are doing what it takes to make their version of the American dream work, even with student debt. Christian Earl, a 23-year-old cosmetologist at a salon in Little Rock, has around $9,000 in student loans that he is working to pay back, he said. He works at a salon called Just Blow, A Blow Out Bar.

Earl graduated from the Salon Professional Academy in Little Rock in April of 2016, he said. Earl qualified for some grants and so he did not have to borrow as much as other classmates.

“I was not as worried because my loans are not as high as some peoples’ loans are,” Earl said.

Earl said he was able to get his current job, a month before he would have to begin repaying his loans.

Earl’s loan payment of $102 is taken from his checking account automatically each month. As a result, Earl follows a budget each month to ensure he has enough for his loan and other necessities. “You have to learn how to save,” he said.

Earl hopes to someday move to Los Angeles, yet recognizes the high cost of living on the West Coast is compounded by the difficulty of repaying the student loans.

Farther south in Dumas, Arkansas, 23-year-old Jake Lassiter is putting his degree to use at a seed and chemical store while working to pay back his student debt. Lassiter said he graduated from the University of Arkansas in Monticello in 2018 with a degree in plant soil and science.

Lassiter said he had to borrow $12,500 after he lost academic scholarships by his third semester due to flagging grades.

*UAM graduate Jake Lassiter now works at a seed and chemical store while working to repay his student loans. Photo Courtesy of Jake Lassiter.*

Lassiter, who pays around $180 a month on his loans, said that for someone with a larger amount of debt, it could be even more stressful and have a definite impact on future decisions. In his case, Lassiter said the $180 a month student loan payment is not enough to dictate any of his major decisions. “It’s an incentive to stay employed,” Lassiter said.

For others, loan payments come at a different price: it could be the difference between having the lights on at home or not. Many borrowers say providing for their families comes first.

Parker Kerr, a 22-year-old from Hazen, Arkansas is a husband and father of two working to support his family.

Kerr attended Arkansas Tech University for one semester and the University of Central Arkansas for one semester before withdrawing in the fall of 2018. The reason? His partner was expecting their first child, “I had to get to work and find a house,” he said. Kerr, currently working as a security guard at St. Vincent’s Infirmary in Little Rock, said he is currently in default on his loans.

Kerr was studying nursing at UCA and said he would like to go back someday to become certified as a paramedic, but the outstanding debt is an obstacle. “It’s kind of keeping me from furthering myself in that area,” he said. “It’s almost impossible at the moment.”

One former Arkansan is going back to school on her own terms, even as she travels across the U.S. in a tractor-trailer.

Anna Ramirez, 35 and originally from Mountain Home, Arkansas, packed up her belongings in the fall of 2019 and made the decision to live with her boyfriend and travel across the U.S. with him as he works. They drive is big rig and deliver products throughout the country.

*Anna Ramirez during her travels at a stop in Las Vegas in October. Photo courtesy of Anna Ramirez.*

Ramirez’s academic journey started in 2004 at Arkansas State University-Mountain Home and then she transferred to ASU’s main campus to pursue a degree in photojournalism.

She withdrew in the spring of 2011 with about $40,000 in student debt and didn’t continue because she did not have financial aid for another semester, Ramirez said.

“If I had known then what I know now, I would have not gone into debt for the education I got,” Ramirez said. “Even if I had graduated that semester, the amount of debt I am in, I cannot make enough money in Arkansas to pay that debt.”

Making monthly loan payments while working full time, going to school and balancing necessities is nearly impossible sometimes, Ramirez said.

“I have struggled with it and I am very open about it,” Ramirez said. “I don’t feel like it is talked about enough, even for those who do graduate, but especially for those who don’t.”

The decision to leave Arkansas has allowed Ramirez to afford to go back to school, she said.

Ramirez is currently enrolled in an online program for education with Western Governors University, she said.

“If the only thing I can do is something drastic, I’m going to do it,” Ramirez said.

