This year is only halfway over, but there has been no shortage of great music released this year. Here are six of our staffers’ picks for their favorite albums of 2014 so far.

Todd Terje — It’s Album Time

Norwegian producer Todd Terje’s aptly named debut comes after a decade in the music industry as a remixer, producer, and songwriter for other artists. His older, club-oriented tracks fit comfortably next to his more esoteric new material, which explores traditionally “cheesy” genres like bossa nova, big band and salsa with love (and with respect for their compositional richness) rather than irony. The result is less of a bid for Terje as the next world-ruling DJ as the next Quincy Jones or Henry Mancini.

Beyoncé — Beyoncé

Beyoncé’s self-titled fifth album offers the most refreshing balance between love and sexuality that we’ve heard on a pop album. While so much pop music depicts love as either glorified lust or a chaste precursor to marriage, Beyoncé approaches it as something that gives rise to and gives meaning to sexuality. The sexy songs (“Drunk In Love,” “Rocket”) are what elevate this album to such heights, but it wouldn’t work if that was all the album was — which is what makes “Blue,” her ode to her young daughter, so devastating.

Moodymann — Moodymann

Detroit techno legend Kenny Dixon Jr.’s 11th studio album is a love letter to his hometown that doesn’t back down from addressing the problems that the city has faced recently, as well as throughout its past. It’s elegiac at times, but it’s also one of the most fun albums of Moodymann’s career. Packed with dancefloor jams and a few fun remixes (including an inexplicable rework of Lana Del Rey’s “Born To Die”), Moodymann is an emotionally charged work still capable of driving a party.

Mac DeMarco — Salad Days

Compulsively listenable and brimming with personality, the Canadian singer-songwriter’s third album finds him broadening his sound while leaving room to grow. His songs are as snarky-sweet as the best early Beatles songs, but their meandering structure makes them seem more the product of a stoned auteur’s unfiltered mind than anything else. Though DeMarco could create a “serious” masterpiece, that’s not the way he works — and given how well his lackadaisical personality fits his music, it’s likely for the best.

Kemialliset Ystävät — Alas Rattoisaa Virtaa

Though Jan Anderzen has been a part of an insular Finnish psychedelic rock scene for nearly two decades, his latest work under the Kemialliset Ystävät (Chemical Friends) moniker draws from the digitized psychedelia of Americans Animal Collective and Black Dice. The result is as dizzyingly effective as often as it is straight-up dizzying, unleashing a Pandora’s box of unearthly sounds and gnomish chants on the listener. However, when these disparate noises congeal into globs of melody, it’s all the more satisfying.

—Daniel Bromfield

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Young the Giant — Mind Over Matter

Did you see Young the Giant at the McDonald Theater in March? Chances are that’s the last time you’ll see these guys in a venue that small — their second full LP, Mind Over Matter is sure to nab these guys some killer gigs. Pay particular attention to “It’s About Time,” “Crystallized” and “Eros.” Don’t be surprised if you suddenly find these tunes in the background of your next favorite indie flick or playing as somebody semi-famous walks across the stage to present at MTV’s Video Music Awards in the fall.

Bleachers — Strange Desire

Thank god Jack Antonoff is still making music. Although fun. is taking a break after the two-year promotion period that followed the release of Some Nights, the band’s guitarist is defining this wonderful side project that’s reminiscent of the kind of jams he would break out with his old band, Steel Train. Antonoff is definitely in an experimental phase and you couldn’t ask for more — the best Steel Train albums are the ones that the band bucked all its traditional conventions and tried something new. Make sure to check out “I Wanna Get Better” and “Rollercoaster.”

Rodrigo Y Gabriela — Nine Dead Alive

I used to be able to study and listen to music at the same time. Nowadays it’s more a distraction than anything else when I’m trying to get anything done. Rodrigo Y Gabriela are the rare exception to that rule and their latest outing, Nine Dead Alive, is rife with the riffs and mind-boggling picking that you’ve come to expect from these two. Their last proper album, 11:11, released five years ago, so it’s nice to see these two pump out some new jams. You don’t want to miss “The Soundmaker” and “Misty Moses.”

