DENVER – With tuition on the rise across the nation, access to higher education is becoming an issue even outside academia.

At a breakfast for Oklahoma delegates to the Democratic National Convention, delegates said steps must be taken to help students afford higher education, but few laid out a plan of attack.

Jabar Shumate, an Oklahoma delegate from Tulsa and former UOSA President, said Oklahoma has programs in place to help people pay for college, but some families are still struggling.

“The middle class is being pushed out,” Shumate said.

Shumate said Oklahoma is ahead of the curve in higher education access because of state programs. He said programs like the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program and Tulsa Achieves have paved the way for underprivileged students.

OHLAP pays yearly tuition for students whose parents make less than $50,000 a year. Tulsa Achieves is a program that pays full college tuition for Tulsa County high school graduates.

Putting funds toward those with disadvantages is an important part of widening access to higher education, Shumate said.

Both Senators Barack Obama and John McCain have higher education plans outlined on their Web sites, but some delegates said they still aren’t sure what Obama’s plan is.

“I haven’t heard anything definite,” said Frieda Wilcox, a delegate from Owasso. “I know he will do what he can.”

Obama’s plan calls for a universal and refundable credit for the first $4,000 of a student’s college tuition and to cover two-thirds of tuition at the “average public college or university,” according to his Web site. His site also calls for a simplification of the finanical aid application process.

Angela Wilson, Wilcox’s granddaughter, was with her at the convention. Wilson said Oklahoma should create an initiative to keep native Oklahomans in the state after graduation to stimulate the economy. The initiative would pay for students’ tuition, she said.

P. Kay Floyd, a Hillary Clinton delegate from Oklahoma City, said she didn’t know enough about Obama’s plan to draw distinctions, but Clinton’s largest plans included stopping the predatory practices of student loans lowering interest rates.

Laura Boyd, a former state representative for Norman and a Clinton delegate, said loan forgiveness and more availability for Pell Grants is another solution to help students obtain a higher education.

McCain’s plan includes simplifying tax existing benefits because they are too complicated, according to his Web site. Simplifying financial aid and fixing student lending are also included.