President Bill Clinton’s speech may have stirred students here at SIUC, but most Republicans weren’t as enthused about what the President had to say.

John Czwartacki, press secretary to the House Republican Conference, said Clinton’s speech was inaccurate concerning the Republicans’ proposed reductions in education.

If Clinton was a student at SIU, he would be guilty of academic dishonesty, Czwartacki said. Republicans are not going to cut student loans. We are trying to save them.

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Currently there are 6.6 million student loans, and next year there will be 7.1 million student loans available, Czwartacki said.

There is going to be a change in status quo because we’re going to balance the budget, Czwartacki said. We’ve got to stop borrowing from the future so we can live in excess today. No one’s threatening the program. We’re trying to save it. There won’t be a dime for anything in 17 years from now if there aren’t changes made.

Clinton said the direct student loan program will save money, but in a recent investigation, the Congressional Budget Office found the program will cost $1.5 billion, Czwartacki said.

The Republicans see the elimination of the direct loan program as one way to save money, he said.

Bill Goodling, R-Penn., House Economic and Educational Opportunities Committee chairman, said Clinton’s speech was nothing more than a propaganda campaign aimed at Republicans.

The facts are these:No student will lose eligibility or access to college loans under our budget proposal, Goodling said, The in-school interest subsidy will remain intact. We will not increase the loan origination fee paid by students; we do not increase interest rates on loans for students, and the interest rate reduction for new loans scheduled to take effect July of 1998 will remain intact.

Donald Manzullo, R-Rockford, said Clinton travels the nation blasting Republican proposals.

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He offers no alternatives, Manzullo said. Because of the five-trillion-dollar debt, by the time children born in 1992 enter the workforce, they will have a combined local, state and federal tax rate of between 84 and 94-percent absent policy. If we do nothing, your children will live under guaranteed socialism.

The federal government will always screw it up, Manzullo said. The bureaucrats will always get the money instead of the students.

Joe Clayton, spokesperson for the Coalition for Student Loan Reforms, said under the current guaranteed student loan program Republicans are backing, students will also avoid lengthy lines and paperwork.

The competition between the banks to get to the students first is very vicious, Clayton said. With the guaranteed student loans being used now, some colleges can tell you in 15 minutes after filing your forms what you will be receiving, and other colleges can tell you 24 hours. These loans serve 80 percent of the country right now.

Kristin Wolgemuth, legislative assistant to Representative Harris W. Fawell, R-Ill., said Fawell supports the guaranteed student loan program and feels it is the best way to serve the students.

Reductions must be made to balance the budget, Wolgemuth said. There will be no cuts in the amount of financial aid. By eliminating the administrative costs of the direct student loan program ($1.5 billion) and after that a reduction of federal support of guarantors of loans ($4.9 billion), there will be $5 billion in savings. We are also going to eliminate the six month subsidy after you graduate from college. You don’t have to start payments until six months after graduation, but the interest rate will begin.

The Republicans propose to keep the availability for student loans to students. Bills will start coming shortly after graduation, Wolgemuth said.

Terry Greene, press secretary for Representative Thomas W. Ewing R-Ill., said Ewing does not want to cut all of the direct student loans.

Congressman Ewing believes that private financial institutions can do better than the government, Greene said. He does not want to cut the direct loans in schools where it is working, but the program cannot and should not grow out of control. When you are in a $5 trillion debt, you can’t afford to subsidize that kind of mismanagement. However, no one should scare you into thinking you’re going to lose your direct loan because you’re not.

Many Republicans, including Clayton and Greene, feel the GOP plan is the best way to go. According to the plan, student loans are increased while loan fees are not.

Students should take a very close look at what the Republican plan says, Clayton said. Contrary to what the administration is saying, the key interest benefits for students are preserved in the Republican plan.