Roundtable: Local CSU schools begin academic year marked by growth and controversy

S1: This week on roundtable , Cal State campuses begin a new school year from a turbulent start at San Diego State to the transformation taking place at CSU San Marcos. We're checking in with the reporters covering the story and how student loan forgiveness will affect millions of Californians. I'm Matt Hoffman , and this is KPBS roundtable. It's been a turbulent start to the school year for San Diego State. Students are back on campus , but rape allegations against former football players have been dominating the headlines. All of this is happening during a historic weekend for SDSU that's seeing the opening of a brand new football stadium over in Mission Valley. Joining us to talk about this big weekend and what might be overshadowing some of the hype is KPBS. Reporter Alexander , when , great to have you here. Before we start , we should note that KPBS is a service of SDSU. So , Alexander , this new school year , it's also bringing a brand new venue in Snapdragon Stadium. Thousands will be out there this weekend.

S2: You know , amenities such as the founders suites , which is available for a measly 3.2 $5,000,000.15 year commitment.

S1: It's been a decades long process. San Diego State has turned this space into a mixed use development. There's housing , retail and open space parks.

S2: You know , first of all , the stadium is going to be a joint youth stadium. They've really signed a contract with the waves the for the women's soccer team here in San Diego. But most of the campus is going to be focused on creating a research and tech facilities , and it's needed for the universities to grow its tech based programs. Plus , it also gives the university a chance to increase enrollment and improve its facilities. And SDSU West , which is what the whole entire compound is called , is a great way to do that , because it could give them a chance for some student housing , as well as some play spaces for more classrooms.

S1: And shifting gears a little bit here. You've done some great reporting on an alleged rape involving three former SDSU football players and a minor.

S2: We'll get that a bit later. But as you remember earlier this week , as San Diego State football coach and athletic director sat down with the media to talk about this weekend's game , but they were hounded by reporters about the case and they had to walk out of the meeting. But getting back to the actual case now , this originally came up around , I want to say June , late June at the L.A. Times story said in saying that San Diego State is buried , a rape accusations against three former players. And from that article , it's kind of blew up getting national attention. And then in late July , the a rape victim or survivor went public and talked to the media about her experience with it. And she got to sit down with me to talk about her experience and how it made her feel and the and gave very graphic details. And then earlier this month , I think a few weeks ago , actually just last week , the lawsuit was filed in civil courts naming the three alleged rapists. One of them is Matt Reiser , who was drafted by the NFL , by the Buffalo Bills , and in two days later , he was released by the Bills. You know , they're saying that to give him time to concentrate on these allegations against him. And then one of the former player that was still on SDSU roster was also released that weekend.

S1: And you mentioned that football news conference earlier this week , which you were at. It was supposed to be all about this new stadium and their big opening game.

S2: The athletic director , John Wigger and Brady Hoke , the football coach , tried to keep it about football. And obviously all the reporters there wanted to talk about this case because , as you say , it happened right after Marisa was released in , as well as Xavier Leonard , who was named on the suit as well , was cut from the football team. And , you know , they tried for about , I think , five or 6 minutes to shifted toward football until eventually had to walk out of that press conference. And then several minutes later , John Wick returned to the press conference to address reporters questions. After that , Brady Hoke came back into the room and talked to reporters about football.

S1: And you mentioned that all the players that were allegedly involved in this have been cut by their respective teams , whether that's San Diego State or the Buffalo Bills in the NFL. But what about the alleged victim in this case ? We know that she's filed a civil suit.

S2: Talking to a lot of news media. I believe she's talked to CBS National as well as ABC National News and trying to get this case as much public attention as possible. And part of the strategy is to force the district attorney to start filing charges against the three suspected rapists or alleged perpetrators. I talked to the spokesperson for the district attorney last week , and he says that , you know , the case is still under review and there's no timetable for when the district attorney will file charges. But that arises attorney has said publicly to the media that he expects the district attorney's to , you know , make an announcement within the next six weeks. And he expected his client , Marisa , to not be named or to be exonerated in the next six weeks or so.

S1: So it sounds like within the next month we could have some new news here. And we know that students on campus , they're reacting to these allegations. Christian Smith is a first year student athlete. He told KPBS that he feels like he has to do even more now to overcome these rape accusations.

S3: It definitely makes me sad , but definitely it's going to be a learning experience because now we have to build back that trust and help others realize that San Diego State is actually a beautiful campus , a place that's diverse and welcoming. A lot of people , honestly , we have to break that reputation of being a sexual the sort of place like you can't have that.

S1: Alex , We know that SDSU , they've been criticized for the handling or maybe not handling of this alleged rape. It sounds like the university president is still defending what they did , though , right ? Correct.

