Temperatures again this week averaging 10-15 degrees above normal
There are roughly 100,000 Virginia residents in debt to a Virginia college, according to the Virginia Poverty Law Center. Until the money is paid, students generally cannot access their college transcripts, which would enable them to transfer to a more affordable community college or help them get a job to pay off the debt.
They are stuck in a catch-22.
A bill that would force colleges to release transcripts under certain circumstances was defeated by a House subcommittee Monday. The Republican-led panel voted against Senate Bill 1110 on a 5-4 party-line vote.
It was the second year in a row the bill, sponsored by Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield, cleared the Senate but failed to gain support in the Republican-controlled House.
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Student debt has ballooned in recent years, and many struggle to pay the rising cost of tuition.
Hashmi modified the bill this year, setting certain requirements that an eligible student would have to meet. Student debt would have to be less than $500 or the student would have to make at least three consecutive monthly payments toward the debt.
The college would have to turn over the transcript if the student needs it to apply for a job. Hashmi called this year’s bill a “pared-down version” of what she introduced last year.
Jay Spear, executive director of the Virginia Poverty Law Center, said students sometimes drop out of college because they become ill or a family member gets sick. Their loan or scholarship may not cover all their tuition, leading the student to have an unexpected debt.
The Senate unanimously approved the measure.
Opponents say colleges need leverage to make sure students pay what they owe.
The law requires colleges to “aggressively” pursue their debts, which can include garnishing a student’s wages or filing a lawsuit.
From the Archives: Richmond Tunnels
Tunnels
07-01-1938 (cutline): Richmond's 'Holland Tube'--Shown above is the southern opening of the tunnel beneath the James River and Kanawhat Canal, built originally to carry water from the old pump house to the city reservoir but later used as a passageway by Richmonders of a few decades ago. J. L. Munson, engineer at the electric power plant which now stands on the site of the pump-house, is shown near the mouth of the tube.
Tunnels
06-12-1974 (cutline): Workmen view partly cleared tunnel entrance on Gamble's Hill. Tunnel runs for some three blocks east to west under Byrd Street.
Tunnels
03-06-1941 (cutline): Filling up Byrd Street Tunnel--Workers start filling in the old Byrd Street tunnell, formerly used by the R., F. & P. Railroad. The job will cost $14,299. The Department of Public Works will supply $3,657 and the WPA will furnish $10,642.
Tunnels
11-11-1977 (cutline): Tunnels, containing steam heating lines, zigzag to government buildings.
Tunnels
10-29-1970 (cutline): The Overton Street tunnel connecting Seventh and Ninth Streets just north of the Ninth Street Bridge, will be closed permanently after 9 a.m. Monday. City Traffic Engineer W.F. Thomas said the tunnel is being demolished to make way for the north abutment of the new Ninth Street Bridge. The city authorized construction of the tunnel by the former Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, now Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, in February 1917. The tunnel now carries a daily traffic load of nearly 2,700 vehicles.
Tunnels
11-13-1977: Plan of Property showing tunnel systems of State Capitol Buildings and Medical College of Virginia.
Tunnels
01-25-1953 (cutline): An MCV orderly pushes a wheelchair patient to old Memorial Hospital for physical therapy. This tunnel passes under Broad Street traffic.
Tunnels
08-12-1970 (cutline): Work continues on the tunnel which will permit persons to pass between the new City Hall and the Health, Safety, Welfare Building without having to cross Marshall Street. This photo, taken from the new City Hall, shows the forms for the walls of the tunnel, expected to cost $91,000 and the walk way about it, where now-closed Marshall Street will be replaced. The automobiles and construction vehicles are parked in the future site of a mall, planned for next fiscal year at cost of $1.1 million. Construction of the tunnel is expected to be completed in about six weeks, and Marshall Street should be reopened before winter.
Tunnels
12-10-1941 (cutline): In real emergency, Captiol Square tunnels might be air raid shelters. But city officials hope better shelters will be available if bombers come.
Tunnels
01-25-1953 (cutline): Governor Battle takes subterranean route to Mansion during rain. He used tunnels once in campaign to help Adlai Stevenson dodge crowd.
Tunnels
10-16-1966 (cutline): Julian Cornwell (left), Park Supervisor, studies tunnel blueprints. Bob Davis (right) is construction foreman for the project. The tunnel was located in Petersburg and was originally built in 1864 during the Civil War and was being excavated in 1966.
Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield
Eric Kolenich
Reporter
Eric Kolenich writes about higher education, health systems and more for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. He joined the newspaper in 2009 and spent 11 years in the Sports section. (804) 649-6109