—Eder Campuzano

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The Menzingers — Rented World

The Menzingers have managed to tighten up their musicianship even more so than their critical darling On the Impossible Past by making Rented World an even catchier album without sacrificing their unique Pennsylvania punk sound. The singing from the soul and screaming from the heart by frontmen Greg Barnett and Tom May accompanied by poignant guitar riffs and the best drumming from Joe Godino, thus far makes Rented World the band’s most approachable and passionate album to date.

Say Anything — Hebrews

Say Anything has made their hardest rock album yet, and they did it without any guitars. This sounds hard to do, but frontman Max Bemis was up to the task and he doubled down on his super-personal lyrics and accompanied it with synthesizers and violins that were used in a way that you’ve never heard before. It also helps to have 14 guest vocalists on the album who range from Manchester Orchestra’s Andy Hull to Blink-182’s Tom DeLonge. Don’t let the guest vocalists fool you, though; this is a Say Anything through and through. It’s thoughtful, personal, angry and uncomfortable. It’s the best Say Anything record yet.

Foster the People — Supermodel

Supermodel doesn’t boast any catchy hits like “Pumped up Kicks,” and the album is better because of it. Instead, you get an inspiring record that sings about the concepts of absolute truths and becoming the person you would be proud to become. The album has fun with its signature pop sound, but it always knows when to come back down with stripped down songs that resonate just as strong. Never boring and always colorful, Supermodel shows that Foster the People is more than just a one hit wonder.

—Craig Garcia

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Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks — Wig Out At Jagbags

Malkmus’ greatest talent may be his ability to appeal to both indie rock lovers who lined up to buy Pavement albums and those who illegally downloaded them. His witty lyrics are full of internal rhymes and clever references, which include everything from Sun City Girls to Eminem. 48-year-old Malkmus can write what Ezra Koenig can’t, “We lived on Tennyson and venison and the Grateful Dead/ It was Mudhoney Summer, Torch of Mystics, Double Bummer.” Full of rock songs that are tightly composed while also not giving a shit, this album evokes a misplaced nostalgia for a high school reunion that I have yet to experience.

Temples — Sun Structures

Sun Structures leads their debut album with a Beatles-esque string guitar riff in their first track “Shelter Song,” a catchy, psychedelic dreamlike anthem to bridge winter and spring. The British band uses their predecessors well (they cite The Beatles, The Stones and the Byrds among influences) bringing an indie neo-psychedelic rock for people who missed the ‘60s. It’s not original, and I don’t think it’s trying to be. Best moments include the two-minute harp break in the Hair-esque “Keep In The Dark” and the 6:30 truly trippy “Sand Dance.”

Angel Olsen — Burn Your Fire For No Witness

Olsen’s first track “Unfucktheworld” both fuels and cures a heartbreak, “I quit my dreaming the moment that I found you/ I started dancing just to be around you,” but as the album progresses Olsen proves herself as a “not just a pretty voice,” but a psychedelic-pop poet who likes soft vibrato and driving fuzz guitar. This dreamy, intimate album showcases the genuine honesty and pure vocal talent that will undoubtedly make her an indie folk rock force, able to evoke both Fleetwood Mac and Wilco.

St. Vincent — St. Vincent

The first time I saw St. Vincent, she jumped off a Sasquatch side stage into a crowd, her black leather boots ferociously kicking the sky as she finished her song with electric energy, giving even less of a shit than Kathleen Hanna. Annie Clark uses St. Vincent to further prove herself as a member of the group of truly great artists who are hard to take at first (Animal Collective anyone?). Her controlled vocals move from operatic to psychedelic pop vocals and her songs, which seeping in true originality, indicate she knows something that few artists know today. Part dance party, part creative introspection, Clark created an album that causes your mind to double take.

Parquet Courts — Sunbathing Animal

Parquet Courts is a band that doesn’t rely on ambient beats and producer tricks, a rare feat for 2014. With a punky driving electric guitar leading the way, lead singer Andrew Savage’s cleverly crafted lyrics sometimes become inaudible with feeling, such as, “The title hum of fondness like a spike-wave oscillator/ The rabid UV grin that beckons me into approaching,” in the title track. Their scarily-smart lyrics (referencing everything from Stalin to Lady MacBeth) and ability to create a more daring, emotional, balls-out album than their successful Light Up Gold, all while being completely original creates an utterly gripping 49 minutes.