S2: On Wednesday , she met with the associate student body to talk about the case and she defended her decision. Well , not her decision specifically , but the university's decision to not pursue Title nine investigation until after the police investigation. And she says the reason for that and it's something that the university has been saying all along , is to give the Senegalese police time to investigate and not jeopardize that investigation. Because they said or if we start our own investigation , you know , the people involved in this case might shut down. The witnesses may be maybe intimidated by the alleged perpetrators to not talk to police about that. So she's basically defending that decision and saying , you know , this is something that is very personal to her. And she didn't expound on that. But she says this case has to go this way because to protect the integrity of the investigation.

S1:

S2: And I really don't know why that is. And that's probably something a little bit unusual. Usually they kind of give them the witnesses statements or some sort of evidence that they've collected so far so that the victims know that the case has been moving forward.

S1: I've been speaking with KPBS reporter Alexander When. Alex , thanks so much for being here with us.

S2: Well , thank you for having me.

S1: Snapdragon Stadium is hosting its inaugural football game this weekend. San Diego State will be playing Arizona. It's going to be hot out there. Keep that in mind if you're heading out. SDSU is not the only Cal State School with some new additions this year. On a smaller scale , CSU San Marcos is making an investment in more housing for their campus community. North Commons is the latest piece in a multistep plan to boost options for students at a university that's long been considered a commuter school. KPBS North County reporter Tonya Thorn covered it for us this week and she joins us now to talk about it more. Welcome to Roundtable , Tania.

S4: Thanks for having me , Matt.

S1: Great to have you here. So you were up there visiting the new property earlier this week.

S4: I mean , how lucky are the freshmen and the first year students that get to live in these are brand new rooms. I mean , everything is brand new. And I spoke to a group of the students who showed me their room , and they're on one of the top floors. They have these huge glass windows that let in all this sunlight and have great views. Brand new flooring , furniture , it's really , really nice. And even the style , very modern. And the area where the building is in is really nice. I am always impressed when I get to visit North City right by Cal State San Marcos. Everything is new and modern and trendy and you know , it feels a little out of place for North County because it's giving like downtown San Diego vibes that are just not there yet. But I really do think that in the next five years , this area will be transformed into a very in-demand place.

S1: Yeah , I was going to say , you took the words out of my mouth. It looks like one of those downtown high rises , everything brand new inside. Maybe not the views you get from downtown. If people haven't seen it yet , they can check out your story that you did for Evening Edition. And Tanya , I'm also curious , is this like a traditional dorm where like there's , you know , up to six people or so living in one of these units and communal bathrooms and all that ? Yeah.

S4: So the room I saw were three beds in one room. But I mean , you're getting something that's brand new , right ? So , you know , from your college experience , I don't know how new the place was where you were staying at , but I think all of these students are just excited. They're all first year freshmen , so they're getting a brand new product. It's fun. They're young , you know , and the price the price point is , you know , pretty , pretty affordable given that they're getting this brand new dorm style housing. Yeah.

S1: Yeah. And the dorm that I was in was so old. The year after I left , they tore it down , built a new one. But what's the demand like so far ? Do we know if any units are still available ? I imagine school starting sooner has already started.

S4: Yeah , school kicked off this week. And you know , there's already a demand , I think , for Cal State San Marcos. There's been a demand because there's not a lot of student housing. And , you know , I spoke to the developers , Seabreeze Properties , and they told me that all of the student housing in North City is 100% full. So it's a project that I , you know , that's really benefiting the university by getting more students to choose a newer , not as recognized school like health in San Marcos and also helping the developers fill up the housing. And I mean , at the end of the day , that partnership is ultimately helping the city of San Marcos as well as North County as a whole. I mean , we're getting more students coming in from all over the world and it's helping the university , the workforce , boosting the economy. You know , Kelsea San Marcos is an amazing asset to North County and these new projects I think are really only the beginning.

S1: And we know that housing is expensive in San Diego County and that includes up there in North County. Some of the money to pay for construction for this project came from the state. In fact , it was more than $90 million. It's part of the budget for the CSU system that they have for housing. Do we know how San Marcos is getting a bigger piece of this pie ? Yeah.

S4: So just as I was covering the opening of North comments , the university announced that next year they plan on breaking ground on a new affordable housing and dining facility on campus. And Kelsey Santiago's is being given the second highest amount. And I think that's because there's so much more to do when it comes to housing and the housing capacity. At Cal State , San Marcos. It's a newer school and the bones are there. If you've ever been to the campus , you'll notice construction and lots of open space. It's a great campus , but it still needs a lot of development.

