I remember how it was -- JR
Utah governor slams Oregon fans for bigoted chant against Mormons at BYU game
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox called out students at Oregon University for chanting "f--k the Mormons" during a football game against Brigham Young University.
“Religious bigotry alive and celebrated in Oregon,” the Republican governor tweeted in response to a video of the hateful chant at the University of Oregon home game.
Oregon Ducks fans can be heard repeating the line at least twice before the ugly chant trails off in one video. The school and its student section both apologized Sunday for the “offensive and disgraceful” chant in a series of tweets.
“The University of Oregon sincerely apologizes for an offensive and disgraceful chant coming from the student section during yesterday’s game against Brigham Young University,” the university stated.
“These types of actions go against everything the university stands for, and it goes against the spirit of competition.
“We can and will do better as a campus community that has no place for hate, bias or bigotry.”
The student fan group section dubbed the “Oregon Pit Crew” said it was “ashamed” of the incident.
“To all [BYU football] fans in attendance at today’s game we would like to apologize for the actions of the students in attendance,” the group tweeted. “We do not condone any hateful speech directed towards one’s religion and are ashamed of those who participated.”
Last month BYU faced heat when a Duke volleyball player accused fans of racial heckling and slinging racial slurs at her during a match at BYU. But an internal investigation by the Utah university later found no evidence to back up the claim.
The University of Oregon apologized to BYU in a statement for the offensive chant.
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Yeshiva University suspends campus clubs after Supreme Court denies bid to block LGBTQ+ group
Yeshiva University, reacting to a Supreme Court ruling denying their attempt to block an LGBTQ+ student organization, has decided to suspend all student groups.
According to YU’s independent student newspaper, The Commentator, the university announced the move in an email to students. The message said the school is taking the time to follow the Supreme Court’s ruling, which said they needed to pursue the matter in state court.
“Considering the upcoming Chagim,” the letter said, using the Hebrew word referring to the Jewish high holidays, “the university will hold off on all undergraduate club activities while it immediately takes steps to follow the roadmap provided by the US Supreme Court to protect YU’s religious freedom.”
The holidays begin with Rosh Hashana on the evening of September 25 and continue through Simchat Torah on October 18. The letter did not say that clubs would necessarily be reinstated right after this time. Fox News reached out to YU for more information, but they did not immediately respond.
The dispute stems from a New York state court ordering Yeshiva to grant full recognition to an LGBTQ+ club on campus. Yeshiva has argued it is a religious institution and cannot be forced to recognize something at odds with the University’s religious mission. The NY judge found that the school is primarily an educational institution and cannot rely on a religious liberty claim in order to block the club.
The Supreme Court, denying Yeshiva University’s request to put the New York County Supreme Court decision on pause, said the school has “at least two further avenues for expedited or interim state court relief.”
Tai Miller, former YU student and plaintiff in the case against the university, reacted to the club suspension announcement on Twitter, calling it “a throwback to 50 years ago when the city of Jackson, Mississippi closed all public swimming pools rather than comply with court orders to desegregate.”
“The Pride Alliance seeks a safe space on campus, nothing more. By shutting down all club activities, the YU administration attempts to divide the student body, and pit students against their LGBT peers. We are confident that YU students will see through this shameful tactic and stand together in community.”
The school’s decision to suspend groups came a day after YU president Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman issued a statement indicating he hoped to work with the LGBTQ+ community.
“Every faith-based university in the country has the right to work with its students, including its LGBTQ students, to establish the clubs, places and spaces that fit within its faith tradition,” Berman said. “Yeshiva University simply seeks that same right of self-determination. The Supreme Court has laid out the roadmap for us to find expedited relief, and we will follow their instructions. At the same time, as our commitment to and love for our LGBTQ students are unshakable, we continue to extend our hand in invitation to work together to create a more inclusive campus life consistent with our Torah values.”
Yeshiva Student Union President Baruch Lerman was caught off guard by the club suspension, telling the Commentator he and his organization “were not expecting the university to take this drastic measure, and have not received any guidance about how we are to proceed with approving clubs, or having student council events.”
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Limited support for student debt forgiveness
Americans' support of student loan forgiveness drops if it means higher university costs, more taxes and primarily benefits higher income earners, a new poll said.
