Clinton outlines national service plan

Thirty-two years ago, President Kennedy uttered his immortal words, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country" in announcing the creation of the Peace Corps. Yesterday, President Clinton followed the model of his mentor, unveiling his program of national service at Rutgers University. The program, which is expected to cost $9.5 billion over the next five years, is part of the economic proposal that Clinton recently submitted to Congress. Under the program, students could perform up to two years of national service after high school and then borrow college tuition, or they could repay loans after graduating from college with one year of service per two years of federal aid. Another option would be to pay back the loans at a rate based on post-graduation income levels. This summer, a pilot of the program will begin with jobs for 1,000 to 2,000 students. In an op-ed piece in Sunday's The New York Times, Clinton wrote that one of the primary purposes of this plan is to enable college students, burdened with college debt, to accept low-paying public service jobs. "National service is an idea as old as America," Clinton wrote. "Time and again, our people have found new ways to honor citzenship and match the needs of changing times." Clinton wrote that opportunities will include working in schools, with police, controlling pollution and immunization programs. Critics of the program worry that public employees will be squeezed out by students working to have their debt forgiven. Others worry that students will feel forced to spend two years in community service. Howard Deck, a Philadelphia labor leader, said he is worried that students performing national service will have equal status with other public employees and will receive equal pay. He is also concerned that students will take the place of other workers. "I support the idea if the people doing national service will be phased in like other workers," Deck said last night. The Associated Press reported that Clinton said last month it would take six years for the program to hit its peak. At this point, it could only cover 150,000 students out of the more than five million people eligible for aid. David Morse, assistant vice president for policy planning at the University, said that in the past, this type of loan has only been tried as part of a pilot program. Morse said he worries about the new financial burden that would be placed on students as a result of the President's program. "It shifts more responsibility from the family onto the student borrower," he said last night. "Paying for college has been the shared responsibility of government, institutions, family and students," Morse added. "It's important to maintain that balance and not put a greater burden on students." Morse said he believes that the most notable aspect of the new program is "the president's use of his office as substantial encouragement that public and community service are important and noble enterprises." This is also what has enamored many of the University's faculty of the program. Ira Harkavy, vice dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, said last night that Clinton "has challenged young people to provide crucial service to help solve the problems of our society." Harkavy said he feels that the program would be an important step in tapping the idealism and creativity of young Americans. "The key thrust, as was with the Peace Corps, is to pose a challenge and get people engaged," Harkavy said. Thomas Sugrue, assistant history professor, said he felt the same sentiments after hearing of Clinton's proposal. "It's an excellent idea," he said. "It begins to inculcate a sense of civic responsibility in young people. It will give people a stake in their society. It's a refreshing change from the self-centered ethos of the 1980s." Sugrue said that although costs might be high for the national service program, he feels that the experiment is a necessary one. "It's a costly program," Sugrue said. "I think Clinton is starting slowly because they can't project over the long run what the costs will be. If it brings 150,000 into the system, I think it's accomplished something." "It will direct human resources to solving pressing social problems including education, urban poverty, and infrastructure," he added. "I think this program will be the beginning of a dent into these problems."