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(L-R): Mammoth High School Fly Fishing Association ambassadors Freddy, Jacob and Carlos. (Photos: Leonard)

Every weekday morning at 8:45 a.m., 25 young souls stroll into the classroom with the expectation to engage in a meaningful discussion of global learning which could include anything from the comparison of the European exploration of Kenya in the 1400s to that of the 1800s, to a look at the difference of definition of dialect to the meaning of language, to peeling off every layer of the onion of the human cultures which compose Southeast Asia.

It’s my intention for that class to produce global travelers, to give them the taste of international adventure which sank deep in my soul several moons back. So far, I think Freddy is eating it up. He was stoked to learn that a bowl of pork and vegetable soup only costs 20 cents in Hanoi.

These last two weeks, we have moved along from analyzing the lives of the Hmong people living in the Vietnamese highlands, to inspect a country which I have great personal experience with: Italy. “Non si scherza del cibo nel’italia.” What’s that translate to in English? I’ll give you a hint, as I’ve joked with Lorenza Walker, one of the only other Italian-speakers in town, quite often, “Non si scherza della neve a mammoth.” ”Cibo” translates to “food” in English, as “neve” means “snow.”

“Mammoth,” by the way, is intentionally not capitalized because location names don’t take capital letters in Italian. In any event, as we cut through this free-of-charge Italian lesson, you can likely guess towards what I am alluding to, as did everyone one of those scholars correctly did on the quiz last Monday, that, “One doesn’t joke about food in Italy.” And, “One doesn’t joke about snow in Mammoth.” It’s fun stuff, that Geography class.

So, here we are, in Classroom #9, deep in the muddy trenches of Mammoth High, and Freddy and friends are learning about the global impact which the Italian Civilization had on the world during: 1. The Ancient Roman Empire. 2. The Renaissance Period. And, 3: Contemporary Times. After the lesson, right before the end-of-period-bell, he picks up on the announcement made to class that I would take any one of them fly fishing after school if desired.

Two weeks back, we returned to school from Spring Break. Along with the excitement of another glorious round of STAR tests, graduation talk for the Senior Class, and the sweet taste of summer freedom lingering right around the corner, all of these kids heard directly from their teacher that any and all of them were invited to come along for an after-school experience of fly fishing. Yep, fly fishing. It is a far cry from a lesson about Scotland, although we owe it to the Scots for inventing the pastime of fly fishing.

The news of this extracurricular activity rang a bell with seven of my students. They were ready for me after school.

So, eight of us loaded into a school district van on a Thursday, and headed down to Hot Creek for a two-hour unofficial science lesson. I call it a “science lesson” because when I approached the the school administration with the idea for a Fly Fishing Club, I buried his hesitation towards starting it up with the truth that the kids were learning more about nature than just hooking trout. That it was, as it is, after all, a lesson in hydraulics, ichthyology, insects, biology, climate changes, etc. and so on.

Unofficial science lesson: checking the underside of rocks to “match the hatch.”

Freddy, like his six other counterparts, naturally assumed that they were off only to catch trout. Little did they know that they would also be looking under river rocks for bugs in their nymph stage of life, witnessing sparrows feeding off Caddis, and learning of the physics of fly rod casting. Subliminal instruction, we shall call it.

Creekside, I tied a size-16 Beadhead Scud on the rod which Carlos was busily casting. He hooked a trout. He didn’t land it, but he hooked it nonetheless. First time ever. Jacob Port? That kid crushed it. First day ever fly fishing, and he landed both a rainbow and a brown. Size-16 Flashback Pheasant Tail. Good job, Jacob. And then, there is Freddy. On the end of his rod was a size-22 BWO.

Freddy was standing on the shoulder of the creek, his smile bigger than the Eastern Sierra, casting with every hope of landing Moby Dick. Suddenly, from 50 yards away, I hear the breaking of silence with an electrifying scream, “Mr. Leonard! I have a fish!” It’s possible the trout in Twin Lakes heard his scream. It was that loud. I came running up with net in hand, past the other boys, ready to help the scholar of World Geography land his first trout. And, with less than 10 paces to be by his side, I hear the second scream, “Duh-oh!,” that Homer Simpson cry we’ve all heard at Hot Creek. It means, “It … spit … the … hook.” I felt like Freddy’s whole world came crashing apart. But, he looked up at me with a grin twice as big as the one on it moments before. He didn’t catch another trout that day. He was so close.