November 13, 2019December 16, 2019

City Resources Work To Assist Homeless Population From All Angles

By Abbi Ross
The Razorback Reporter

Labeling bags of cat and dog food, finding the best contractor to fix a hole in the roof of a family home and meeting with recently rehomed families are all in a day’s work for employees of the city Community Resource Division.

Resources offered by Fayetteville tackle several issues those in need might face,

Adam Roberts, one of the project coordinators for the City of Fayetteville, labeling dog food at the Ranger’s Pantry Pet Food Bank. Photos by Abbi Ross.

including transportation, finding housing, repairing houses and securing housing.

“We are kind of hitting it from all points,” said Yolanda Fields, community resources director for the city.

The Fayetteville Hearth program provides assistance with rent, housing and utility deposits, as well as case management, according to the September 2019 quarterly report.

The program has helped house and provided case management for 196 people since February of 2016.

At the end of September, 38 scattered-site units were occupied across the city, housing families and individuals, Fields said.

Hearth Place is a part of the program in which the city collects everything from home goods to toiletries to kitchen essentials and gives them individuals in a laundry basket when they are housed, Fields said.

The Hearth program uses a survey to assess the situation of clients and goes from there, said Robert Bradley, one of the case managers for the city.

“If you have three kids and are sleeping in your car, you are going to be higher on the list,” Bradley said.

After getting in touch with individuals to determine whether they will need short-term or permanent assistance, they will complete an application and they then have 30 days to look for housing, Bradley said.

The city assistance for permanent housing is available as long as needed, as long as rules are followed, Bradley said.

*Adam Roberts, one of the project coordinators for the City of Fayetteville, organizing dog food at the Ranger’s Pantry Pet Food Bank.*

There is no cap on the number of families the city can help, but there is only so much a case manager can handle, Bradley said.

If people do call for immediate services, they are referred to the Salvation Army, Bradley said.

The pet food bank is another one of the city’s resources available for those in need

Ranger’s Pantry Pet Food Bank was founded in 2010 and works to keep struggling families, individuals and their pets together during financial hardship, according to the Fayetteville Community Development Program website.

Through Oct. 25 the pantry has distributed more than 160,000 pounds of pet food, according to the city website.

Ranger’s Pantry has assisted 118 families, including 238 pets, and distributed more than 8,000 pounds of food for the year through Oct. 24, according to the official Facebook page.

Winter is the busier season for the pantry, especially for day laborers, but it aligns with the holiday season where people are more inclined to donate resources, said Adam Roberts, one of the project coordinators for the City of Fayetteville.

One of the trailers used for transportation at Ranger’s Pantry Pet Food Bank.

The main focus of Ranger’s Pantry is cat and dog food, but it does occasionally get bedding for rodents, birdseed and other items, Adams.

The pantry also accepts pet beds, leashes and toys.

The only restriction for the program is that clients must live in Fayetteville. If a client is homeless the pantry will accept somewhere such as 7Hills Homeless Shelter for their address. Others are required to bring a bill for proof of address, Adams said.

“Income requirements are set by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, but we take it by faith,” Adams said.

The city assists with resources including taxis and transit services, housing rehabilitation program and the Help a Neighbor Fund.

The entrance to Ranger’s Pantry Pet Food Bank, which is open from 12:00-3:00 p.m. on Friday’s.

The latest count showed 529 people in Fayetteville were facing homelessness on Jan. 24, 2019, according to the Northwest Arkansas Continuum of Care’s Point-in-Time census.

NWA Continuum of care is is a non-profit coalition working to end homelessness in the region. Volunteers are passionate about ending homelessness in the region, according to their website.

The Point in Time Count is a HUD-required count of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January that HUD requires Continuums of Care conduct.

For those 529 as well as families and individuals who might not have been counted, a variety of resources are available in Fayetteville.

November 1, 2019November 7, 2019

Withdrawal Debt Puts Pressure On Former Students Across the State

Students Who Don’t Finish College Still Face Student Loan Debt

A serious illness forced Meredith Petrus to withdraw from the UofA, leaving her with at least $6,000 in student loan debt. She’s now back in school, but faces a significant debt burden. Photo by Parker Tillson.

