Students discuss the economic crisis

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP) - UMass Amherst was one of nearly 200 schools who took part in a national "Teach-in" Tuesday.

This teach-in was inspired by the protests in Wisconsin, but, it covered many more issues than just the labor debate.

There were a variety of speakers who addressed how the economic crisis, in America, is causing stress on both sides of the aisle.

Budgets are strained and politicians are being forced to make tough decisions.

This teach-in focused on preparing students for the world they're about to enter.

They talked about taxes, health care, and immigration.

One student even prepared a discussion about how students are struggling with student loan debt as a result of the economy.

"The thing that's going on right now is there's no job for students when we graduate because of the economy,” said Melissa Urban of Center for Education Policy & Advocacy. “So students are graduating with thousands of dollars of debt with no jobs to pay it off and it works a lot differently than credit card debt, so it's a lot harder to pay it off."

There were teach-ins like this one all over the nation Tuesday. This was all part of a national initiative to politically engage students.