S1: One of the reasons that CSU , San Marcos is getting more money is because it's still coming into its own as a campus that can appeal to those who want the traditional , you know , college experience of staying close to or right nearby campus. Here's some of what Ali Serrano , she's the interim director of residential education , told you about the evolving student body and the need for an investment like this.

S4: The issue is Sam is no longer just kind of a commuter campus. This is a place that students are excited to be at and a place that we really want to make sure that this is the best years of their life. The students I'm talking to. They have such amazing stories , places they're coming from , a huge international population , students from out of state , you know , really all over the country , in the world , just the beginning of what is going to be an incredible residential experience for students and really their home on campus. We want this to be an amazing foundation for them to be successful. AC , AC with some cougars.

S1: That was Ali Serrano from Cal State , San Marcos. Tanya , was there anything from this that stood out to you and anything else about this project that we haven't asked you about ? Yeah.

S4: You know , something else that just shows how much is yet to be developed at Cal State. San Marcos is along with the opening of the New North Commons. Housing is the opening of Campus Way Cafe , which is the university's first student dining hall. Because of supply shortages. That has yet to open , but it's expected to open next month. So and something interesting that I noticed was the food options. You know , I know at my school there , all we had were , you know , Panda Express and just more of like your greasy fast food options. But I didn't see that at this new campus cafe. I noticed a lot of healthier food options organic , vegan , vegetarian. So I think this is going to be a really good thing for all the students that are attending Kelsey ten Marco's and as well as North City because it's really , really growing and the food options and just all the retail and office space there is going to be exciting to see.

S1: At Cal State San Marcos. It does not always generate the same amount of coverage like other local universities , including SDSU or even UC San Diego. It's one of the newer CSU schools as our North County reporter. Tanya , how would you describe its presence in the community and is there anything that you've noticed about the way that , you know , the school has been growing in recent years ? You mentioned a lot of construction going on.

S4: Yeah , you know , I think Kelsey of San Marcos has been a great asset to North County. I think anyone that lives or works in North County appreciates that. It's it's there. It's very convenient. It's available for a lot of students , maybe students that in the past wouldn't have the means to go to SDSU or UC San Diego or even up in Orange County. And so it's very convenient. And I think that's why it's been a commuter school for a very , very long time. But , you know , things can't stay like that always. And this north city development is really it's going to make a huge difference for the university and for North County. Just with this new north comments housing. The university reps told me that , you know , they've had a lot more interest from international students and a lot more students now choosing Cal State , San Marcos. It's relatively more affordable than another , you know , CSU or UC San Diego. And so I think , you know , really in the next ten years , 5 to 10 years with the partnership of North City , this campus is really , really going to transform.

S1: And , you know , you talk about it being an asset in the community. I remember when they had that big vaccination event there at their gym , thousands of people getting their COVID vaccines there. But we understand that this building boom is far from over. Another project is set to begin that's almost double the size of this one that you're covering.

S4: I mean , when I spoke to the developers , they told me that North comments is just a fraction of it. Maybe he said the project was maybe about 15% complete. They didn't want to put an exact number to it , but it's almost 200 acres just , you know , walking through there myself. I love to see all the restaurant options. It's it's really different from North County. And I'm really excited to see more of like city and modern type of life come to this area. I think right now it's still a baby project , but it's going to grow and completely transform.

S1: Sounds like an exciting time for those pursuing a degree in San Marcos. I've been speaking with Tania Thorn , KPBS North County reporter. And Tanya , thanks so much for being here today.

S4: Thanks for having me , Matt.

S1: As we continue our look at higher education and the start of a new year , there's still plenty of buzz about the recent decision by President Joe Biden to give a financial break to those who took on debt to pay for college. Debbie Truong is part of a reporting team at the Los Angeles Times that crunched the numbers to see how it would help Californians who qualify. She's here with us on roundtable now. Welcome , Debbie. Hi , Matt. We'll get into some of your reporting soon.

S4: So under this plan , people making less than $125,000 a year will have $10,000 of their federal loans erased. If you received a Pell Grant to cover the cost of college , which are grants that are typically awarded to students from low to moderate income families , then you're eligible for $20,000 in debt relief if you make under $125,000 a year.

S1: Your recent story for the L.A. Times. It paints a picture of people from all walks of life who are still paying off their student loans. It stands to reason that , you know , California has the most being the biggest state. But just how many people are we talking about that are in this position ? Yeah.

S4: So sure. I mean , we're talking about a lot of Californians. So the Education Data Initiative , which tracks student debt by state , says that about 4 million Californians owe money in student loans. That totals to about $142 billion across the state. On average , that's about $37,000 per borrower.

