Iowa State students have an average debt level of $31,501, according to the Iowa Board of Regents’ Access and Affordability report.

Government of the Student Body Off-campus Senator Jacob Johnston, senior in management , said he believes student debt is caused by a combination of declining state appropriations and the rising cost to attend Iowa State, coupled with the decrease in assistance from both federal and state student loan programs.

GSB will vote Wednesday on whether or not to allocate $1,890 to the Financial Literacy Campaign. The purpose of the campaign is to promote the resources Iowa State offers that pertain to financial literacy.

Johnston said he hopes such advertisements will help students find the information they need to help fund their education in a more financially sound way so they won’t have a large financial burden when they graduate.

Doug Borkowski, director of the ISU Financial Counseling Clinic and lecturer in human development and family studies , supports the Financial Literacy Campaign.

“The advertising campaign is great because there are already many resources available on campus from the Financial Aid Office and the Financial Counseling Clinic,” he said.

Borkowski said the program should improve awareness about student loan debt by offering HDFS 283, Personal and Family Finance, to more students and having a one-credit class that focuses on basic financial issues such as credit and credit cards.

He said he would like the Office of Student Financial Aid or the Financial Counseling Clinic to provide more workshops and handout materials to students.

Borkowski said he strongly suggests each student take HDFS 283, during which he has students complete an assignment that allows them to understand the capacity students have to borrow money and still be able to afford the payments when they graduate.

“My goal would be students understand their potential borrowing limit,” he said.

In addition to the proposed Financial Literacy Campaign, GSB already makes efforts to find a solution that will decrease student debt.

“We sponsor the Financial Aid Office in sending out the weekly financial tips,” Johnston said. GSB also continuously lobbies the state legislature to keep tuition rates down.

Johnston said that several GSB members plan to travel to Washington, D.C., shortly after spring break, as part of the Big 12 Lobby for Education in order to lobby congress about student issues, including student debt. This is done on a yearly basis, he said.

“When it comes to student debt, GSB will continually seek every plausible avenue in finding a solution that will decrease student debt,” Johnston said.