Article Type: Press Release

U.S. Senator Carl Levin isn’t necessarily the man you’d look to for the latest news about Facebook. The 77-year old was described by Time magazine as “pudgy, balding and occasionally rumpled, and he constantly wears his glasses at the very tip of his nose.” However, today he broke some shocking news on the Senate floor about special tax favors that Facebook and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, will enjoy at great cost to the U.S. Treasury.

With the student loan interest rate about to double this July, President Obama proposed to halt the rate hike in his FY 2012 budget released today.

San Francisco, CA – It is a challenge to save money when shopping for a cell phone, but it needn’t be. The California Public Interest Research Education Fund (CALPIRG) released today a new cell phone shoppers’ guide titled Making the Right Call: A Consumers’ Guide to a New Cell Phone Plan, offering simple tips consumers can take to save money when buying a new cell phone

Washington, D.C. – Today, President Obama is taking a bold step to protect student consumers from financial tricks and traps by announcing a recess appointment of his well-qualified nominee, Richard Cordray, to head the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The CFPB can improve private student loans as well as credit cards and debit cards issued on campus.

The Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges launched a library of low-cost course materials for the state’s 42 highest-enrollment courses. An analysis conducted by the Student PIRGs finds that the program will pay for itself through textbook savings within a single year.

The Textbook Rebellion kicked off a six-week, cross-country tour with events planned for 40 campuses nationwide.  At the tour stop, the University of Maryland, coalition members, students, faculty and a representative from the U.S. Department of Education were joined by the tour mascots, ‘Mr. $200 Textbook’ and ‘Textbook Rebel,’ to announce the launch.

Skyrocketing textbook prices have driven many college students to risk their grades by foregoing assigned books according to new survey results.  This startling trend adds to mounting evidence that high college expenses can impact student success.

TextbookRebellion.org, a national campaign to promote alternatives to sky-high priced college textbooks, launched today with a petition drive and tools for individuals and groups to get involved.

Many of today’s college students face unnecessary financial risks by relying on unregulated private student loans to pay for college, with some students paying up to 18 percent interest.

On the heels of a new federal law on textbook affordability, the Student PIRGs today released a report calling rentals, e-books and e-readers short-term remedies, and hailing open textbooks as the next step to rein in runaway costs.  Already, more than 1,300 professors across the country are using open textbooks – which are free online, affordable in print and openly licensed – saving students 80% on average according to the new report.