Friday, the day after … the 8:45 a.m. bell rings. Freddy gets out his notebook as he prepares to engage in a conversation about the regionalism of Italy. But, before I can mention a word, he asks me, “Mr. Leonard, when are we going fishing again?” I responded with a question, “You want to get that trout, don’t you; it’s personal now?” His predictable response: “Yep.” And with a smile, the conversation turned back towards Europe.

The Mammoth High School Fly Fishing Association is at it again, one trout at a time. Tight lines, Freddy. By the way, your homework assignment is to translate into English for me the line, “Non si scherza di pescare a hot creek.”

A more detailed report can be found at http://kittredgesports.com/fishing_report.php. Leonard guides for Kittredge Sports. Call 760.934.7566.

The Digital 395 Broadband Project took another major step forward on Monday, when the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the lead federal environmental agency, issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) under the National Environmental Policy Act, checking off one of the key steps for the 583-mile long fiber project up and down U.S. 395.

The NTIA permit complements a major California permit issued by the California Public Utility Commission’s (CPUC) last November, under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Together, the permits allow many local agencies, such as the US Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, Caltrans and the Nevada Department of Transportation, to proceed with their steps to issue permits for their lands. All permits must be in accordance with each other so that they can be consistently managed by the project.

“The project is closer to a reality as a result of this permit,” said Robert Volker, CEO of California Broadband Cooperative (CBC), the company who was awarded grants from the CPUC and NTIA, “and it looks like broadband and more jobs will be coming soon for the Eastern Sierra.”

Michael Ort, CEO for Praxis Associates, the company responsible for Digital 395’s execution, said, “Our team and vendors have been anxiously awaiting this news. Our materials are on hand, our equipment is ready, and we want to get at it. The local residents have seen our engineers and huge reels of cable rolling along U.S. 395, now they are going to be seeing folks back to work, putting it in the ground.” The project, slated for completion next summer, could conceivably break ground sometime within the next 30 days.    –Press Release

Following the recent resignation of Eastern Sierra Unified School District Board member Matthew Baumann, the remaining Board members appointed Melinda Melendrez to fill the vacant seat, which represents the Tri-Valley area, this past Wednesday night. Baumann’s term did not expire until 2014, but according to ESUSD Executive Secretary Ashley Custer, a formal vote on the seat will be part of this November’s school board elections, which will also include the Bridgeport and Lee Vining seats. The terms of the Board members currently filling these two seats are actually set to expire this year.

Mammoth High School students held a Pop Culture Diarama competition last month using Peeps marshmallow candy. First place honors went to “Peeptanic” by Ruby Villalpando, Perla Esptitia, Maria Lopez & Erica Maravillas! (Photo: Geisel)

Morro Rock in the mist. This iconic figure of the area was just one of many sights that several Mammoth writers enjoyed while participating in the Outdoor Writers Association of California’s spring conference. (Photo: Kirkner)

Local (and formally local) writers participate in outdoor conference

Over the past few years, Mammoth writers and photographers have infiltrated the Outdoors Writers Association of California (OWAC). This past week, a small, local contingent made its way to the coast to take part in the organization’s spring conference, held in Morro Bay.

OWAC is a non-profit association of media professionals who communicate the vast array of outdoor recreational opportunities and related issues in California and the surrounding western region.

Monica Prelle Carlton, David Page, myself, as well as former Mammoth residents Dana Nichols and Mike McKenna gathered at the conference and quickly became dubbed “the Mammoth group.”

McKenna introduced me to OWAC several years ago and encouraged me to join. He and wife Brooke, plus their sons Jack and Sam, as many people know, have since moved to Hailey, Idaho where McKenna took on the job of Managing Editor for Sun Valley Magazine.

While no longer a California resident, McKenna plans to stay involved with OWAC (he still thinks California writers are the best) and will attend the fall conference, which is being held in September, right here in Mammoth.

I was able to catch up with McKenna while in Morro Bay. He has settled into his work at Sun Valley Magazine, but pointed out that he is editing way more than he ever has, even compared to his work with Eastside Magazine. But don’t worry, he still finds time to write, and won three first place awards at the OWAC conference for his efforts (Prelle also nabbed a pile of awards for her work).

