I am running to become your next Alumni Trustee because I envision IU as the leader amongst all public universities where we can: (1) make IU more affordable for students; (2) decrease student loan debt for IU graduates; and (3) redevelop our strategy and approach to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion. My plan focuses on:
1. Making IU more affordable by freezing the cost of tuition for the next three years and develop a plan to offer free in-state tuition to first-generation college students for those whose family income is less than $75,000. Students will be required to maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA.
2. Creating an IU Student Loan Debt Forgiveness Plan. Through this plan, undergraduate borrowers who graduate and work in Indiana for four years can receive $3,000 per year in loan forgiveness, up to four years.
3. Redeveloping efforts to increase IU’s diversity recruitment systemwide to attract and retain students and faculty of color. In 2006, the IU Board of Trustees endorsed a plan to double enrollment of underrepresented minority students. While prevailing in doubling the number of Asian students (3.4% in 2005, 7% in 2020) and Hispanic students (2.2% in 2005, 7.2% in 2020), Black student enrollment has remained relatively unchanged for 15 years (4.4% in 2005, 4.7% in 2020). (University Institutional Research and Reporting, 2021). I am encouraged by ongoing efforts but see an opportunity to invest more resources to ensure IU reaches its goals of doubling enrollment of Black students and recruiting more faculty of color.