—Sophia June

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Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks — Wig Out at Jagbags

Post-Pavement Malkmus is a game of hit or bunt. His albums are either good enough to remain on your iPhone or exist only to satisfy the collector’s dilemma. Besides the obvious killer title, Jagbags is Malkmus & Jicks at some of their poppy best. “Lariat” has the might to dance along Pavement’s with “Gold Soundz” Plus, I’ve caught myself wandering around Allen Hall humming along to the lyrics, “We grew up listening to the music of the best decade ever / Talking about the A-D-Ds.”

Real Estate — Atlas

These psych/surf rockers make every one of their songs sound the same — luckily for us the song they keep repeating rules. For their third album, the New Jersey gang kept the styles and vibes close to their previous Days, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing. It’s always a shame when a band tries to evolve prematurely and loses what made them great (I’m looking at you Killers, Interpol and the Head and the Heart). Real Estate doesn’t try anything fancy on Atlas because they don’t need to.

Tycho — Awake

The chillwave scene came crashing down and from the surf arose Toro y Moi’s Anything in Return and Washed Out’s Paracosm. Tycho’s Awake is another example of the stone-cold chillers making beauty and delight out of a dying genre. If you’re not sold after hearing the first three tracks, then you’re probably my granddad. I don’t know if the sunrise or sunset is a better atmosphere, but as long as you’re with a pair of headphones Awake will do its job.

—Silas Valentino

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Protomartyr — Under Color of Official Right

Come August 5, this spot will probably be occupied by Spoon’s They Want My Soul,but for now the second LP from Detroit’s Protomartyr is the rabbit in this race. Under Color is 35 minutes of pissed off post-punk gold. There’s a terrible building energy in each song that threatens to boil over at any second. Led by lead singer Joe Casey’s crusty vocals that sound like the National’s Matt Berninger taken off his Prozac, Protomartyr spares no one with vocals that denounce “alt-weekly types,’’ “vegan fascists,” “upper class slummers,” or “terrible bartenders.” Half of Eugene would wilt under Protomartyr’s gaze and that’s why this album is awesome.

Mac DeMarco — Salad Days

DeMarco seems to be popping up everywhere these days —and righteously so. With his second solo LP, DeMarco shows he’s not a one trick pony: it’s lush, infectiously catchy lo-fi indie rock. Led by standouts “Chamber of Reflection” and “Brother” and pretty much every other song, Salad Days should show us that among the synths and crappy Foster the People-like rip-offs that now populate the carcass of alternative radio, there are still a few indie-rock artists who can give us some hope.

Real Estate — Atlas

It’s not as catchy as Days was, but Atlas is a portrait of a band honing their craft and establishing themselves as a powerhouse lo-fi surf rock group with some staying power (unlike many of their peers). Led by standout tracks “Crime” and “Talking Backwards,” Atlas sounds like it was meticulously fussed over, with subtle melodic shifts and perfectly timed harmonies. It may all blend together, but that just turns the whole album into a hazy, introspective joyful listening experience.

Parquet Courts — Sunbathing Animal

This album has only been out for a couple of weeks, but the Courts aren’t wasting any time. It’s got all the snark and driving guitars of their debut, but now they sound — gasp — a little more mature. You probably won’t ever find the Parquet Courts on the radio with a hit single, but they don’t care and neither should you. These guys are on the path to becoming modern indie rock icons.

The War on Drugs — Lost in the Dream

Kurt Vile be damned, his old band is still showing him up. This album is led by powerhouse tracks “Eyes to the Wind” and “Red Eyes” (they like eyes apparently). The album evokes Tom Petty or Bob Seger, which sounds like ambient dream pop. Lost in the Dream isn’t the most accessible album of all time, with most songs breaking the five minute threshold, but if you let yourself dive in you will probably get tangled up in some beautiful dream.

— Samuel Wendel

As a former U of O graduate journalism student and onetime columnist for the Daily Emerald (1999-2000) I applaud the editors’ decision to publish the contents of the letter written by the client of attorney John Clune subsequent to her alleged rape by three members of the university’s men’s basketball team.

As a “survivor” of sexual trauma in my adolescence, one who eventually made the difficult decision to write publicly about my experience in the Boston Globe Magazine (“What Happened at Deerfield,” July 21, 2013) years later without the cloak of anonymity, I stand in solidarity with any and all victims of sexual and emotional violence, women or men, anonymous or named.