Libertarian think tank Cato Institute and YouGov conducted the poll before President Joe Biden unveiled his administration's student loan relief plan. The poll said that 64% of Americans opposed debt forgiveness if it meant increased taxes, 76% opposed it if it meant higher tuition costs and 68% opposed it if it primarily benefited higher-income people.
Biden announced last month that his administration would cancel $20,000 in student loans per borrower if they received Pell Grants and $10,000 in student loan debt per borrower for those who didn't.
The cancellation will apply to all federal student loan borrowers making less than $125,000 per year or $250,000 per year for married couples. They also unveiled a proposal that would allow those with undergraduate loans to cap their repayment options at 5% of their monthly income.
"Support for cancelling federal student loan debt plummets when Americans consider its trade-offs," Cato Institute's Director of Polling, Emily Ekins, said. "These data show that Americans don't like the costs that many experts believe are associated with federal student loan forgiveness."
If you have private student loans, refinancing at a lower interest rate could help you reduce your monthly payments and pay off your loans faster. Visit Credible to find your personalized interest rate without affecting your credit score.
Experts say taxpayers on the hook to pay for the plan
By some estimates, the cost of Biden's plan is around $500 billion. It will "provide relief to up to 43 million borrowers, including cancelling the full remaining balance for roughly 20 million borrowers," according to the White House.
A blog post by the Council on Foreign Relations said that "since there is no provision for a special funding mechanism, all taxpayers will bear the brunt of this federal budget expense."
"Put another way, 320 million Americans are providing a benefit to 40 million Americans," it continued.
Some borrowers may also face a tax bill due to the loan cancellation. Although forgiven debt is usually subject to federal taxes, these canceled student loans won't be. That's because of a clause in the American Rescue Act that eliminates federal taxation on forgiven student loan debt through 2025.
But the obligation to pay state taxes on forgiven debt isn't as clear. According to Mark Kantrowitz at The College Investor, 28 states, plus Washington D.C., either have no income tax or automatically conform with federal law and will not tax canceled student debt.
However, Mississippi, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Arkansas and North Carolina treat debt forgiveness as income. And unless they change their laws to conform with the federal tax exemption for student loans, students would be on the hook to pay taxes on the debt, according to the Tax Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.
"Having your taxable income jump by $10,000 - 20,000 dollars can obviously have a major impact on your taxes," Chris Motola, a financial analyst at MerchantMaverick.com, said. "Furthermore, the difference in laws from state-to-state could mean that students in some states will benefit more from student relief than others."
If you have private student loans, these will not qualify for federal student debt cancellation. However, you can reduce your monthly payment by refinancing to a lower interest rate. Visit Credible to find your personalized interest rate without affecting your credit score.
Debt forgiveness may add to tuition inflation
Another trade-off that Americans participating in the Cato poll were against was debt forgiveness at the cost of higher tuition rates. Market experts have been vocal about the potential risk that the plan may spur students to take on more debt, as well as that the plan does little to address runaway tuition costs at colleges and universities.
The cost of attendance for one year at a private 4-year university currently averages $38,000, and a year at a public university costs about $10,000, according to figures reported by the College Board.
"The cost of college tuition has far outpaced inflation for years," Leslie Tayne, founder and head attorney at Tayne Law Group, said. "And with the promise of possible forgiveness in the future, students may be willing to take on more debt upfront. This would give schools the power to raise their prices, leading to a cycle of increased borrowing."
There is also a concern that the proposed changes to the income-driven repayment plan, which would see borrower repayments capped at 5% of their monthly income, might also incentivize universities and colleges to raise costs, Tayne said.
"Regardless of the loan amount, borrowers will have to make the same monthly payments on student loan debt, which could leave students borrowing as much money as possible," she said. "Colleges and universities can then increase tuition costs, knowing the amount borrowed won't matter much to students with federal loans."
However, one expert believes that the basics of supply and demand should help rein in tuition and bring some normalcy to their significant cost increase.
"While universities may see loan forgiveness as an opportunity to raise tuition, market forces may prevent large hikes," Jay Zigmont, founder of Childfree Wealth, said. "Students and their parents have become more price sensitive and are even starting to look at the ROI of college."
One way to reduce your monthly payment on your private student loans is by refinancing to a lower interest rate. To see if this is the right option for you, you can contact Credible to speak to a student loan expert and get all your questions answered.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/student-loan-forgiveness-americans-opinion
***********************************My other blogs: Main ones below
http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)
http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)
http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)
http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)
http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)
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