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Dr. Smith: Committee, 
thank you for the opportunity

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to testify today on the important topic 
of improving college affordability.

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As you heard, 
my name is Zakiya Smith

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and I work on finance and federal policy issues 
at Lumina Foundation,

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the nation's largest foundation 
focused specifically

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on increasing students' access to 
and success in postsecondary education.

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As someone whose grandmother 
attended college as a nontraditional student,

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in the '50s in South Carolina,

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before there were integrated schools 
or even a Higher Education Act to consider,

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I know both the transformative power 
of higher education

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and the pains that come 
from lack of equity within the system,

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for students of color 
and for low income students.

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And I know 
from working with students

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as a college counselor 
in a federally funded gear up program

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that when talking to students directly,

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their concerns about college are clear.

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They think it's important but they just 
don't know how they're going to pay for it.

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And, we've talked about this issue 
at the national level for decades.

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We've tried to create 
measures of transparency,

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which I've very vocally supported,

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with hopes that better information 
could create market pressure

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and direct students 
to more affordable options.

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Unfortunately, those efforts alone 
are not enough.

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Today's students have 
responsibilities and commitments

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that extend far beyond the classroom.

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Students of color in particular 
are more likely to be balancing

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work and the responsibilities 
of parenting with going to college,

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as over 40% of Black 
and Native American students are also parents.

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And contrary to popular imagination,

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students today actually have to work
far more than past generations did

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in order to pay for college.

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In 1971, students could cover tuition
at public colleges

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by working about 10 hours a week 
throughout the year.

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Students today would have to work 
about a 60 hour work week

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in order to cover the full cost 
of attendance at a public college in state.

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So, these affordability concerns
aren't just in their heads.

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The challenge of paying for college today 
is greater than it was in the past.

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Some might argue that expenses
like rent and food aren't really costs of college

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but general costs of living 
that every adult must face.

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But very few people 
would argue with the notion

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that the traditional student, 
going to college straight from high school,

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living on campus, deserves to be able

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to use their financial aid 
to pay for room and board.

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Take that same student off campus

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and now they've got to find an apartment.

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Room because rent

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and food, whether purchased 
on or off campus, is the board.

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Ensuring these non-tuition needs 
are covered in some way,

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which could include childcare 
for student parents

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or transportation to and from campus,

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are integral to student success.

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If basic needs aren't met,

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students are less likely 
to do well in school,

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further impeding completion.

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And as we know, as we think about 
how to address this concern,

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we must recognize that affordability 
means different things to different people.

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What's a bargain to one person

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may feel like 
an unattainable luxury to another.

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For example, a $10,000 degree

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could sound great 
to a family making $150,000

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yet unimaginable for someone making 
only $20,000 a year, near the poverty line.

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That's why we can't focus 
only on the overarching price

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or even the average net price,

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because it alone doesn't capture 
what's reasonable

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for families 
at different income levels.

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We've got to start to frame 
affordability in terms

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that are tailored 
to individual and family needs

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yet are transparent enough 
for most people to understand.

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In this vein, Lumina 
has developed a concept

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called The Affordability Benchmark,

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in consultation with experts 
from inside and outside of higher education.

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The benchmark is based on 
some key principles,

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that those with the capacity to save 
should be encouraged to do so

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with clear guidelines that can be
broken down into monthly amounts,

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that students 
without the capacity to save

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shouldn't be expected to,

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and that no student should have 
to work more to pay for college

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um-- so, have to which,

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no student should have to work 
so much to pay for college

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that it impacts their ability 
to be successful in school.

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Two interconnected recommendations
could make this a reality.

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First, a federal-state partnership 
for affordability, quality, and completion.

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A benchmark approach or any other type 
of affordability guarantee

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would require a new type of partnership

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between the federal and state governments,

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in which colleges commit to lower prices

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and better outcomes for students over time 
in order to receive funding.

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States should be encouraged 
to invest in post secondary education

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in order to better leverage 
the federal spend.

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And because affordability 
can't really be conceptually, uh,

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separated from value,

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it would require being
more vigilant about quality,

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both to root out fraudulent practices

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and to ensure credentials are meaningful.

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Second, we must strengthen 
and preserve the Pell grant.

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Pell is the foundation 
of federal student aid,

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the bedrock on which the federal commitment 
to students is based.

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Unfortunately, the grant itself
has not kept up

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with the rising price of education.

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I urge the committee 
to consider ways to strengthen Pell

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so that it remains available
for future generations

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and to encourage implementation 
of early awareness and information campaigns,

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to ensure would be students 
even know it exists.

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I'd be happy to answer uh,
any questions about these ideas

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or share in additional detail. Thank you.

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Committee: 
Thank you, Dr. Smith.