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May 21, 2014

Activist Destroys $500 Million Worth of Student Debt Records in Chile 
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In Chile, an activist says he has destroyed student debt records worth
$500 million. Francisco Tapia, known as Papas Fritas, or "French fries,"
says he stole the papers from the for-profit Universidad del Mar and
burned them in an "act of love" in order to free the students from loan
debt. The rise of privatized education in Chile began under the
dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, and the costs for higher
education are now among the highest in the world. Meanwhile, in the
United States, a new study shows student debt has increased more rapidly
at schools with the highest-paid presidents. The report by the Institute
for Policy Studies looked at public universities with the highest
executive pay rates and found that administrative spending outstripped
spending on scholarships by more than two to one.

 

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