ORANGEBURG, S.C : Hillary Rodham Clinton used a commencement address Saturday at a historically black university to single out racial progress, from her rival Barack Obama candidacy to the achievements of South Carolina's first black chief justice. She spoke of making college more affordable and gave a nod to Obama, her Senate colleague and Democratic primary opponent, while drawing on the university's 1960s-era demonstrations. "Think about the students from this university who braved tear gas and water hoses and beatings and bullets to protest the injustice of segregation and usher in a new era of equality and never lived to see the day of an African-American man running for president," Clinton told the crowd of around 4,000 gathered for Claflin University's commencement. During her speech, Clinton called the class of 320 graduating students a minority who are able to afford and complete the college degrees they began pursuing. "But what I'm finding is that so many students and their hardworking parents and families are balking at the cost of higher education," Clinton said. "When they see the price tag their hearts sink." With fewer than half of the nation's students completing the degrees their start, government must have a larger role to play, Clinton said. "We need to begin by making college more affordable and accessible," she said. "I think we need to take on the student loan industry and send a clear message they will be held accountable for the way they treat and mistreat students and families." She is pushing a "student borrower bill of rights" that locks payments at a percentage of income and keeps fees and interest rates reasonable. "I don't believe that you should be subjected to bait-and-switch programs where they tell you what it's going to be and then they change it on you," she said.

Associated Press Writer Jim Davenport, May 12, 2007

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