By Parker Tillson and Abbi Ross
The Razorback Reporter

Student debt after graduation is an issue for college students everywhere, but many of those who have dropped out or left school still face a debt burden.

That debt can affect former students in various ways, making it more difficult to purchase a new house or return to school.

Meredith Petrus from Springfield, Missouri was a sophomore at the UofA when she caught strep anginosus, a bacterial infection, and fell into a medically induced coma for two weeks. Unable to make up the time she missed, Petrus was forced to withdraw from the university.

Petrus estimated her hospital bills were about $1 million. On top of that burden, Petrus said she faced student loan debt of between $6,000 to $7,000 after withdrawing from school after just one year.

“I had to get on a payment plan for my school and my hospital bills,” Petrus said. “So I’m just chipping away at it slowly.”

“It’s already been a year and I haven’t even made a dent,” Petrus said.

Petrus has returned to the UofA as a 23-year-old junior, and is a manager at Wasabi, a sushi restaurant on Dickson Street.

If Petrus’ debt was averaged out into four years, it would be about $2,000 to $6,000 more than the average graduation debt for UofA students, which was $14,181 in 2017, according to College Scorecard, a U.S. Department of Education database.

Alex Ramirez, 24, of Rogers, Arkansas, attended the UofA and withdrew after five years because of a lack of interest in his degree. Ramirez left with only $3,000 of debt. Ramirez said he kept the debt low due to his work ethic.

“I always had two jobs,” Ramirez said. “If I wasn’t in school I was at work.”

Leah Willeford, a 37-year-old from DeValls Bluff, Arkansas, is one of many former students in Arkansas who now faces around $15,000 student debt after she withdrew from college.

Willeford started school at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro in 2000 with the goal of attending pharmacy school, but then withdrew, she said.

She withdrew from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2005, Willeford said.

“I accumulated debt that I am still paying,” Willeford said. “The first few years were hard financially, I had to take hardship forbearance which allowed the interest to go up.”

Hardship forbearances allow those with debt to temporarily stop making federal loan payments to avoid default, according to the Federal Student Aid website.

Willeford now faces monthly debt payments, and worries it will affect her ability to buy a house.

In 2016-2017 the average median debt for students who withdrew from Arkansas colleges was $12,250, a figure that rose $1,993 from the 2015-2016 school year.

Anna Ramirez started school at Arkansas State University Mountain Home in 2004, before transferring to the UofA, for a degree in photojournalism. She withdrew in the spring of 2011 because she did not have financial aid for another semester, she said.

Anna Ramirez said she has accumulated around $40,000 in student debt.“If I had known then what I know now, I would have not gone into debt for the education I got,” Anna Ramirez said, who is not related to Alex Ramirez. “Even if I had graduated that semester, the amount of debt I am in, I cannot make enough money in Arkansas to pay that debt.”

Arkansas State University Mountain Home’s total median debt for students who withdrew was $4,750 in the 2016-17 school year. This withdrawal debt level decreased by $3,250 from the year before, the biggest decrease in debt for the state.

October 14, 2019October 24, 2019

Options Available for University of Arkansas Students Facing Homelessness

Services Available for Students Facing Homelessness

University of Arkansas students facing homelessness have multiple resources available through different organizations, such as 7Hills Homeless Center and the Salvation Army.

Nearly four in 10 college students in a survey of 43,000 reported that they did not have adequate housing, according to a national research on four-year and two-year colleges.

Researchers at Temple University and the Wisconsin HOPE Lab surveyed students from 66 institutions in 20 states and the District of Columbia and concluded that 36% of college students did not have proper housing. They define homelessness as “a person is without a place to live, often residing in a shelter, an automobile, an abandoned building or outside.” They define housing insecurity as students who are staying with friends, struggling to pay rent or need to move frequently.

Data from the UofA on the number of students who face homelessness is not clear. Students are only required to list an address when they apply to the university.

When students apply, they have an address. University officials do not know whether it is not their home address, said Suzanne McCray, vice provost for enrollment and the dean of admissions.