In speaking out against sexual abuse, others who’ve had similar experiences are often emboldened to seek help or speak up themselves, and every voice speaking out against this scourge is another brick in the wall of a society that I hope will continue to evolve, that will always prioritize individual and societal well-being over protecting and enabling those who would wreak havoc on our most vulnerable members. Easier said than done at this Nike-funded, sports-crazed university, but an important and very worthy aim nevertheless.

—Whit Sheppard, MA in Journalism, 2000

It happens a lot to me and I never know when to expect it. This time, I was standing alone looking over the pictures on my camera, that I had just taken of Chance the Rapper, using one hand to shade the image viewer from the scorching midday sun. And that is when I felt it. A hand, rough and large, come in contact, not all that gently, with my behind.

It hurt. What was worse was how shocking it was. How all of a sudden I was taken out of my position of professional photographer and degraded to merely a body to be touched, gazed at and objectified. It took me a second to react, turn around and weigh my options. The offender was about 6 feet tall and weighed at least 75 pounds more than my 5-foot-tall frame. He wasn’t alone either. Two friends, both equally as big, walked to one side of him. I considered confronting him, but I worried for my safety and the $1000 worth of camera equipment and a day’s worth of pictures around my neck.

I considered not doing anything. It wasn’t the first time something like this had happened to me and I assumed not the last. But then I saw him hit another person who, I will assume here, identifies as female and I couldn’t let him go. Luckily, there was a security guard nearby and I pointed out the offender, who was easily identifiable and only a few feet away. The security guard assured me he would “keep an eye” on the offender, but then walked in the opposite direction as the offender, while the offender was able to slip away into a crowd, not knowing the consequences of his actions.

I would like to say this was the only situation of this kind to happen to me at this year’s Sasquatch Music Festival, but that would be a lie. I can’t count the number of times people commented on my attractiveness and told me to smile more. I have gotten to a point where words like that don’t bother me, but I am still offended every time my personal space is violated. I am even more offended that I was probably one of many victims. I have no way of knowing how many people this man inappropriately touched, or if his actions exceeded grabbing people’s behinds against their will.

Don’t get me wrong, I love going to concerts and I love Sasquatch. I will probably go next year and will most likely experience at least one similar situation. While sexual assault happens everywhere, it becomes almost more acceptable when drugs, alcohol and a “lost” weekend come in to play. While there is a great freedom that comes with being able to leave your day-to-day life behind for a weekend, listening to music in one of the most gorgeous places in the world, some take this as an excuse to do things they would be ashamed of doing in their real life.

The worst part is that we live in a society where this behavior is acceptable. The security guard, who is there to make sure people feel safe, left me worried not just for my own safety, but everyone else’s. Music and music festivals specifically should be there for everyone’s enjoyment. It’s the chance, if you can afford it, to experience something magical that only comes from the collective experience of listening to live music. When people do not feel comfortable in these situations, they are being excluded from an experience that should be available for all.

On a side note, that isn’t all that unrelated, only 20% of musicians and comedians who performed at Sasquatch this year where female, which is high compared to 16% at last year’s Coachella Music Festival and comparable percentages at music festivals around the country.

But there is hope. Kathleen Hanna, the lead singer of Bikini Kill, one of the seminal bands of the riot grrrl scene in the 1990s, would yell at their concerts, “All girls to the front! All boys be cool, for once in your lives go back. Back. Back,” out of her desire to create a safe space for women. This became one of the group’s most famous mantras and was a huge part of the riot grrrl ethos. In one line, Hanna, through her frustration, destroyed the boys’ club mentality and male dominance of not just live rock concerts, but music in general.

And this legacy continues today. One of the most incredible moments of Sasquatch for me, this year, was M.I.A.’s performance. Halfway through the show she invited female audience members on to the stage to dance with her for a song. I was a second too late to get on stage, but in that moment, I felt safe. I felt validated. I didn’t feel alone.

This guest viewpoint was written by Hannah Rose Steinkopf-Frank. If you would like to submit a guest viewpoint, please keep it under 750 words and email Emerald opinion editor Andrea Harvey at andreah@dailyemerald.com. 

An open letter from a fellow Duck:

The past few months have, undeniably, been the hardest and most challenging time in my life. This is such an overwhelming experience and one that I hope that no other student on campus ever has to live through. Given what has transpired on campus recently, I have at times wondered whether I ever should have told anyone about what had happened.

