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Occupy Wall Street is now focused on higher education reforms and their first campaign towards this is to get at least one million Americans to boycott loan debt repayment. Student organizers and faculty assembled at the Zuccotti Park in New York City to announce their initiative – Occupy Student Debt.

The most recent campaigns involve a bid to get students to boycott their loan debt repayment. Three pledges were taken towards this namely a pledge to refuse to make loan payments which will commence after a million debtors sign in, pledge by faculties to support those who refuse to pay the loan and a pledge of support by non-debtors for students, parents and public sympathizers.

According to Andrew Ross from the New York University, student debt has been a prominent issue and constant refrain right from Occupy movement’s first days. He said that many people came forward to describe the suffering, agony and humiliation faced by them due to the overwhelming student debt they feel they can never pay back in their lifetime.

This recent development is based on a strategy that if they can get about one million to sign up, they will not be responsible for consequences as they have the backing of safety in numbers. Student debt refusal pledge draws attention to the constant rise in tuition costs and the negative effect it can have on student debt burden.

Considering that their demands however are quite farfetched, even some supporters of the movement are quite skeptical. They feel that it is definitely not likely that private universities will be transparent enough to disclose their finances and public college education will be offered for free.

We must also think about the consequences of defaulting on the student loan debt. The first major challenge here is to amass public support of that magnitude. This is especially difficult in face of the destructive behavior we have seen from the movement that has fostered negative sentiments.

According to Rutgers University public policy professor Carl Van Horn, defaulting is a financial crime that will haunt the defaulter. He says that it is not easy to walk away from student debt and defaulting has always been considered a black mark.

In spite of this common notion, university faculty and college graduates continue harping on their anti-student loan agenda. According to Syracuse University’s adjunct professor who is a part of the movement, students of their university amass up to $200,000 in debt at graduation. He said that thought many discussions on student debt is ongoing, no concrete action has been taken.

Student loan debt is a heavy burden to carry even in the best of times, he said. He went on to say that now as we face tough economic situation and chronic unemployment, it is simply unbearable and morally unsustainable.

Another OWS proponent and City University of New York’s associate professor Ashley Dawson says that most of her students can afford to pay tuition fees that are relatively reasonable only by working two jobs. She says that this campaign is a collective organizing vehicle and is very important for students who face huge debts. She feels that this is the only way to bring about a galvanizing political change.