The Wisconsin Students Public Interest Research Group held an event on East Campus Mall Thursday, advocating student support for a federal bill that may increase financial aid opportunities for students.
According to Rashi Mangalick, a junior at UW-Madison and organizer of the WISPIRG event, passing the bill, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, would increase potential student aid by $87 billion.
SAFRA was passed in the U.S. House of Representatives in September, but is currently pending approval in the Senate.
Mangalick said Sallie Mae, the largest supplier of student loans in the nation, is a major obstacle the bill currently faces.
According to Mangalick, the loan company often lobbies against student grant aid.
She added that she feels students deserve more options for paying for college tuition, because companies like Sallie Mae often charge high interest rates and are known for not negotiating with borrowers who face financial obstacles.
Sam Gibb, WISPIRG campus organizer, said she hopes to make more students familiar with the bill and how it will benefit them.
""The major thing that we wanted to do is educate students about the fact that this bill is going on and that SAFRA is happening,"" she said. ""We want to let our Senators know that students really want this to pass, and get a bunch of media attention across the country.""
According to Mangalick, after the event, WISPIRG plans to send media clips and pictures of students rallying against Sallie Mae to the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, who she said speaks daily with lawmakers.
Students were able to throw beanbags at signs of Sallie Mae at the event Thursday, advocating their support for SAFRA.
""A lot people don't know who Sallie Mae is and what they're up to and a lot of this is just education,"" Mangalick said.
According to Mangalick, the bill has the potential to be passed in the senate in the next couple weeks.