McKenna’s wife Brooke is working for the Hunger Coalition in the family’s new locale, while oldest son, Jack has begun to out-fish his father.

The coast-side conference included Eastside flair, not only because of the Mammoth attendees, but also because several of the speakers spoke about the Sierra Nevada (no surprise since Page helped coordinate this portion of the colloquium).

Beth Pratt, the California Director for the National Wildlife Federation, has also served as the Vice President/CFO for the non-profit Yosemite Association. She had much to say about climate change and the state of California wildlife, and used the dramatic shift in the Eastern Sierra from one of the wettest winters to one of the driest, as an image of what she called “the ghost of the future for the Sierra.”

“Hiking in January at 12,000 feet in shorts was cool, but scary,” Pratt said. “Things are changing.”

Another featured speaker was filmmaker Steven Bumgardner, producer of the popular web video series “Yosemite Nature Notes.” You may not know Bumgardner by name, but chances are you’ve seen his video, “Frazil Ice,” which went viral in 2010. Bumgardner distilled a Yosemite winter phenomenon that very few people knew about into a seven-minute film.

Look for talented people such as these in Mammoth this September. You’ll recognize them by the notebooks and cameras they can’t help but carry.

Ed. note: By the way, Kirkner grabbed a first, second and third place  award at the conference, but was clearly too modest to tell you. 

One student has been suspended thus far and an investigation is ongoing into a computer hacking scandal at Mammoth High School.

A student has apparently been able to hack into the school’s computer system and change fellow students’ grades in exchange for money.

In an email to staff this week, Mammoth High School Principal Gabe Solorio wrote, “I’ve had two teachers possibly have their grades compromised (assignments were added and possibly test grades changed) but we do not know who, how, or when and CBT (Carmichael Business Technology) is looking into this also. I don’t know if they’ll be able to track it back or not. I’ll keep you posted if I get information. Please do not give your passwords to students or have them written down where they can be seen. These kids are very savvy and who knows how the gradebook was compromised.”

While Solorio said the issue came to his attention at the end of last week, The Sheet spoke to one teacher who said that he/she had informed Solorio that there might be a problem more than a month ago.

The teacher said he/she overheard a group of students talking about other kids paying for grades, stopped to talk to the students and confirm what was being said, and then immediately related this conversation to Solorio.

The going rate for a grade change? Apparently just $10. Editor’s note: Clearly, the school might wish to offer an Introduction to Economics class. 

Out of curiosity, the teacher then went back to his/her own gradebook from the first semester to see if any grades had been altered. The teacher has a suspicion that one grade may have been changed.

So here’s the problem with going to a small school if you’re a computer hacking entrepreneur. When something like this comes up, it’s hard to hide.

The Sheet interviewed several students after school let out on Wednesday, asking, “Which of your fellow students is most capable of hacking a computer system?” In response, the same name came up every single time.

A teacher verified that this student had been busted previously for taking down firewalls on the school’s library computers. Firewalls had been placed on websites like YouTube and Facebook to ensure that the kids would actually use the computers for school-related purposes.

Council, public hear budget reduction plan; Harvey speaks his mind

The Town of Mammoth Lakes, which managed to balance its budget this fiscal year, but faces a $2.8 million projected shortfall next year, rolled out its budget reduction plan on Tuesday night.

During a Special Meeting of the Town Council on Tuesday in Suite Z, Assistant Town Manager Marianna Marysheva-Martinez talked about specifics of the plan, which her presentation said balances the Fiscal Year 2012-2013 budget, creates a surplus fund to satisfy debts and obligations currently owed, including the $43 million Mammoth Lakes Land Acquisition judgment and puts the Town on a sustainable path for future budgets.

Clearing up between $2.5 million and $2.7 million of the shortfall, the plan’s 40 actions and initiatives were designed to avoid an across-the-board 14% cut to all departments and all personnel. Probably the largest single reduction would come from salaries. Employees will be asked for pay concessions that amount to more than $1 million in cuts … 10% from civilians, and another 24% from police, the latter of which could, if necessary, be asked for position reductions.

