Latest news with #MuhlenbergCollege
Business Mayor
05-05-2025
- Business
- Business Mayor
Trump administration restarts student loan collections for millions in default
A person walks on campus at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S. March 26, 2025. Hannah Beier | Reuters Borrowers face plan changes, long waits for help Collection activity on federal student loans has mostly been paused for half a decade. During that period, there have been sweeping changes and disruptions to the lending system. Millions of borrowers who signed up for the Biden administration's new repayment plan, known as SAVE, were caught in limbo after GOP-led lawsuits managed to get the plan blocked in the summer of last year. Many of those borrowers will now have to switch out of a Biden-era payment pause and into another repayment plan that will spike their monthly bill. In recent months, the Trump administration has eliminated the forgiveness provision from some student loan repayment plans. It also terminated staff at the Education Department, including many of the people who helped assist borrowers. Now some student loan borrowers report waiting hours on the phone before being able to reach someone about their debt. (The Trump administration has told defaulted borrowers to contact the department for options on getting current.) 'The timing of the layoffs is unfortunate, given the need for borrowers to get help,' said higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz, who added that he's heard from people stuck waiting on hold as long as eight hours to speak with someone at the department or their loan servicer. Borrowers in default may see credit scores decline Restarting collections while the federal student loan system is facing so much uncertainty 'will further fan the flames of economic chaos for working families across this country,' said Mike Pierce, the executive director of the Student Borrower Protection Center. Read More British Gas sending £2,000 to state pensioners in December In addition to garnished paychecks and benefits, the millions of borrowers who are already late on their payments may see their credit scores tank by as much as 129 points as the Education Department ramps up collection activity, VantageScore recently wrote. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve predicted in March that some people with a delinquency could see their scores fall by as much as 171 points. Credit scores typically range from 300 to 850, with around 670 and higher considered good. Lower credit scores can lead to higher borrowing costs on consumer loans such as mortgages, car loans and credit cards. 'We've been seeing clients with delinquent accounts who reached out after noticing a drop in their credit scores,' said Carolina Rodriguez, director of the Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program in New York. She said one client hasn't made a payment on her student debt since last year because she can't afford her $200 monthly bill. 'She's making $45,000 and living in New York City,' Rodriguez said. 'Every month, she's in the red.' Are you at risk of collection activity because you're behind on your student loans? If you're willing to share your experience for an upcoming story, please email me at READ SOURCE
The Guardian
26-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Conservatives fighting ‘antisemitism' are actively targeting US Jews. Why?
The Trump administration claims that its moves to defund universities, arrest and deport students and force schools to demote or monitor professors are meant to combat antisemitism, protect Jewish students and remove 'Hamas-supporting' foreign nationals from the country. American pro-Israel groups including the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Hillel International, Aipac and the Heritage Foundation have united behind Republican measures to crack down on higher education and its putative antisemitism. Religiously identified groups such as the Orthodox Union and Christians United for Israel have joined the chorus, celebrating the punishment of supposedly antisemitic students and professors. Whatever their varied pasts, today's pro-Israel groups are not about protecting American Jews. Instead, they are allies in Maga's war on free speech, academic freedom and the US's democratic society itself. To be clear: the pro-Israel campaign to 'protect' Jews by punishing anti-Zionist speech often targets Jews. After a student complaint about a tenured Jewish professor's Twitter post, Muhlenberg College fired her. The ADL has rewarded Muhlenberg by grading it 'better than most' colleges for fighting 'antisemitism'. The ADL also accused Jewish Voice for Peace, a large, anti-Zionist Jewish group with chapters on many American campuses, of 'promot[ing] messaging' that can include 'support for terrorists'. Under pressure from the Trump administration, Columbia University expelled a Jewish graduate student and United Auto Workers local president who demonstrated against the war in Gaza. To be clear: the pro-Israel campaign to 'protect' Jews by punishing anti-Zionist speech often targets Jews. After a student complaint about a tenured Jewish professor's Twitter post, Muhlenberg College fired her. The ADL has rewarded Muhlenberg by grading it 'better than most' colleges for fighting 'antisemitism'. The ADL also accused Jewish Voice for Peace, a large, anti-Zionist Jewish group with chapters on many American campuses, of 'promot[ing] messaging' that can include 'support for terrorists'. Under pressure from the Trump administration, Columbia University expelled a Jewish graduate student and United Auto Workers local president who demonstrated against the war in Gaza. Most chillingly, the Trump administration recently sent all staff at Barnard College a questionnaire inquiring if they were Jewish, ostensibly to gauge campus antisemitism. For many, the experience of being asked by the government to self-identify as a Jew was terrifying; as one historian put it: 'We've seen this movie before, and it ends with yellow stars.' Canary Mission, a pro-Israel website that publishes information on students and professors who supposedly 'promote hatred of the USA, Israel and Jews', has been targeting an Israeli American scholar of the Holocaust along with many other Jews (including the author of this piece). Project Esther, an initiative launched by the conservative Heritage Foundation – the thinktank behind Project 2025 – blames the 'American Jewish community's complacency' for the 'pro-Palestinian movement's' ability to continue working for 'the destruction of capitalism and democracy'. Maga's pro-Israel partners do not protect Jews; they help Trump in his