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Tuesday, 13 February 2007 |
Foxx: poor representative for Appalachian students
At Appalachian State University, 61 percent of students receive some sort of financial aid, which is why the Jan. 31 passage of a bill increasing the Pell Grant should come as welcomed news.
However, U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, who represents Boone in the 5th District of North Carolina, voted
against the bill.
This vote should come as no surprise to anybody familiar with Foxx’s voting record relating to higher education.
As a matter of fact, Foxx voted against the College Student Relief Act
on Jan. 17, a bill that amended the Higher Education Act of 1965 in
order to reduce interest rates charged to undergraduate student
borrowers.
Despite Foxx’s vote, the bill passed in a landslide, 356-71.
It is very disheartening for Appalachian State students to see how
underrepresented we truly are in Washington because of Foxx’s poor
track record.
Foxx voted against the Reverse the Raid on Student Aid Amendment in
2006. This bill, which passed 221-199, provided $59 million in grants
to increase graduate degree opportunities for Hispanics and low-income
students. The bill also provided $25 million in grants to help further
educational opportunities at predominately black institutions.
The irony in Foxx’s negligent attitude toward college students is that
Foxx was a professor and assistant dean at Appalachian from 1978 to
1985. Foxx should be well aware of the financial strains placed on
college students; however, her voting record clearly shows otherwise.
Furthermore, before last November’s general election (in which Foxx
defeated Democratic candidate Roger Sharpe), Foxx boasted on her Web
site how important education was to her platform goals.
“We must continue to teach today’s youth about the importance of a good
education,” Foxx said on her Web site. “If I had not applied myself and
pursued a higher education, I would not be where I am today.”
Though Foxx understands the importance of education, she is not interested in providing opportunities to those less fortunate.
Consider her voting record on the recent passage of minimum wage bills,
a topic that hits right at home to college students who depend on
lower-paying jobs to survive in school.
Foxx voted Jan. 10 against a bill to increase the national minimum wage to $7.25 per hour.
Michael Frohlich, Foxx’s press secretary, said one reason Foxx voted
against the bill was because only affected 2.5 percent of Americans.
No matter how you cut it, Foxx is a poor representative of not just Appalachian State, but of college students everywhere.
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