Debt concerns voiced at Occupy Orlando

With $60,000 in debt, first-generation college student Curtis Hierro is not happy.

Hierro, who is working toward getting his master's in history, is one of thousands of students at UCF who is knee-deep in debt, but he said that he's found a platform to express his discontent with the state of the economy: Occupy Orlando.

"This movement really speaks to what we're going through right now," said Hierro, president of the Student Labor Action Project.

On Saturday, UCF students joined the ranks of more than 1,500 protesters in downtown Orlando and proclaimed distress over the government's disregard for the 99 percent of America's population who have no say in political decision-making.

According to the Orlando Police Department, Occupy Orlando is the largest protest in the city's history.

"Kids who never organized for a cause before in their entire lives were there," said Shane Furman, protest participant and progressive caucus chair for the College Democrats at UCF. "It was just fantastic."

To spark student interest in the movement prior to the event, SLAP posted hundreds of fliers on campus that promoted the protest. SLAP members also stood outside of the Student Union with an Occupy Orlando banner and asked supporters of the cause to sign it.

Other campus organizations, such as the College Democrats, have also been promoting the movement around UCF.

"It's crucial that students get involved," Hierro said. "Historically, when students get involved in these movements, that's when we really see change."

Although Saturday's protest has been the focal point of Occupy Orlando so far, activists plan to rally in the park outside the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce until Nov. 5.

Furman said that in addition to other efforts, UCF occupiers are currently attempting to come up with legislation that could help students who are struggling financially.

Some of the issues the student protesters are hoping to combat include increased tuition rates and Bright Futures Scholarship cuts.

According to finaid.org, the average student loan debt among graduating seniors in 2008 was $23,186. Two-thirds of bachelor's degree recipients graduated with loan debt compared with less than half in 1993. Graduate loan default is also on the rise.

"I believe that education is more of a right than a privilege," said Shannon McEnteer, senior psychology major and Occupy Orlando protester. "It's sad to see undergrads graduate with $15,000 in debt without even going to grad school."

Furman said that through the democratic process, every protester has the ability to put forth their two cents either by making a speech in the park or quietly letting their ideas spread from person to person.

However, the main goal, Furman said, is to draft economic resolutions that will benefit everyone — not just corporations and the wealthy.

McEnteer attended Saturday's rally for the majority of the day and said she was surprised by the peacefulness of the protest.

"When I think of politics, I always think of people at each other's throats," McEnteer said. "I really didn't see anything like that. Everyone was open to what other people had to say even if it didn't completely resonate with them."

Hierro said that this is largely due to the fact that Occupy Orlando is a bipartisan movement, even though it is often mistakenly identified as a left-wing protest.

UCF will have its own grassroots protest on Oct. 25 when hundreds of students and faculty are expected to gather outside the Student Union to have their voices be heard on national issues, namely ones related to economic disparities in education.

"It's going to be substantial," said Hierro, who is helping to organize the event.

Occupy UCF, as it has been appropriately named, is expected to begin at 10 a.m. and last until 2 p.m. next Tuesday.

"Youth have awakened," Furman said. "We're ready; we want jobs in the future. We want to be able to prosper in our economy."