I know a lot of people are angry. I am angry, too. I am angry with the culture that appears to exist in our athletic department that prioritizes winning over safety of our students. I cannot fathom how our basketball coach recruited someone who was in the middle of a suspension for another sexual assault to come to Eugene. I think that students, faculty, and other community members have been asking some very needed questions of our athletic department, and I am not satisfied with the answers they have provided. I think that we all deserve better explanations and real transparency.

Despite my frustration, it is important to me to thank the Dean of Students office. They have been very kind and supportive of me and I can’t thank them enough. I’m not sure I would still be on campus if it weren’t for their help.

I know this has stirred up a lot of issues on campus and some of them are bigger than my incident. My sincere hope, though, is that as a school UO can get through this and come out in a better place at the end. I still love our school and I want it to be the best and safest place anywhere in the country.

This letter was submitted to the Emerald by attorney John Clune of Hutchinson Black and Cook LLC on behalf of the woman allegedly sexually assaulted by three University of Oregon men’s basketball players in March, 2014.

Senior Director of Communications Julie Brown responded to the alleged survivor’s open letter here.

For more than 40 years, the ASUO has funded numerous university recognized student organizations that are organized under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)3 including, but not limited to, the Daily Emerald, Sexual Assault Support Services, OSPIRG and the Family Center Co-Op.

The ASUO has long recognized that some student programs need to be organized as a formal legal entity in order to best carry out their mission, the university’s mission and to promote the cultural and physical development of students.

The recent decision to allocate funds to OSPIRG is no exception. OSPIRG is a recognized student program with a long history at the UO. It also has high student participation rates and a mission aligned with that of the University’s. OSPIRG is organized under IRC 501(c)3 simply to allow it to pool incidental fee funds from multiple campuses, thereby allowing it to utilize funds with greater efficiency.

The Senate rule cited by the recent grievance is intended to prevent the Senate from allocating incidental fee funds to groups that are not recognized student organizations and have no connection to the university, such as the United Way, the Sierra Club or the National Rifle Association. The rule should not be misconstrued to bar allocations to recognized student organizations simply because of the manner in which they are formally organized.

Indeed, to do so would force ASUO to discontinue allocations to a number of important student programs and imply that ASUO has violated its rules for several decades. Clearly, that is not the intent of the charitable contribution rule.

On May 28th, the ASUO Senate voted unanimously to fund OSPIRG for the services that it has provided to students on campus. The ASUO Senate will continue to work in a bipartisan fashion to ensure that the I-fee will be spent in the best interest of the diverse University of Oregon student body.

We, the undersigned, ask the ASUO Constitution Court to dismiss this grievance.

Sincerely,

Beatriz Gutierrez
ASUO President

Patrick Kindred
ASUO External Vice-President

Tran Dinh
ASUO Internal Vice-President

Yelin Oh
Senate Seat 1: PFC

Quinn Haaga
Senate Seat 2: PFC

Kate Klosno
Senate Seat 3: PFC

Nathan Rousey
Senate Seat 4: EMU Board

Miles Sisk
Senate Seat 6: EMU Board

Andrew Lubash
Senate Seat 7: ACFC

Rebecca Rhodes
Senate Seat 10: DFC

Matt Maher
Senate Seat 11: Economics & Business Studies

Francisco Morales-O’Connor
Senate Seat 12: Undeclared & Language Studies

Samantha Cohen
Senate Seat 13: Education, Family, & Literature Studies

Dylan Haupt
Senate Seat 18: Math, Environmental Studies, & Architecture

Mack Smith
Senate Seat 19: History & Journalism

Abel Cerros
Senate Seat 20: Undeclared & Music Arts

Megan Gleason
ACFC At-Large Representative
Co-Director of Climate Justice League

In a sea of Columbia rain jackets and Nike Frees, many international students stand out for their unique style. In particular, male international students are stepping up their game when it comes to fashion.

Yawei Zhang, the president of the University of Oregon’s Chinese Student and Scholar Association and a senior in the product design program, believes American style is “comfortable.”  Zhang, from the Hunan province in China, likes classic, well-made garments with unique touches. He pairs high-end garments with basics from stores like H&M.

“Many Asian students do try to dress more American, but there is also a big influence of international trends — such as Japanese street style, on American fashion,” Zhang said. “Yes, we are coming to the U.S., but we can still shop at H&M.”

