Partnering with the Student Body

In the last two days, we've discussed the problem of student debt at Iowa State. We've shown that Iowa State ranks among the worst universities nationwide in debt accumulation upon graduation. We've declared our intentions to continue to lobby legislators for lower tuition rates, and have expressed our willingness to work with university administration to use money most effectively. Our most promising effort to reduce student debt, however, will involve much more direct contact with the student body.

I am a founding member of a peer-to-peer financial education group specifically targeting the student debt problem at Iowa State. This organization is loosely modeled off other successful groups at the University of Arizona (Credit-Wise Cats) and Texas Tech University (Red to Black). Our organization (still to be named) has been working with staff from the Financial Counseling Clinic, the Department of Human Sciences, and university-level administration to develop a financial literacy program fine-tuned to the needs of Iowa State students. Preliminary plans for this program will highlight areas identified as most important to students: banking, money management, financial aid, and credit. Members plan to cooperate with 101 lecture classes as well as with student organizations on campus to publicize the group and to share introductory material. Student-to-student advice will be available to anyone who feels they're in need of guidance. The organization will begin recruiting and training mentors and finalizing its structure this spring semester and will launch in the fall.

Nate and I are extremely excited by the potential this project holds. We see this as an excellent opportunity to promote cooperation between GSB leadership and students on many levels. I plan on being more than just an organizer of this campaign; I want to be a mentor who makes a difference. The successful execution of this plan will require the cooperation of student leadership and mentors, student mentees, and university administration. Nate and I plan to maintain excellent communication between these groups to make solid progress toward tackling student debt at Iowa State.

Next on our blog series: "Leadership!" hosted by Nate. Stay tuned to learn all about our plans for maximizing leadership potential on campus!