Recently Senator Jon Ossof visited Savannah State University, and brought with him some great news for not only Georgia’s oldest HBCU, but the others in the state as well. Having campaigned beside now-Senator Raphael Warnock, the two men made pledges to honor HBCUs with financial support that is now coming to fruition. Learn more about what Ossof shared at Savannah State in an article from WSAV by Ricardo Lewis.
Senator Jon Ossoff was back in the Hostess City Tuesday speaking with the public about the work he’s done during his first 100 days in office. He finished off his stop with a roundtable discussion at Savannah State University.
Delivering help to Georgia’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) is a campaign promise he ran on. On Tuesday, Ossoff announced his plan in collaboration with Senator Raphael Warnock to deliver millions in relief to students and families.
“HBCUs in Georgia are going to receive more than $75 million in direct financial support and Madame President, we have confirmed Tuesday that Savannah State University will receive $17.5 million in federal funding,” Ossoff said.
The bill requires that half of the financial resources go directly to students. Ossoff said it’s important to him that they are given in the form of grants and not loans.
“My view is that no American should have to take on a penny of debt to get a degree from an HBCU via public or private or to get a degree from any public college or university in this country,” Ossoff said.
Jasmine Freeman is a junior at Savannah State and said this financial relief is a step in the right direction. She knows first hand what it’s like not to have enough money to attend college. It even led to her having to take a semester off.
“Our student bills the students get every semester that’s where all of the high anxiety is,” Freeman said. “He’s like yes, the money is there, and everything’s been passed, but until we see the result in our student bills that’s where we know that he is keeping his promise to the students.”
Ossoff called student loan debt a crisis in our country and said he will continue to press President Joe Biden with other senators to relieve up to $50,000 of student loan debt per borrower.
“Higher education should not burden people with decades of debt. It should be expanding our opportunities,” Ossoff said.