S1: And relatively speaking , it seems like California borrowers are better off than others when it comes to the average amount of college debt that they have. What are some of the factors that might contribute to that situation ? Sure.

S4: So there are a couple of things. The first is that tuition at the state's public colleges and universities are relatively low compared to colleges and universities elsewhere in the country already. You know , California also has pretty generous financial aid. According to the Institute for College Access and Success , the average undergraduate student loan debt in California is the third lowest in the country. You know , and there are continued efforts to make college more affordable for Californians. You know , soon all high school seniors will have to fill out the form , which is the federal form you fill out for financial aid. And sort of the requirement to have all high school seniors fill out that form is to ensure that , you know , students are leaving , you know , grant money that they might qualify for for college on the table. And there are also more ambitious efforts. You know , state leaders are looking to take steps to make college debt free. The University of California system , for example , is pushing to eliminate the need for loans by 2030. They plan to do that by doing things like offering more part time jobs to students and setting aside more financial aid from their tuition revenue for student loan forgiveness.

S1: Got the big headlines. But there's something else in this plan that will make repayments cheaper for those on income based plans. Here's President Joe Biden with those details.

S5: No one with an undergraduate loan today or in the future , whether for community college or for your college , will have to pay more than 5% of their discretionary income to repay their loan. That's income after you pay the necessities like housing , food and the like. You currently pay 10%. We're cutting down in half to 5%.

S1: Again , that's President Biden on his college debt relief plan. There's plenty of people praising the move and excited to have that burden lifted. For many others , though , it won't fix everything. Can you tell us a little bit about Maria Williams , who you say got emotional when you talked to her about this ? She called it bittersweet. Why is that ? Yeah.

S4: So actually , my colleague spoke to Maria various , you know , experience is representative of a lot of students across California. You know , she said that she was grateful that she was should be able to have up to $20,000 of her debt erased. But , you know , she also acknowledged that that's really just a small fraction of what she owes. She she owes $73,000 in undergraduate and graduate debt. You know , so while many borrowers , you know , have expressed gratitude and say that this will be a help , it is really kind of a drop in the bucket for folks who've had to take tens of thousands of dollars in loans in order to complete their education.

S1: Yeah , because when we talk about the interest , too , and that adds up quickly into the thousands and thousands of dollars. But there's some critics that worry about how this might affect the overall economy. And as you report , we've had a bit of an experiment with nonpayment during the pandemic with that moratorium on student loan payments.

S4: Several studies have shown that the pause on loan repayments have enabled borrowers to do things they otherwise wouldn't be able to afford to do. Things like buying cars , setting aside money for homes , starting families , and also just being a little bit more selective about which jobs they they take. And so one expert we spoke with said that this loan forgiveness will likely only bolster those benefits and provide a financial lift to younger generations of borrowers who on average have just accumulated much less wealth than older generations.

S1: For many , this help was long awaited , but there are still more structural issues in the loan industry. You sort of alluded to a little bit of this earlier , but what are some of the disparities that advocates say still need to be addressed or that haven't been addressed ? Right.

S4: Yeah. I mean , you know , the first obviously is that , you know , there are many borrowers who've had to take out much more than ten or $20,000 of student loan debt. There are also , you know , income gaps. You know , when you start working women , people of color tend to make less money than people from other communities. And so they have less money to be able to pay back the loans that they owe. Black borrowers also tend to owe much more in student debt than their peers in other racial groups , and so they could be saddled with a disproportionate amount of debt for years to come. And so , you know , the advocates that I spoke with said that , you know , while this was a historic win , this is something that they've been fighting for for a really long time. It doesn't address some of the issues of why college is so unaffordable in the first place. And so they are sort of pushing for more systemic reforms to the loan servicing industry , to the way that loans are structured. When Advocate I spoke with said that colleges and universities should really focus on driving down costs on necessities like housing , transportation and food so that students aren't in the position of having to take out tens of thousands of dollars in order to cover those costs. Yeah.

S1: Yeah. And then eventually graduate with maybe tens of thousands of dollars in debt. I've been speaking with higher education reporter Debbie Chung from the Los Angeles Times. Debbie , thanks so much for being here with us.

S4: Thank you for having me.

S1: That's it for this week's edition of KPBS Roundtable. And I want to thank our guests this week , Alexander Winn and Tanya Thorne from KPBS News and Debbie Truong from the L.A. Times. You can find our show as a podcast at KPBS dot org or wherever you get your podcast. I'm Matt Hoffman. Thanks so much for being here with us. We'll be back with you all next week.