Maine College Students Push Schools to Stop Withholding Transcripts Over Debt
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Students from various colleges and universities in Maine are publicly urging administrators to support a proposed legislation that would prohibit schools from withholding transcripts from students with outstanding debts.
LD 1838, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Eloise Vitelli (D-Sagadahoc), has already passed the Senate and received approval from the House. The bill is set for a final vote in the Senate before reaching the desk of Gov. Janet Mills.
According to the amended version of LD 1838, postsecondary institutions must provide transcripts or diplomas to students upon request, without requiring them to enter into a repayment plan, unless they owe $500 or more at a 2-year school or $2,500 or more at a 4-year school.
A petition written by student leaders of Maine Student Action and delivered to administrators at University of Southern Maine, University of New England, Bates College, and University of Maine Orono emphasizes the negative impact of transcript withholding. It states that this practice prevents students from transferring credits between schools and hampers their employment prospects because they cannot access their diplomas. The petition argues that enacting this bill would strengthen Mainers’ connections to higher education and remove barriers to entering the workforce.
Victoria Kavanaugh, a UNE student who sent the petition to campus administrators, received overwhelming support from her peers. She believes that transcript withholding can impede credit transfers, graduate school applications, and job applications after graduation. As a social work student, Kavanaugh points out that transcript withholding could even hinder her ability to apply for a licensing exam post-graduation.
Another student, Samantha Donley from USM, recently presented a petition to the office of school president Glenn Cummings. In an op-ed, Donley shared her personal experience with transcript withholding. In 2014, she had to temporarily withdraw from UMaine Farmington due to health reasons and had an outstanding balance of $1,200, which she was slowly paying off. However, this outstanding balance prevented her from reenrolling and accessing her transcript, thus hindering her ability to transfer her credits to another school and continue her degree.
Donley emphasizes that her story is not unique and highlights that for many low-income Maine students, transcript withholding is a trap. Along with supporting LD 1838, Donley and other students are calling on their schools to ensure the bill’s effective implementation.
This article was originally published on Beacon, a website and podcast created by the Maine People’s Alliance, which shares the stories of everyday Mainers, provides information about the political and policy processes that affect Maine residents, and advocates for a progressive worldview centered on community, fairness, and future investments.
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