Four years ago, amidst two wars and the start of an economic crisis, the Criterion editorial staff endorsed John McCain in the 2008 Presidential election.

This year, in a split decision, the Criterion endorsed President Barack Obama for a second term in office. Many of the editors took a “lesser of two evils” approach when making their vote, but ultimately, Obama better suits the financial needs of college students.

In his first term, Obama rescued the automotive industry, took down Osama bin Laden and, although tumultuous and fiscally flawed, passed Obamacare. It hasn’t been a perfect four years, but Obama is on the right track and has a better plan for the future than Romney.

Many who support Obama say that social values factored into their decision to support the current president in the coming election. Obama supports gay and women’s rights and has a more holistic approach of America’s melting pot than GOP nominee Mitt Romney.

But ultimately, paying for our expensive educations is what is on college students’ minds.

We believe it is in the best interests of college students, who borrow an average of $24,000 to pay for college, to support President Obama. In his first term in office, Obama capped student loan payments at 10 percent of family income and provided an increase in Pell Grant funds, providing 9.6 million students with money for college in the 2009-2010 school year. He plans to increase these funds further in his second term.

Mitt Romney has made it very clear that Pell Grant funds will not increase if he becomes president. He plans to cut federal spending on higher education to provide financial aide to fewer college students, those whom he believes need it most. However, Romney doesn’t seem to understand that without Pell Grants and financial aide, many of us would not be in college.
It’s a common problem amongst the “47 percent” to have trouble affording higher education. The vast majority of the editorial board said they could not afford college without federal loans and Pell Grants. Obama provides college students with essential support to help them stay afloat in a tough economy. Romney prefers to let them sink or swim.

Romney has proven to be an expert in finance, but our country is not made of dollars and cents. Obama is the people’s president. He gives students the best chance to make it through college in difficult times. Because of the importance of education, we support Barack Obama in the 2012 Presidential Election.