Property leases would be negotiated down 10%, for another $50,000 in savings. Another $1 million in savings would be realized through myriad of cuts to nearly every department, including some Town contracts with outside entities, such as High Sierra Energy Foundation’s modest $14,500 stipend, all the way up to Mammoth Lakes Trail and Public Access, which will need to look more toward Measure R and Measure U awards to backfill its $170,000 eliminated subsidy.

Several positions will be eliminated, including at least one in Recreation lost through attrition that won’t be refilled, the duties of which have already been divided among remaining Rec staff.

Marysheva-Martinez’s proposal does increase funding in one area: road rehabilitation. While the road budget is still deemed unsustainable to maintain roads in the long term, she said the Town should fund $750,000 of the desired $1.5 million for roads.

This past year, the Town spent just $500,000 on roads.

The plan also counts on revenue enhancement through Transient Occupancy Tax enforcement, which hopefully will add $500,000, some of which will be split between Mammoth Lakes Housing, Eastern Sierra Transit Authority and Mammoth Lakes Tourism. That’s the good news.

The bad news is that those same agencies are going to get hit with 5% net reductions, and 10% if TOT enhancement isn’t realized. This  didn’t sit well with MLT Director John Urdi, whose presentation earlier in the evening stressed not cutting back on marketing during tough times.

A sense of Urdi-gency

During his pitch to Council, Urdi was diplomatic, but blunt. “Mammoth is [comrpised of] one industry: Tourism,” he stated. With no agriculture or other industries to fall back on, and surrounded by public land in all directions, Urdi also charged it’s also unrealistic to expect anything to replace it.

“No one in this town is untouched by tourism,” he added, pointing out that 60% of the workforce is directly related to tourism. According to Urdi’s figures, visitor spending pays for almost 70% of town services; “It’s not from me buying a pair of ski boots.”

Every household in Mammoth would pay an additional $3,052 to make up for visitor spending, if tourism went away or never existed. That’s the highest per capita figure for any municipality in the state.

Brands that increase advertising during economic downturns typically fare better than those that cut back, and ultimately spend less overall,” he said. Urdi pointed to Colorado, which in 1992 was the #1 summer destination. Tourism was then seen as an “unnecessary tax.” The state basically gutted the entire $12 million tourism budget, using the argument, “The Rocky Mountains were here long before tourism, and they’ll be here long after the marketers have left.”

As Urdi illustrated, while the Mountains remained, fewer visitors came to admire them. Visitation plummeted and cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenues and visitor spending. To this day, Colorado still hasn’t recovered fully.

Urdi reinforced that message by also highlighting Wisconsin’s lack of promoting itself, which has only racked up losses to the tune of $700 million, and Washington state, which cut its tourism budget completely this past year, and could be headed down the same road as Wisconsin and Colorado.

Michigan, however, doubled its tourism budget to fund the “Pure Michigan” ad campaign, generating 1.5 million additional visitors, almost half of which are considered new. The state has enjoyed massive increased visitor spending and revenue, paying for more police and teachers, and creating 10,000 new jobs. Montana took a page from that same book, and has seen a boost in tourism.

During a brisk public comment period, Leigh Gaasch advocated no further cuts in police positions, citing what she indicated were increasing public safety needs in the Sierra Valley Sites area. Warren Harrell thought there should be more spending on roads. Ruth Harrell talked about contracting out law enforcement and considering disincorporation.

And Tom Cage suggested taking the estimated savings (five year, and year-to-year thereafter) and applying those to marketing. He also talked about PR campaign to clean up the MLLA mess. “The sky is falling mentality … is hurting us as a community,” he said. “Get it wrapped up and done with. The rumors are killing us, as are the time and the interest accruing on the judgment. Push the button; get it done.”

Council remarks were brief and mostly restrained. Mostly. Councilmember John Eastman pointed out that MLT is slated to get back almost $100,000 in recovered TOT funding. Councilmember Matthew Lehman mentioned the impact on jobs. “MMSA had to lay off 75 people … our unemployment rate went up 1% in one day,” he said.

Mayor Jo Bacon said little, except conspicuously mentioning “strategies for future litigation,” which presumably involves the MLLA judgment, though no specifics were brought up.

“It’s difficult to argue anything people have said tonight,” Councilmember Rick Wood said. According to Wood, the Town had “begun a restructuring process long before what we’re going to do in next few months … we outsourced tourism and transit … we’re going down another 6 employees,” if MMM’s downsizing plan is adopted as part of the new budget in June.

