By Alicia Jacobs, Excelsior Life Staff--
National news reports indicate student debt is now a trillion dollars. On average, school loan default rates are increasing, while educational costs continue to rise. Debts impact students. Conversely, student loans impact higher education.
Media focus is often placed on student debt, but a student's ability to repay their student loan does have consequences to an institution and default rates are monitored by the Department of Education (DOE).
On a national level, more students are borrowing more money than ever before to receive a degree,” said Christina Roarke, Excelsior College’s assistant director of financial aid. “Couple that with higher unemployment and other economic hardships and you get a record number of students having greater difficulty repaying their loans.”
The DOE uses the CDR (Cohort Default Rate) in one respect, as a measure of a schools capability and quality. At Excelsior College, 2011- 2 year draft Cohort Default Rate stands at 4.0 percent, well below the national average of approximately 13 percent. For institutions that have a consistently high CDR, there are ramifications.
A college can…
• Lose access to private loan funds.
• Be subject to sanctions if the schools 2yr default rate exceeds the federal cap of 15% or 3yr default rate exceeds the federal cap of 25%.
• Lose eligibility to provide federal financial aid to their students.
A higher cohort default rate for schools creates a domino effect for students and schools, and even impacts the economic health of our country.
“A school’s cohort default rate has far-reaching consequences, and the implications of a “bad” or high default rate can be devastating. Between the current economic environment and the changing federal student aid landscape, the government is looking more closely at the quality of a school’s education, the degrees a school offers, and whether or not they lead to gainful employment,” Roarke explains. “The government wants to be assured that higher education institutions are providing quality education in relevant areas of study, working hard to keep students on track to graduation, and making sure students understand their rights and responsibilities if they are borrowing to pay for this education.”
With this in mind, the DOE along with higher education institutions are working to create awareness of student loan repayment options. Helping students access the tools and resources to avoid the negative consequences of defaulting on student loans is a priority. For example, there is a plan referred to as Income-Based Repayment. It caps monthly student loan payments at 15 percent of their discretionary income.
“The DOE wants us to live up to our mission as an institution of higher education,” said Roarke. “They are beginning to create new and revised measures of program quality and effectiveness.” The result is tougher regulations and harsh consequences for a failure to serve students well.
It is important for an institution to provide students with all the tools they need to be successful in understanding the financial aid process, student loans, and options for repayment. “At Excelsior College we support student success throughout the entire educational process, this not only translates into a low CDR but more importantly, qualified students graduating with affordable, quality degrees,” said Roarke.
Readers note: This is Part 2 of a feature story on student debt. To read Part 1, Excelsior College Students’ Median Debt is Substantially Less Than The National Average, click here.
Rajeev Colton Wickramaratne is a freshman Film major from Sri Lanka. 
“Sometimes you have to put down your backpack and enjoy,” says Rajeev Wickramaratne, who had never 
Quibble Creek Health and Phoenix Transition Housing Centre is a partnership between the Province, the City of Surrey and Fraser Health Authority and contains 52 supportive housing units and 15 short-term transitional recovery beds. The building includes Fraser Health’s Recovery and Assessment Centre, with 25 beds for men and women requiring 24-hour recovery and assessment services, and a primary care, substance use and mental health clinic. 
The LGBT Seniors Task Force has been given 18 months to come up with a detailed plan on what the most pressing needs are for the estimated 25,000 older adults living in San Francisco who identify as LGBT. The panel's report will also include how the city can address LGBT elders' concerns.
Yenyi coordinates compassion and development projects aimed at helping children and vulnerable people in DR Congo.
Ron Miller is not your ordinary student. In fact, very little about him is ordinary. He is a very unique individual who, literally, has his eyes on the goal of earning an associate degree. His story illustrates the depths of human determination and the importance of never giving up, despite the odds.At 45, Miller is like other Excelsior students who want to finish the education they started some time ago. But unlike his classmates who are balancing life’s demands while pursuing their degrees, Miller is balancing life itself. He has ALS, a neuromuscular disease, often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease. ALS destroys nerves that control muscles and progressively leaves those with it unable to move, speak, eat, and breathe. While the body loses function, the mind doesn’t. There isn’t a cure and most people with ALS usually pass on within two to five years of being diagnosed. Miller has beaten the odds. It’s been 14 years since he was diagnosed.Miller has a drive and positive attitude most of us can only imagine. He says his determination comes from his competitive nature to always push himself to be the best he can. He remembers when he was first diagnosed and the neurologist advised him to return home to get his affairs in order because he had, at most, two years to live. That didn’t sit well with Miller. He fully intended to prove the doctor wrong.“I have been fortunate enough to be one of five percent of people who have lived beyond ten years and I don’t want to squander such a gift. Making a difference is important to me and worth the battle,” Miller said philosophically. Completely paralyzed from the nose down, he uses eye-gaze computer technology to take classes and communicate with his family, friends, and nurses who provide his care. “I can do almost anything with only my eyes,” he adds. The eye-gaze computer Miller uses tracks eye movements with an on-screen keyboard that “clicks” based on the amount of time he spends looking at an intended target.
Despite his ability to make the most from his situation, adjusting to living with ALS can be a long process, just like the disease. In Miller’s case, every physical loss became a reason to find a different way to accomplish a task. He was 31 when his symptoms began, 33 at diagnosis, and is not ready to give in to the disease.Miller craved something more from life and decided to enroll at Excelsior College to finish the education he started years ago. Living in a long-term, acute-care hospital the only activity he got regularly was from the TV and the Internet. Miller decided that finishing his education would give him the skills to be a better advocate for ALS awareness.Since his diagnosis, the advances in technology changed considerably and the possibility of a new career was not out of the question. His eye-gaze controlled computer he uses for school challenges Miller’s mind and computer abilities. He enrolled in the Liberal Arts program at Excelsior not knowing if he would be able to complete an associate degree. He is now thinking a bachelor’s degree is a possibility and his excitement is evident.
