ISU student among those arrested in Washington protest of GOP tax bill

Posted on December 6, 2017
Graduate students, including Geoffrey Ower of Illinois State University, were arrested while protesting the GOP tax bill in front of Speaker Ryan’s office. (Photo Facebook/Service Employees International Union)

By Greg Halbleib

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A graduate student from Illinois State University was one of nine people arrested Tuesday in front of House Speaker Paul Ryan’s office in Washington while protesting the Republican tax bill.

Geoffrey Ower, a biology PhD student, was arrested with seven other graduate students and one supporter.

“Most graduate assistants’ stipends are so low, that we couldn’t afford to continue our studies if this bill passes,” Ower said in a release from the Service Employees International Union. “This bill would effectively make it so only really well-off people would be able to afford graduate school.”

The tax bill proposes ending student loan interest deductions as well as designating waived graduate student tuition as taxable income.

Greg Halbleib can be reached at [email protected].

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