“In 2009, we suffered from a structural deficit, which came to a head through dramatic decline in snow. We would still have some structural deficit if would have had a good year,” Wood opined. “I’m not suggesting we can’t make more cuts, or do business differently.”

Marysheva-Martinez, he said, eloquently stated [in her presentation that for this Council this is the third round of cutting, amounting to $7 million in three years. There will be more, Wood added.

Wood said it would be important to consider what role should government plays in the promotion of itself and its product, and what role the private sector plays, since it directly benefits from that.

Wood refrained supporting any significant changes to the budget plan vis a vis MLT’s reduced funding. He seemed to back addressing underfunded roads, wanting to avoid any perception of a bait-and-switch campaign. “We can see the mountains in the pictures … we have to provide the services when people get here,” he posited.

The Harvey speech

One person who held back very little was outgoing Councilmember Skip Harvey. “What a mess … it’s a total mess,” Harvey stated, adding Mammoth’s situation is a reflection of the times. “What’s really on peoples’ minds is the lawsuit and what’s going to happen with that. I owe everyone an apology in that it doesn’t appear it will be finished by the time I leave office. It’s something I wanted to accomplish, and I’m sorry … I’m truly sorry.”

Harvey further said he doesn’t want Mammoth to be known as the town that declared bankruptcy. “I would like to avoid that.” He agreed with the many comments supporting marketing, but also with [Wood] that Mammoth shouldn’t have “smoke-and-mirror” marketing.

“The Town has to take responsibility for its actions getting us into the lawsuit,” Harvey charged. MLLA is people, he added, not some big ugly monster. “They’re not the bad guys. They didn’t set the judgment amount, a jury in Bridgeport did. We were told by the judges that we were wrong, that we made mistakes. We have to find out what happened.”

He said that based on recent letters he’s seen, MLLA is mad … really mad, and issued an impassioned plea the company participate in mediation. “This could be our last chance to get this resolved,” he told those in attendance.

Harvey also lashed out at those running Mammoth Yosemite Airport, saying it’s been a victim of bad decisions and management, as well as several lawsuits that have yielded mixed results. “I’m tired of the airport being managed in a mediocre form,” he blasted. “We can plan for the future, but we have to change things, or we’ll be right back in it again.”

All but naming names, he aimed his remarks squarely at senior management, saying the airport litigation judgment “had barely cooled, when the airport tried to hire someone who had the feature of being related to someone.” He did, however, praise Marysheva-Martinez, who he said stepped in and made a course correction that averted another potential lawsuit.

“The experts in this town are the five of us. We know this town better than anyone. You need to lock this Council, MLLA and our town managers in a room and say don’t come out until this is wrapped up,” Harvey advised the constituency. “We need help from community … I know it irks you to pay for something you had absolutely nothing to do with.”

Though Marysheva-Martinez stated earlier that part of the balancing plan would be to address the MLLA judgment, no clear delineation was presented as to how that would be achieved. Yet to come are public hearings on the budget and public deliberations on Council’s take on the balancing plan. The 2012-2013 budget is required to be passed by July 1.

What part of ‘no’ don’t you understand? 

The following letter was cc’d to The Sheet. The letter was formally addressed to District 4 Supervisor candidate Bob Peters.

Dear Bob:

I received in the mail your flyer, and since that flyer has come out I have had several inquiries regarding who I am supporting for supervisor.

I have been at two Candidates nights, where you have mentioned my name as someone you have worked with.  We both know the reason you ‘drop’ names is to make it look like I support you.

Now you have used my name again in your advertising, and without my permission. I have been quiet up to now, but the more I realize to what means you use my name, I must ask you to stop. Also, I would appreciate a retraction of some sort.

You asked me ‘point blank’ if you could put a sign up in front of my office, and I told you no. At that time I told you I was supporting Tim Fesko for supervisor. I am frustrated at what lengths people will go to imply support.

