LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Ohio’s college students should be informed

4/21/2017

I believe today’s students should take every opportunity to be prepared and informed about their educational and financial futures, which is why I introduced legislation that improves Ohio’s financial literacy education standards.

A component of this requires the chancellor of higher education to prepare an “informed student document” for state colleges and universities to provide to Ohio students. Not only would the document outline relevant information such as academic and admission data, but it would also include tuition costs and loan repayment rates — all important material for students to research as they embark on their college education.

Click here to submit a letter to the editor

A few have asked me how this is different from the federal scorecard, which was a question raised by The Blade in an editorial published on April 12, “Let students see true costs.” While I understand concerns about redundancy, the informed student document goes much further than any other document available to students.

My conclusion after spending several hours of comparing both is that saying the informed student document is not necessary because we have the federal scorecard is like saying we do not need textbooks because we have Google. It can certainly be a supplementary resource, but it is not a sufficient substitute.

The federal scorecard is a valuable resource for students, but it falls short of providing a full, comprehensive picture of attending various institutions of higher learning.

The informed student document is one important component outlined in House Bill 108 that will arm students with the knowledge and facts necessary to make an informed and prudent decision about their future. Financial literacy education custom-created especially for Ohio students is important for every Ohioan and the overall economic health of the state.

STATE REP. CHRISTINA HAGAN (R., ALLIANCE)