Strike Student Debt and other organizations seeking to reduce or eradicate college student loan debt were on campus Thursday, Jan. 30 to discuss their movement’s goals for Temple.

Strike Student Debt, which was formed by the Philadelphia chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, held its Drop Student Debt Forum in collaboration with the United States Student Association, the Quebec Student Union and Jobs With Justice, which protests for workers’ rights.

“This movement must demand meaningful but realistic policy reform that puts us on the course toward universal free higher education,” said DSA member Michele Rossi, who began the panel. Much of the discussion was focused on neo-liberalism, which was the philosophy behind the economic policies begun under Ronald Reagan. The panelists argued that this philosophy has contributed to rising tuition costs and budget cuts in education.

Others argued that conservatives, such as Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, contribute to the attitude that “states no longer see education as a public good,” United States Student Association President Sophia Zaman said.

“If you’re from the state administration, you need to know that education is good for our society to invest in,” Zaman said. “An educated society is a much better society.”

“We should go to Harrisburg and demand a return of the money taken from our budget a few years ago,” Political Science professor and DSA member Joseph Schwartz said from the audience, referring to Corbett’s $25 million cut to Temple’s budget in the 2011 fiscal year.

Dustin Guastella, a Temple alumnus and communications director for the Philadelphia DSA, argued that President Obama’s income-based loan repayment plan is not extensive enough, since the movement’s ultimate goal is socialized higher education, comparable to the nationwide program in Finland.