Rose Murray
Walker River Real Estate  

Fishing Opener kudos

Dear Editor:

The Long Valley Fire Department Association would like to thank the  following sponsors who donated prizes and food, and helped make opening day of fishing fun and exciting: Convict Lake Resort for the grand prize of the raffle, Breakfast Club, Catwalk Salon, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Dominic’s Family Hair, Gingerbread Knits, Giovanni’s, Good Life Café, In Touch Massage, Lakanuki, Looney Bean, Mammoth Lakes Chevron, Mammoth Chiropractic, Mammoth Pet Shop, Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, Elsworth Marine, Manor Market, Napa, Salsa’s Restaurant, Stellar Brew, Tail Wagger’s, Toomey’s Restaurant, Town of Mammoth Lakes, Trout Fitter, Vons, Whitmore Pool, Restaurant Skadi, Long Valley Dog Retreat, Blazing Shears, Crowley Lake General Store, Body and Soul Massage, Jalapenos, P3, and Equine Connections.

Dallas Polis
for the Long Valley Fire Department

Student loans, tuition rates fueling growing national concern over education costs

I’d like to talk about debt. For my parents’ generation, debt was something not to be spoken of. Debt was private, even shameful. But recently I’ve become aware that more and more people, including the 2012 presidential candidates, are beginning to talk about a rapidly growing national problem: student loan debt.

For the past four years I have been paying off about $13,000 in undergraduate student loan debt; this year I added another $6,500 in graduate school debt. These numbers may seem high or low, depending on whether or not you went to college; where you went; if your parents offered assistance; and what kinds of loans you did or didn’t take out to support yourself.

My loans are actually modest in comparison to some of the loans taken out by my friends. Yet I sometimes struggle from month to month to make payments when I have the additional cost of rent, gas, and food to worry about. It turns out I’m not alone this challenge.

This year, national student loan debt rose above $1 trillion, surpassing both credit card and auto loan debt. Two weekends ago President Obama addressed students at the University of North Carolina and University of Iowa, promising a continuation of the 2007 federally subsidized Stafford loan rate reduction from 6.8 to 3.4%, which has provided temporary relief for millions of students like me. Obama also offered his own experience with student loans as reassurance that he would tackle skyrocketing student loan debt in his next term as president. “I’m the president of the United States,” he told UNC-CH students, “but we [the President and wife, Michelle Obama] only finished paying off our student loans about 8 years ago.”

That arguably the most powerful man in the country could be saddled with student debt into his 40s points to the problem faced by a growing population of students in the U.S. According to a recent CBS/AP article, “Recovery threatened by surging student-loan debt,” the average student loan debt has recently topped $25,000, up 25% in 10 years. A New York Times article, “Burden of College Loans on Graduates Grows,” notes that two thirds of bachelor degree recipients graduated with debt in 2008, the year I graduated, compared with less than half in 1993.

But the loan problem has become a problem not just because students are borrowing greater and greater sums from federal and private sources — although with the rising cost of college tuition and increased enrollment, more and more money is being borrowed from the government and also private lenders like Sallie Mae — but because, according to an analysis by the Associated Press, 53.6% of college graduates under 25 are currently either jobless or unemployed. Students of my generation have emerged from college into the worst recession since the Great Depression. With a scarcity of well-paying jobs, many are struggling to make loan payments that can be up to $900 a month, if not more.

Worse still, like child support and income taxes, student loans cannot be reduced or discharged in bankruptcy proceedings. If a student is incapable of repaying her federal student loans after 9 months she will be in default. In default, she owes the entire sum of the loan. If she can’t pay it, the government has the power to garnish her wages and seize tax refunds, Social Security, and other federal benefit payments, potentially leaving that student destitute.

Because of the pressure of paying off loans in a tough job market, many of my peers have chosen to return to school to pursue more advanced degrees, hoping that this will pave the way for a more lucrative career. I myself chose to return to graduate school after a year away from college in which the best employment I could find was part-time as a daycare teacher. Yet, like me, my peers are emerging from graduate school only to find the same scarcity of jobs, and are now saddled with even greater debt.

Anya Kamenetz, Pulitzer-prize nominated author of “Generation Debt: Why Now is a Terrible Time to be Young,” explained her take on the student loan debt problem in a 2006 interview with Gothamist.com: “We’ve never sent out any generation into the world with that kind of mini-mortgage on their backs. And the irony is, this withdrawal of support for young people is occurring when the US desperately needs a super-sharp, highly skilled workforce to compete with what’s happening in China and India, and to support the retirement of the Baby Boomers.”