UA freshmen who are under 21 years old and do not live within 70 miles of the campus must live on campus their first year, according to the UA housing page. After their first-year students have the option of moving off campus.

For some students who are in that in-between stage of affording dorms or apartment leases, one option is crashing on couches, moving from place to place and more. Some might end up being classified as homeless.

Homelessness in college students is not what most people consider homelessness, said Kevin Fitzpatrick, a UA sociology and criminology professor.

“They will likely be couch surfing, they won’t be in the places we typically find homeless people,” Fitzpatrick said.

Multiple resources are available for those in need.

The 7Hills Homeless Center serves those in need in northwest Arkansas in a variety of ways. 7Hills has a Day Center that helps meet basic human needs such as meals, showers, storage lockers, laundry, clothing, blankets and a safe mail drop.

The center serves more than 500 individuals a month at the Day Center, according to the 7Hills webpage.

The Walker Family Residential Community, a 7Hills program, provides transitional and permanent supportive housing. The center also has a veterans service program.

The Salvation Army of Northwest Arkansas has served both traditional and nontraditional students, said Ambra Bruce, director of social services for the Salvation Army in Fayetteville

A variety of services are offered such as access to a food pantry, access to a case manager and access to clothing and food vouchers, as well as prescription assistance, Bruce said.

The Salvation Army also has emergency shelters in Fayetteville and Bentonville.

“Quality of life and wellbeing are critical determinants of student success,” Fitzpatrick said.

October 9, 2019October 24, 2019

New Beginnings Bridge Housing Community Opening Gets Delayed

Preparations for the new community is taking longer than organizers expected.

The lot on East 19th Street where the New Beginnings Bridge Housing Community will be built.

Advocates for the area homeless population are working toward opening a self-managed, low-cost housing program next year. Plans had called for a fall 2019 opening, but preparations have taken longer than organizers anticipated.

Serve Northwest Arkansas, an outreach to underprivileged communities, is working to open the New Beginnings Bridge Housing Community in 2020.

The organization aims to help improve the conditions for Fayetteville’s homeless population with what volunteers call a “housing first” approach, according to the website.

“With our original time schedule, we felt going into this it would get us to a place where we would have a majority of the work completed before winter,” said Kevin Fitzpatrick, board vice president and UA sociology professor. “That was the timeline in our head, sometimes our head doesn’t match with reality. We got a good dose of reality.”

Serve NWA bought 4.69 acres of undeveloped land for $72,571 from the University of Arkansas in 2018, said Mike Johnson, UA associate vice chancellor for Facilities Management.

The area was cleaned and cleared before being sold, Johnson said.

“I think it’s a great project,” Johnson said about the proposed community.

The New Beginnings Bridge Housing Community will house up to 20 people and will be similar to other communities across the United States.

Thurston Roye who is homeless, thinks the community could be very beneficial for those in need, he said.

There is not a completion date for the project.

Once everyone is satisfied with the final drawings they will be submitted to the city of Fayetteville, where they go through a process to be approved, after the approval, building permits are given to allow construction on the site, Fitzpatrick said.

They are hoping to have permits ready so things can get started by the end of September, Fitzpatrick said.

“When you commit to building a quality community to serve a complicated population you really have to make sure you think through every possible circumstance and possible problems you might encounter,” Fitzpatrick said

Gathering signatures, attending meetings, developing a 70-plus-page program manual and working with engineers who donated their time have all been part of process, Fitzpatrick said.

“At the same time we are getting the permit, we are also working with our general contractor and sending out bid sheets,” Fitzpatrick said. Potential bidders will provide a bid cost as well as donation.

“Some places will be willing to donate all their work, others might not charge cost of materials,” Fitzpatrick said.

“I fully expect that during the winter we will be in full swing construction-wise, so that by spring we are ready to take on clients,” Fitzpatrick said.

Yolanda Fields, community resources director thinks the community will be helpful for those in need.

Providing another safe environment will be beneficial, Fields said