ISU students, along with local and state politicians, gathered in the Free Speech Zone Thursday afternoon to ask 2016 presidential candidates to keep student debt at the forefront of their campaigns. 

Following a similar event at the University of Northern Iowa, the rally was organized by students and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, a grassroots organization that boasts more than 6,000 Iowa members. Participants hope to ask presidential candidates for a plan on debt-free college.

The rally was held to coincide with “Trillion Dollar Debt Day,” the day in 2012 when total U.S. college student debt topped $1 trillion. 

Iowa college students have an average of over $29,000 in debt when they graduate, said Michael Fitzgerald, state treasurer of Iowa. 

Meredith Cook, junior in political science, said she spoke at the rally because she qualifies for little government funding so she must take out student loans that are at a 12 percent interest rate.

“Education is a right and should be free,” Fitzgerald said.

Fitzgerald called 12 percent loan interest “unconscionable,” when the federal government is borrowing money at less than 2 percent for their own bonds and “making trillions off of college students.”

“The debt we’re sustaining—a trillion dollars—is not good for our families. It’s not good for the state of Iowa, and it’s not good for our country,” Fitzgerald said. “This is destroying our middle class. We need young people to obtain a college education and not leave them with these outrageous loans.”

Jim Mowrer, vice president of the Iowa Democratic Party, also spoke at the event on how important he thought it was for students to have minimal student loan debt. 

“College education is a gateway to economic opportunity, and Iowa and our nation need an educated workforce to compete in a 21^st Century global economy,” Mowrer said. “Students who attend universities need to attend without a mountain of debt.”

As for presidential candidates, Mowrer said President Obama and his administration have worked hard to battle student loan debt by doubling the amount of Pell grants and keeping student loan rates low. This needs to continue, Mowrer said. 

“[Student debt] impacts our economy. It makes it harder for our graduates to buy their own home, start their own business,” Mowrer said. “We need to do everything possible to make college more affordable.”

Chelsea Schmidt, senior in linguistics, said she received more college funding from the Chinese government than she has from the U.S.

“I’m a low income student [and] have received no help from my parents in paying for school,” Schmidt said. “I file for the FAFSA every year, but some years it’s not enough. Because my parents can’t co-sign my loans, if I don’t get enough in scholarships or working, I don’t get to go to school.”

Evan Burger, a member of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and employee at the United States Student Association, said Iowans have a unique ability to speak directly to presidential candidates in the upcoming year to ask them to consider debt-free college education.