No universities on our route to Idaho through Nevada's Great Basin desert. Besides, it’s Sunday, a quiet day on most campuses. (Oh, BTW, last night the Nevada Wolf Pack beat the Buffalo Bulls, 34-18.)
Our day began in our Reno motel with the motel owner getting excited about Jill’s promise to end student debt. His motel is a stone’s throw from the medical school where too many graduate with $300k in debt. He immediately made the connection, took our leaflet and promised to make many copies and promote Jill to the students and their families.
Mid-morning we stopped at a Starbucks where there was a long line of millennials with nothing to occupy their minds so they all got a leaflet and a few words. One group of 4 young people were thrilled to get the information. Of course, there were a few pundits (not millennials) who only express their opposition in vitriol. One very old timer said he always voted conservative values and never for “communists” but was unwilling to elaborate. Then there was the very angry 40-something guy on a Harley who had dropped out of high school and said that bailing out student debtors would only increase his taxes and their laziness so he was against it.
The best moment of the day came in a Nevada State Rest Area on U.S. 80 in Nevada's Great Basin desert when I approached a woman who turned out to be a Jill supporter and couldn’t express her joy enough when she learned we were doing a 7k journey. She gave me a big hug and wouldn’t let us leave until she had dug out her two favorite Trader Joe energy bars from the bottom of her cooler and gave them to us. A very caring way to express her support for the marathon.
What we’re doing on our cross-country marathon you could do in your town, in your cafe. Just print out the leaflets on the End Student Debt Leaflets page on this blog. Always carry some with you and use every opportunity to pass them out, especially to millennials. Most people appreciate your efforts, student debtors especially, and you meet a lot of new people! And millennials will get the word out. Do it!
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