Dec 6, 2018
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Durham Convention Center, 301 W Morgan St, Durham, NC 27701

Student debt is a crisis in North Carolina and across the country.  Please join us for this summit on December 6 to learn more about this crisis and how you can be part of the solution:

  • How did we get here?
  • What does the latest research show for NC and the nation?
  • Who is most impacted?
  • How can we rein in this problem in NC?
  • How can you be part of that solution?

Resources

All resources are PDF downloads.

Archived Agenda

Registration 8:00 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.
Welcome 9:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.
Mike Calhoun, President,
Center for Responsible Lending

Kelly Tornow, Director of NC Policy,
Center for Responsible Lending
Keynote Address 9:15 a.m. - 9:35 a.m.
Wade Henderson, Immediate Past President,
Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
Panel One: Student Loan Debt: Why It Matters 9:45 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
This panel will focus on sharing perspectives from those who are most impacted by the student debt crisis, with an emphasis on illustrating how student debt is a civil rights issue. It will explore special issues affecting undergraduates, military servicemembers and veterans, women, undocumented persons and immigrants, seniors, and students who attend historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and other minority-serving institutions.
  • Bettylenah Njaramba, President of UNC Association of Student Governments and NCCU student
  • Rev. Sekinah Hamlin, Director of Faith Affairs, Center for Responsible Lending, and Director, Faith and Credit Roundtable
  • Deandrea Newsome, Policy Analyst
  • Tanya Ang, Policy & Outreach Director, Veterans Education Success
  • Helen Savage, Fraud Prevention Impact Leader, AARP NC
  • John Herrera, Senior Vice President for Hispanic/Latino Affairs, Self-Help; President, Board of Directors, Latino Community Credit Union; Member, Board of Trustees, North Carolina Central University
  • Moderated by: Andrea Harris, Senior Fellow, Self-Help
Break 11:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
Panel Two: What Is the Problem? What Is Driving the Crisis? 11:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
This panel will explain the scope of the student debt crisis with a focus on research and policy. It will provide background on the national landscape of student lending, present facts about student borrowing in North Carolina, and highlight problems with student loan servicing, for-profit programs, and our state’s divestment from public higher education and HBCUs.
  • Ashley Harrington, Director, National Social Justice Program, United Negro College Fund
  • Robin Howarth, Senior Researcher, Center for Responsible Lending
  • Whitney Barkley-Denney, Senior Policy Counsel, Center for Responsible Lending
  • Moderated by: Micah Anderson, Project Manager, MDC
Discussion Lunch: How Is Student Debt Affecting You & Your Organization? 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Attendees will discuss in small groups how they’ve seen student loan debt impact their organization’s clients and work, in addition to the lives of their colleagues, families, parishioners, friends, fellow students, and themselves.
Break 1:30 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.
Panel Three: How Do We Fix the Student Debt Crisis in NC? What Can Be Done at the State Level? 1:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
This panel will discuss the importance of North Carolina’s role in addressing the student debt crisis and provide specific ideas for policy solutions at the state level. It will highlight ways our state can take action in light of the federal government’s rollback of important protections and will flag issues with federal preemption. The panel will also provide lessons learned from other states that have worked on this issue.
  • Beverly Brown Ruggia, Financial Justice/CRA Organizer, New Jersey Citizen Action
  • Matt Liles, Assistant Attorney General, North Carolina Department of Justice
  • Henry M. Lancaster II, Principal of Lancaster Craig & Associates, Member of the NC HBCU Alumni Roundtable, Member of the Lincoln University Board of Trustees, Pa.; and, Consultant to the HBCU Green Fund
  • Kelly Tornow, Director of North Carolina Policy, Center for Responsible Lending
  • Moderator: Reggie McCrimmon, Outreach Associate, Center for Responsible Lending
Break 3:00 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
What Can We Do in NC? How Can Your Organization Help? 3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.
Participants will discuss what we can do in North Carolina to address the student debt crisis, and possible steps to achieve reform. The discussion will include potential policy goals and ways that organizations can get involved.
Call to Action and Closing 4:15 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Kelly Tornow, Director of North Carolina Policy,
Center for Responsible Lending

Andrea Harris, Distinguished Fellow to the CEO,
Self-Help Credit Union