President of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys William Brewer was quoted in April of this year predicting that student loan debt “could very well be the next debt bomb for the U.S. economy.”

At present, according to a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, nearly 3 in 10 of all student loans have past-due balances of 30 days or more. Should a greater number of students fail to pay back their federal loans, the burden will be transferred to taxpayers, further jeopardizing a fragile economy.

From my perspective, the true impact of student loan debt will only be felt in years to come, when my peers still continue to struggle to progress in their careers, and to afford businesses, homes and families. For my generation, the idea of starting a family, and sending our own children to the kinds of colleges we went to, is viewed increasingly as a luxury most won’t be able to afford responsibly for the foreseeable future.

Last week I asked some of my college-grad friends whether or not they felt limited by their student loans. Alison, who graduated from my college and currently has about $100,000 in student loan debt, answered, “Absolutely. It’s my biggest monthly bill [$900/month] so I have to reduce all other expenses. I can only take certain jobs that pay above a certain amount, even if there may be more interesting work that is lower pay. It’s very difficult to take time off. I can’t pursue work in other fields because it would require a pay-cut that I can’t afford.”

My friend Joni, a Mammoth local with about $6,000 in debt, explained how she avoided more: “When I first got my loans I knew I would be paying roughly $250 a month for 10 years if I paid the minimum. I made sure it was something I would be able to afford once graduating. I turned down going to Colorado as tuition would have been 5 times what is was at University of Nevada, Reno. I did not want to put myself in a tough situation and definitely did not want to get help from my parents just because I wanted to go to a more expensive school. I also worked through college and saved money so I had a cushion when graduating, so I was not pressured into finding a job I didn’t like right out of college. Planning ahead definitely helped me to pay off my loans and be responsible for what I had borrowed.”

My friend Sarah escaped debt altogether by attending a Junior College, Oxnard College. “I am very lucky to have no debt,” she said. “I think that is one of the benefits of going to a JC. Having a low tuition was a great thing for me. I know I missed out on going to a university but I still feel like I got a great education and that overall I benefited from the whole experience.”

Cait, another graduate from my college with about $16,600 in debt, explained her mentality: “I’ve been training myself not to feel limited by my student loans, but it’s still hard. I knew I would have loans when I applied to college, and I told myself over and over again that I would have to live with that decision. The thing I didn’t realize then, what didn’t set in until recently, is just how long it’s going to take to pay them off. After graduation, I set myself on a graduated repayment option (meaning I pay less each month, with higher interest on the loan). My plan was to pay less for two or three years until I would be more financially stable. Four years later, and I’m still unable to make full payments.

I sometimes think about the fact that if I didn’t have loans I would be able to travel or put money into savings (something I can’t do at the moment). I also don’t buy new clothes, and I only go out to dinner on occasion. I think of purchases in relation to my student loans.

“All in all though, I don’t regret taking out loans so that I could go to Vassar [our college]. It was worth it, always will be.”

College may still be a lucrative investment. In May of 2011 the Pew Research Center released a study of Census Bureau data that found that on average, college graduates earn about $20,000 more than high school graduates. In spite of the difficult job market, my friends Alison, Cait and Joni have all found work in their fields of computer science, studio art and biochemistry. I myself know that, should the economy bounce back anytime soon, my undergraduate and graduate degrees will still make me a more attractive applicant to higher-paying jobs. And when it comes down to it, I wouldn’t give up the experience of college and graduate school, the friends I met or the classes I took, even for the $20,000 to cover my debt.

Students here in Mammoth don’t seem to be balking at the idea of college just because of debt, either. “Parents and students have never been more aware and fearful of the cost of higher education,” said Mammoth High School Counselor Cheryl Petersen. But in spite of that, she noted that this year at MHS more students than ever applied for higher education, with about 24% choosing 4 year universities, and about 59% choosing community colleges like Mammoth’s own Cerro Coso. “We’ve never had so many students interested in community colleges before,” Petersen said, “and that totally makes sense given the economy.”

College is still worth the investment, she argued, but students entering college in this economy need to have a new mentality about their education. “Students and parents have to carefully consider how they can manage college costs and pursue all venues of financial aid,” she said. “[Students and parents] also have to consider what kind of majors are likely to lead to job opportunities. One can no longer just major in any subject without regard to career opportunities and job prospects.”