war on our academic freedom and open society more generally. Of course, unlike some pro-Israel groups, the Trump administration has a broader antipathy toward higher education. As JD Vance put it, 'the professors are the enemy'. But the pro-Israel movement furnishes Maga with a crucial weapon in their war on this 'enemy': charges of antisemitism. The entire 'US education system', according to Project Esther, has been 'infiltrated' by 'Hamas-supporting organizations' that now 'foster antisemitism under the guise of ''pro-Palestinian,' anti-Israel, anti-Zionist narratives … within the rubric of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and similar Marxist ideology'. Of course, by linking Palestinian solidarity with longstanding rightwing bogeymen like antiracism and communism, Project Esther gives away the game; their 'antisemitic' charge is a tool to silence Maga's left-leaning critics in higher education. Meanwhile, many pro-Israel groups seem to tolerate Maga's proximity to antisemitism. If they didn't, we might expect to hear more about JD Vance's meeting with Germany's neo-Nazi-linked AfD, Steve Bannon's singling out of 'American Jews that do not support Israel and do not support Maga' as 'the number one enemy to the people in Israel', or Trump's claim that the Democratic senator Chuck Schumer is 'not Jewish' but 'Palestinian'. The ADL went so far as to defend Elon Musk's apparent Nazi salute at Trump's inauguration. True, the ADL rightfully criticized some of these other incidents, as well as Trump's antisemitic advertisements, and his meeting with Kanye West and Nick Fuentes. But these cases do not seem to merit breaking with Maga. Why? Because the pro-Israel movement advocates for Israel, not American Jews. For this reason, the American pro-Israel movement has been collaborating in the Trump administration's campaign to roll back everyone's constitutional rights. By now, most of us have seen the footage of Mahmoud Khalil and Rümeysa Öztürk, both students at American universities, being surrounded by groups of government agents and forced into the backs of unmarked vehicles. The secretary of state, Marco Rubio, promised that hundreds of other students have been stripped of their visas. Neither Khalil nor Öztürk have any demonstrated ties to Hamas. Khalil even spoke out against antisemitism, declaring that 'antisemitism and any form of racism has no place on this campus and in this movement'. Furthermore, as a permanent resident and a student visa holder, both Khalil and Öztürk are guaranteed first amendment protections. Yet Hillel International failed to condemn the arrests, and the ADL outright celebrated Khalil's. Ultimately, Trump and many in the pro-Israel movement have allied against free speech in higher education because it is a pillar of an open society that threatens both of them. The right has long had it out for universities. The pro-Israel movement, meanwhile, saw the campus encampments with horror; a wide cross-section of students and professors from a variety of religious, racial and ethnic backgrounds came together to speak out against Israel's killing of tens of thousands of people. Even more galling for the pro-Israel movement, Jews actively participated in the protests – even conducting Passover seders, as well as Kabbalat Shabbat and Havdalah services amid them. These young Jews are not alone; less than half of Americans now sympathize with Israel, and one-third believe Israel is committing genocide. These facts do not threaten American Jews, but they do threaten Maga and the heavily evangelical pro-Israel movement. As long as increasing numbers of students, professors and many others speak out for Palestinians' humanity, the pro-Israel movement, armed with disingenuous accusations of antisemitism, will aid Maga's war on American higher education and democracy itself. Joshua Schreier is a professor of history and Jewish studies at Vassar College.
Bloomberg
02-04-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Insights Into Bloomberg's Proprietary Dividend Projections (BDVD?
Dividends play a critical role in investment strategies, but how do you assess a company's ability to sustain and grow them? From macroeconomic indicators to industry-specific trends and financial statement analysis, multiple factors influence a company's dividend policy—and any changes can have a significant market impact. Join us for an exclusive session where we unveil the latest enhancements to Bloomberg's proprietary dividend projection model (BDVD). With improved methodologies, advanced technology, and insights from our global team of analysts, BDVD now delivers even more precise and actionable dividend forecasts for companies and ETFs. Learn how these enhancements can help you stay ahead in dividend forecasting and investment decision-making. Speakers Dominick D'Angelo Enterprise Data Product Manager Bloomberg Dominick oversees product development for Bloomberg's Enterprise Data solutions for Cash Equity and Entity Reference Data, as well as Economics. He joined Bloomberg's Analytics Department in 2009, where he managed Foreign Exchange, Commodities, and Structured Cash Flow Product teams. Dominick holds a Bachelor of Arts in Finance from Muhlenberg College, and a Masters in Business Administration from Fordham University. Jessica Beatus Dividend Projections Product Owner Bloomberg Data Jessica Beatus is a Global Data Product Manager at Bloomberg for the Dividend Forecasting and Supply Chain teams. Jessica is responsible for managing relationships and engagements with business, infrastructure and technology stakeholders plus coordinating with her counterparts globally. Before joining Bloomberg LP, Jessica spent 10 years as an income driven research analyst at boutique investment firm investing in credit and equities. Jessica received her MSF from Johns Hopkins Carey School of Business, and a BA in Economics and Spanish from Towson University in Baltimore Maryland.
Middle East Eye
09-03-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
This Jewish academic shared an anti-Zionist post. She was then fired
Over a year ago in January 2024, Jewish-American academic Maura Finkelstein found herself placed on administrative leave by her institution at the time: Muhlenberg College. A few months later she was fired, despite having tenure. The reason? She was told it was because of a post she shared on her Instagram story which heavily condemned Zionism. Finkelstein joined us on Real Talk to reflect on this experience, what it taught her, and the state of crackdowns by US universities on pro-Palestinian activism. Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form . More about MEE can be found here .
