NEWS

Obama talks college affordability with students, parents

Grant Rodgers
grodgers@dmreg.com

President Barack Obama called for making college more affordable to an audience of students and parents on Monday, while also reflecting on his oldest daughter's college search and deflecting questions about the 2016 election.

President Barack Obama speaks at North High School in  Des Moines, Iowa, Monday Sept. 14, 2015, with US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

"Hello, Iowa," Obama said as he walked on stage at Des Moines' North High School at 4:05 p.m. amid cheers. "It's good to be back in Iowa. I was missing you guys. Go Polar Bears."

Obama highlighted his administration's efforts to put a college education within reach for more students from middle class and poor families, including an executive action last year allowing graduates who become social workers and teachers to cap their student loan payments at 10 percent of their income, he said.

He also championed a $60 billion proposal unveiled earlier this year that would allow "any student willing to work for it" to attend a two-year community college for free. "No young person should be priced out of college. They should not be priced out of an education," he said.

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Several times during the event, Obama hammered on the importance of filling out the Federal Application for Student Aid, or FAFSA, form. Before visiting North on Monday, he announced a change beginning on Oct. 1, 2016, that will allow students and families to apply for financial aid in October; the process currently begins in January.

"You gotta fill it out," Obama said about the FAFSA form. "Alright? Aight."

Obama spent one hour and 10 minutes onstage alongside Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who kicked off his sixth annual back-to-school bus tour on Monday. The president's opening lasted only 16 minutes, leaving a majority of the town hall event open to students and parents from across Des Moines.

US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan speaks during a visit to North High School in Des Moines with President Barack Obama, Monday Sept. 14, 2015.

He spoke on a range of topics as questions came in from the audience. Arts and music education are not merely "extras," he said, but "central to who we are." At another point, Obama said it "makes no sense" that children of undocumented immigrants who came to the country at a young age are excluded from getting federal student aid for college.

Obama offered several folksy one-liners throughout the town hall. Affectionate "awwws" came from several in the crowd when a student asked him what advice he's giving to his daughter, Malia, on her own college search.

"My best advice for Malia? Now that is assuming that Malia will listen to my advice," he said. "She's very much like her mother at this point. She's got her own mind."

Malia Obama is set to attend college next year, and is still in the process of searching, the president said. He's encouraged her to keep her mind open and be willing to try things outside her comfort zone, he said.

"One piece of advice I've given her is not to stress too much about having to get into one particular college," he said. "There are a lot of good colleges and universities out there...Just because it's not some name-brand fancy school, doesn't mean you're not going to get a great education."

President Barack Obama  North High School in  Des Moines, Iowa, Monday Sept. 14, 2015, with US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

The president stammered a bit before answering a question from a parent who asked Obama which 2016 presidential candidate had the best platform for reforming education. "Well, you know I, let me, let me ... I'm going to beg off this question a bit," he said to laughter from the audience.

The president answered by saying voters need to ask what resources each candidate would devote to education if elected. Duncan, who tag-teamed questions with Obama, said voters need to ask candidates for their stances on four things: early childhood education, increasing high school graduation rates, making high school graduates college-ready and boosting college graduation rates.

"Here's one last thing," Obama said before taking another question. "If you hear a candidate say that the big problem with education is teachers, you should not vote for that person."

At another point, a student asked Obama what he thought about one 2016 presidential candidate's call for more oversight of colleges deemed to be "politically biased" by the U.S. Department of Education.

Though the student didn't specify which candidate she was talking about, retired Republican neurosurgeon Ben Carson made such a call in Iowa in June.  "I didn't hear this candidate say that," Obama said. "I have no idea what that means. I suspect he doesn't either."

Obama said college is meant to be a time when students' worldviews are challenged and evolve.

"The idea that you'd have somebody in government making a decision about what you should think ahead of time or what you should be taught, and if it's not the right thought or idea or perspective or philosophy that they wouldn't get funding, runs contrary to everything that we believe about education," he said. "I guess that might work in the Soviet Union, but it doesn't work here."

Obama ended finished the Q&A at 5:15 p.m., telling the crowd, "Thank you everybody, I love you guys." He shook hands with a crush of audience members while a Bruce Springsteen song played before walking off stage.