Student financial aid is the key to American economic development and career opportunity for American citizens, President Bill Clinton said Monday to a crowd of more than 10,000 who gathered on the Pulliam Lawn to hear him speak.

With campus and regional government leaders sitting behind him, Clinton told the crowd that higher education is essential to keep the nation in competition economically with other countries which have constantly changing technology.

Clinton said the Republican-led Congress would make this competition impossible by cutting financial aid services such as the direct student loan program, which was authored by Sen. Paul Simon, DIll.

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“Let’s face it folks, these changes that are going on are awfully good for people who have an education people who can be in the forefront of change,” Clinton said. “They’re pretty tough on… people who don’t have a very good education and can no longer get the kind of jobs they used to, or if they get a job, never, ever seem to get a raise.”

Clinton said it is impossible for many American citizens to improve their financial condition without an education, and this education is impossible without federal monetary help to college students.

“Will our country meet the challenges of the twenty-first century, or will we cut off our nose to spite our face by cutting back on educational aid at the time when we need to invest more in it?” Clinton said as a large portion of the crown applauded.

Clinton said programs like the direct student loan, which is now used at 40 percent of universities in the country, help get students the financial aid they need without political red tape.

The direct student loan program is a system of federal financial aid where loan checks are sent directly to students. Before this program was created, loan checks would have to go through banks and campus bursar offices.

SIUC began participating the Direct Student Loan Program at the beginning of the school year.

“I talked to a (SIUC) student just a few moments ago who told me that the difference of this year and last year was a difference of four months and one week in getting the student loan,” Clinton said.

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Clinton said the benefits of direct student loans and other financial aid programs outweigh the Republican argument that eliminating such programs would balance the budget.

“Do not be fooled by the smoke screen of balancing the budget,” Clinton said. “We are all for balancing the budget. You do not have to balance the budget by cutting college aid. You do not have to balance the budget by shortcuttig the future of America.”

During his speech, Clinton acknowledged and thanked 11 students from universities across the region who spoke with him regarding financial aid in a roundtable discussion before his speech. SIUC students Duane Sherman, an undergraduate and Vanika Mock, a graduate student.

Clinton also made special mention of students from Carbondale’s Lincoln Middle School who sent out about 300 electronic-mail messages asking the president to visit their school while he was in town.

Clinton’s speech, which lasted about 30 minutes, was preceded by speeches from Simon, Senator Carol Moseley-Braun, DIll.; Rep. Dick Durbin, DIll.; Rep. Glenn Poshard, DIll. and Rep. Jerry Costello, DIll.

After leaving campus for the Southern Illinois Airport in a limousine motorcade, Clinton made a stop in front of Mugsy McGuire’s, 1620 W. Main, to speak with people who greeted him as he drove by.

Clinton flew out of Southern Illinois Airport at 1:45 p.m. in the DC-9 version of Air Force One.

Clinton arrived in Carbondale at 9:21 a.m. Monday. Upon landing, he spoke with fellow Democrats, including Simon and Moseley-Braun, before setting out for the SIUC campus.

Both supporters and opponents of Clinton were present at the speech, some carrying signs lauding Clinton for his financial aid efforts and others calling for Republican political victories.

In his speech before he left, Clinton said SIUC was an appropriate place for him to visit because of the special meaning it has for him.

“I am glad to be back her at SIU, a place which has a very warm place in my hear,” Clinton said. “I spoke here in 1991 just before I declared as a candidate for president of the United States…This is the first time I’ve been (to SIU) as president, and I am very, very glad to be back here.”