Take it from someone who was encouraged to explore herself, and left college with a less than professionally competitive Bachelors in English: this is useful advice.

Petersen pointed out some of the things students and parents can do to avoid overburdening themselves with debt, but what can the nation do to change the larger business of student loans? The 2007 Stafford loan rate reduction is a start, although partisan bickering may lead to its termination at the end of this month. As recently as May 8, Senate Republicans filibustered to block a Democratic proposal to tax wealthier citizens to pay to keep the loan rate down. Should both parties fail to find a compromise, the rate will rise again from 3.4 to 6.8% on July 1.

Regulation of private loan rates is necessary as well, when according to Heather McGhee, director of the Washington office of research and advocacy organization Demos, some young people are paying as much as 18% interest on private loans.

Keeping the cost of higher education within reason would negate the need for such excessive borrowing. Although, given the budget crises faced by most states, and the subsequent cuts to funding for education, the cost of public universities will no doubt only continue to rise.

Thinking about the scale of these changes, it becomes clear that solving the national student loan debt problem won’t be easy. But my hope is that no matter what President Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney say they will do to tackle debt, we students, and parents of students, will continue to search for and advocate solutions.

College is and should continue to be worth the price.

The last cut is the deepest

By Rick Phelps

“It’s not personal. It’s strictly business.” -Michael Corleone, “The Godfather,” 1972

The title of this article was running through my head as I hung up the phone after being told by the Town of Mammoth Lakes that the Town would not renew the annual contract with the High Sierra Energy Foundation that had been in place since 2005 – for about $15,000.

It was not a shock and we had already assumed no support from the Town for the coming year; and the funding is less than 10% of our budget. It was also consistent with what happened last year when we took a 40% hit while other nonprofits were taking 15%. Why not follow with 100%?

The funny thing is I agree with this decision. The Town is facing a crisis of crippling proportions. There will be pain on everyone’s part and the well-meaning, but perhaps not well-thought-out, delays of the last year only added to that pain.

We face a financial crisis and we must confront it by reducing costs so we can restore some economic health to our community and government — work out a payment plan and move on — quickly.

And I really wish the funding cut were personal and the Town Council didn’t like my Aloha shirts, my speech mannerisms or the articles I write.

Instead, I ask: Was an analysis done of all the recipients comparing their respective costs and benefits? It would seem that would be a first step in making any business decision. Or instead, the $15,000 to the High Sierra Energy Foundation, or $25,000 before last year’s cuts, is a pretty small amount and the Town Council might justly consider whether it’s worth the trouble to fund and administer; the Foundation has a small political base, its work is not visible and is certainly not critical for the survival of the Town.

But, if the decision were “strictly business,” I can’t help but wonder how the Council values our work over just the last 24 months, including:

• Participating with Southern California Edison in the Small Business Direct Install Program, which is saving 234 Mammoth Lakes businesses about $82,000 annually — the equivalent of about 50 solar homes in town

•  Working, and data sharing with the Mammoth View development on Alpine Circle, that helped lead to the first entitled development in Mammoth Lakes that will be heated by geothermal fluids. The Foundation introduced the developer to the consultant that conducted the initial feasibility study and we also provided access to our geothermal database, but received no compensation.

•  Facilitating and sponsoring with Mono County and Southern California Edison workshops on the California Green Building Code and California Title 24 Building Energy Efficiency Standards

•  Completing the sixth year of the LivingWise© program for 6th grade earth science students at Mammoth Middle School – co-sponsored by Mammoth Community Water District.

These accomplishments directly support the Town’s endorsement of the “U.S. Mayors Climate Control Agreement” (2007), a Council Resolution endorsing a “Renewable Energy Policy” (2004), as well as many energy references in the General Plan (2007).

In the absence of the High Sierra Energy Foundation, the Town, frankly, would have no energy-related achievements.

Despite the funding cut, Town government and the residents and businesses of Mammoth Lakes will still receive the benefit of our efforts and Southern California Edison will likely remain an enthusiastic partner. However, the question the Town Council will have to answer is that if this cut is “strictly business,” it doesn’t seem like very good business.

But then isn’t that how we got into this position to begin with?

Rick Phelps is Executive Director of the High Sierra Energy Foundation.  The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of his employer.