While Zhang’s personal style has not changed significantly since coming to the U.S., he has been influenced by sportswear brands like Nike and Adidas. For Zhang, sporty clothes that he can wear while playing badminton, touch football, and also go to class in are a must.

This is something that freshman Mason AlMudhaf can relate to.

AlMudhaf spent most of his life in Dubai and was inspired to apply to the UO because his father and uncle studied here. AlMudhaf said his personal style “depends on the weather.” He likes to look good and is a self-proclaimed “shoe guy.” AlMudhaf does not see a big divide in the difference of styles in Eugene and Dubai.

“(In Dubai) … there are people who are ‘conservative’ and dress traditionally, but others who embrace this Western philosophy of wear what you want.”

AlMudhaf considers himself the latter and takes inspiration from musicians like Drake and Kanye West.

The one struggle AlMudhaf faces is eventually adopting a more professional wardrobe. AlMudhaf is studying business and is a firm believer in the notion of dressing for success, but he has yet to incorporate more work appropriate pieces, preferring casual sportswear to ties.

Not all international students are sportswear lovers — at least before coming to the UO. Medhi Salahdine, who grew up in Reims, France and is currently working on his MBA, never thought he would adapt an American style. Salahdine sports the classic European style: well-fitted clothes that have an air of professional “je ne sais quoi” or an intangible attractive quality. Salahdine is willing to take risks in his fashion choices — but, surprisingly, the newest gamble was buying a pair of Nike sneakers.

​“I would have been judged for wearing sporty clothes in France, but it made me feel like I was part of American culture,” Salahdine said.

Salahdine said he felt more at ease among his classmates while also staying true to his personal style.

Being an international student can be difficult — you’re adjusting to American culture while keeping your cultural identity. One way that these and many other students have done this is through fashion. But as the world becomes more and more globalized, these cultural divides become less apparent.

By freelancer, Hannah Rose Steinkopf-Frank

The following guest commentary was written by Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley.

The promise that the next generation will be able to go further and do better than the last one is the heart of the American Dream. I was fortunate enough to have that chance. I grew up in a blue collar neighborhood and was the first in my family to go to college. My dad set me on that path when I was in grade school. He took me to the school and said, “If you go through those doors and you work hard, you can do just about anything here in America.”

I still live in that same neighborhood and my kids go to the same high school I attended, but what I’m seeing and hearing from students and their parents is very different today. Even as college has become more critical to economic success, rising costs are putting college out of reach for more and more Americans. The rising cost of college tuition has vastly exceeded general inflation and Pell grants cover less of the cost. Thus, student loan debt has exploded, tripling since 2004 and topping total credit card debt. Oregon graduates with loans now carry an average of more than $24,000 in debt.

That debt is hurting students and our entire economy. Because of their debt, many Americans are unable to buy a home, save for retirement, start a business, or even start a family. Others, wary of having student debt the size of a home mortgage, are dissuaded from going to college in the first place. This result hurts both the individual, who sees no path to fully explore his or her dreams and potential, and our society, which benefits when individuals thrive.

That is why I’m committed to giving student borrowers a fair shot by refinancing their student loans and finding solutions to make college affordable for our middle-class students and their families.

We must do all we can to change this dynamic. That means our colleges must work hard to cap the growth of tuition, and Congress must increase Pell grants to keep pace with inflation.

But we must also attack the high cost of student loans. Last year, Congress, headed off a scheduled interest rate hike, and as a result, undergraduate students borrowing this school year are able to take advantage of historically low rates. That’s a start. The next step should be to enable students with previous loans to refinance these high-interest loans at the same low rates, putting more money in their pockets and strengthening our economy.

We should also be exploring opportunities to promote college affordability by looking at innovative solutions. I’ve introduced legislation in the Senate to help launch pilot projects for the “Pay It Forward” model. This plan, developed by Oregon students would create an option for students to replace traditional loans with a “Pay It Forward” grant. In exchange, the student would pledge to pay a small percentage of his or her future income into a fund for grants for the next generation. This approach might solve the problem of students foregoing education because they fear getting trapped between modest future wages and high monthly loan payments.

I am grateful that my parents believed in a vision of full opportunity for every American and encouraged me to seize that opportunity. That vision is slipping away, however, and we must do all we can to restore it. I’m committed to making college more affordable so that every student who is determined to go through the school house doors and work hard, can do just about anything here in America.