WSN will host a panel discussion at the Kimmel Center for University Life on Thursday, Oct. 24 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Four student council senators will participate in a moderated discussion on student debt, the university budget and financial aid. There will also be time for student questions from Twitter, with the hashtag #askwsn, or audience members at the event. To provide students with background information, here is a look at the recent discussion of student debt going on at the university and from third parties.

According to the Project on Student Debt from the Institute for College Access & Success,  2011 NYU graduates had an average debt of $36,351 and 54 percent of graduates had debt upon graduation. NYU  is currently listed amongranked as one of the most expensive private, nonprofit universities on the U.S. Department of Education’s College Affordability and Transparency Center’s report as one of the country’s most expensive private, not-for-profit universities. However, the university is only ranked as 64 among the top 65 schools in the report.

The issue of student debt is frequently discussed on campus, with several student groups, such as the Student Labor Action Movement, International Socialist Organization and the Queer Union, protesting the expenses of attending the university. Members of the Faculty Against the Sexton Plan have supported students’ efforts against rising tuition costs.

Recently, the university established the Finish Line Grant, which will provide eligible students in their last semester at NYU with 10 percent of the cost of their subsidized loans. This grant is made possible by the Momentum Campaign, which is NYU’s current initiative to increase financial aid  that also includes the Global Pathways Scholarship, which is set to begin aiding students studying abroad in the fall of 2014.

The Student Senate Panel will be held on Thursday, Oct. 24 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in Room 406 of the Kimmel Center of Student Life. Let us know you’re coming with an RSVP on Facebook.