Associated Students of Madison Chair Allie Gardner and other student government leaders were arrested protesting in Washington, D.C. Monday.
Gardner, along with Student Services Finance Committee Rep. Tia Nowack, student council representative-elect Maxwell Love, United Council President Seth Hoffmeister and UC Board member Michael Pincikowski were staging a sit-in outside of Sallie Mae, a major student loan distribution cooperation, when Washington D.C. police arrested them.
The five were protesting student loan debt during the United States Student Association’s Lobby Day, part of the organization’s annual legislative conference.
36 students were arrested in total while staging the sit-in outside Sallie Mae waiting for CEO Albert Lord.
Sallie Mae officials gave the students three warnings that the police were coming, but none of the protestors left. Some crowd members joined the protestors after learning they would be arrested.
Gardner said the average UW-Madison student graduates with about $27,000 in student loan debt, and being arrested was worth drawing attention to the cause.
“This is an issue that’s been really hidden in the shadows,” Gardner said. “It was really important that students make it clear that this is a serious crisis, especially for UW-Madison students.”
According to ASM Vice Chair Andrew Bulovsky, student segregated fees funded Gardner’s trip to the conference, where she was representing UW-Madison. He said Gardner’s actions are “unbecoming of a Badger,” and reflect poorly upon the university and state.
“Students are paying for people to go to D.C. to lobby on their behalf at the national level, and I feel like this is not a good representation of student government or students in general,” Bulovsky said.
But Gardner said UW-Madison students should not have to feel the burden of substantial student loan debt after graduating, and she was protesting to support students at the university.
“It’s unacceptable that students are graduating with $27,000 in loans completely on education so that they can give back to their state or community,” Gardner said.
