‘Better Make Room’ for College Kids, Obama Says

‘Better Make Room’ for College Kids, Obama Says

First Lady Michelle Obama launched¹ a media campaign last week designed to help more young people go to college.

A new social media website called Better Make Room is at the center of the campaign. Better Make Room targets young people aged² 14 to 19. Obama calls this group “Generation Z.”  The goal is to get the site’s audience to share pictures, stories and short videos about their experiences applying to college.

The website will also supply information about college entrance exams, financial aid and visiting campuses³.

“I believe that education is the single-most important civil rights issue that we face today,” said Obama at a White House event in February.

“Because in the end, if we really want to solve … the kinds of challenges that shocked so many of us over the past year… we cannot [let] even one more young person... fall through the cracks.”

She hopes young people who use the site will feel supported by their shared experiences. She also wants people who seek education to receive the same support and respect as those who seek fame.

Several famous people are showing their support for the campaign. Singer Ciara put a picture of herself at the White House on Twitter with the hashtag #BetterMakeRoom.  Basketball player Lebron James joined the First Lady at an event at the University of Akron last Wednesday. The event focused on the importance of education.

"We don't come from places where families had a lot of money or a lot of resources," Obama told the crowd. "If we can be here, we know you can be here, too."

Many organizations around the U.S. are also helping⁴ support the Better Make Room campaign. Websites such as Vine⁵, Mashable, CollegeHumor and Funny or Die are some of Obama’s partners in the campaign. The television networks NBC Universal, The CW and A&E are partners as well.

The campaign is part of Obama’s Reach Higher program. This program is the First Lady’s effort to get every student in the US to complete more education past high school. The effort includes sharing information about educational options, financial aid and academic planning.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD, is an international economic organization of 34 countries. The OECD collects information from its members to study and fight the causes of poverty.

Every year the organization releases⁶ a list of the college graduation rates of some member countries. In 2014, the graduation rate of the U.S. was lower than 18 of the 28 countries examined.

In 1995, the U.S. had the highest college graduation rate of all OECD members. Bringing the U.S. graduation rate back to the highest in the world by 2020 was one of President Barack Obama’s earliest goals. He named this his “North Star” goal.

The President has taken several actions to reach this goal during his time in office. In 2009 he created the American Opportunity Tax Credit⁷. This decreased the taxes of families paying for college. In 2010 he called for all states to help make the first two years of community college free. Also, in 2013 he signed the Bipartisan Student Loan⁸ Certainty⁹ Act. This keeps the interest on student loans¹⁰ at a lower rate.

The Obamas’ older daughter, Malia, will complete high school next year. Malia is still deciding which college she wants to attend.

Words in This Story

website - n. a place on the World Wide Web that contains information about a person, place, thing or action

campus(es) – n. the area and buildings around a university, college or school

hashtag – n. a word or phrase beginning with hash or pound sign (#) and used to identify messages on a specific topic

graduation – n. the act of receiving a diploma or degree from a school, college, or university

1 launched   

v.发射( launch的过去式和过去分词 )；[计算机]开始（应用程序）；发动；开展（活动、计划等）

参考例句：

• He launched a bitter diatribe against the younger generation. 他对年轻一代发起了猛烈的抨击。
• The product was launched amid much fanfare worldwide. 这个产品在世界各地隆重推出。

2 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

3 campuses   

n.（大学）校园（campus的复数形式）

参考例句：

• University campuses are often the bellwether of change. 大学校园往往引领变革的新潮。
• Sport looms much larger on US campuses than in China. 体育在美国大学比中国大学突出得多。 来自互联网

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 vine   

n.葡萄树；蔓；藤

参考例句：

• The vine twines round the tree.这藤盘绕在树干上。
• There is a vine yard before the hill.山前有一个葡萄园。

6 releases   

v.释放( release的第三人称单数 )；放开；发布；发行

参考例句：

• Nuclear fission releases tremendous amounts of energy. 核裂变释放出巨大的能量。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Zemel says that when calcium levels are low, the body releases a hormone that helps squeeze the most out of every available milligram of the mineral. 泽莫尔博士说，当人体中的钙含量偏低时，身体里就会产生一种荷尔蒙，它能帮助肌体最大限度地吸收所摄入的钙。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 credit   

n.信用，荣誉，贷款，学分；v.归功于，赞颂，信任

参考例句：

• I credit him with a certain amount of sense.我认为他有一定的见识。
• He got the credit,and we did the dirty work.他得荣誉，我们做不讨好的工作。

8 loan   

n.贷款；借出的东西；借；vt.借出；贷予

参考例句：

• I asked the bank to help me with a loan.我请银行给我一笔贷款。
• Has the bank okayed your request for a loan?银行批准你的贷款要求了吗？

9 certainty   

n.必然的事，确定的事实，确信，确实

参考例句：

• I can't say with any certainty where I shall be next week.我不能确切地说下周我在什么地方。
• I know for a certainty that the company has been bought up.我确实知道公司已经被人收购了。

10 loans   

n.借出物，借款( loan的名词复数 )v.借出，贷与（尤指钱）( loan的第三人称单数 )；出借（贵重物品给博物馆等）

参考例句：

• They are offering loans at extortionate rates of interest. 他们在放高利贷。
• Government loans have been the salvation of several shaky business companies. 政府的贷款救活了几家濒临倒闭的公司。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》