Public Employee Press

Student debt workshops a pathway to relief

Bright Banahene, an Eligibility Specialist with the Dept. of Human Resources, is no longer one of the 43 million people in the United States burdened by student debt.

When his Local 1549 shop steward told him about the union's student debt workshops, he immediately signed up. With one out of every five households struggling to pay their college loan, DC 37 launched a series of workshops to introduce members to resources that could help.

Banahene graduated from the State University of New York at Fredonia with a degree, in marketing.

To help pay for his tuition, he took out three loans. He completed his master's degree in finance from Dowling College on Long Island and applied for another three loans.

Banahene was paying $500 a month for his six loans when he found out about the Income-Driven Repayment Plan at a union workshop. He applied and is now paying just $75 a month for his loans.

"That's a huge difference and much more manageable," he said.

Some 500 members have attended the workshops at union headquarters since they began in September. In addition to holding sessions at DC 37 headquarters, the union has offered workshops at worksites around the city.

"Members fill out an evaluation form when they finish the workshop and a lot of them suggested we do them at their worksite," said Jahmila Joseph, DC 37 assistant associate director and coordinator of the program. Responding to the interest, she proceeded to set up workshops at the School Construction Authority, the New York Police Dept. and the Bronx Zoo.

The evaluation has been revealing in other ways, too.

"For most of the members it's the first time they've come to a union event or meeting," Joseph said.

Members will have more opportunities to attend a workshop this summer and get the kind of financial relief Banahene is now enjoying.

To find out the date of the next workshop check the union's website at www.dc37.net and click on student debt workshop. They are free for members, but you must register in advance.