On Nov. 8, Texas voters will line up at the voting booths to vote on several amendments to the state constitution. One of the amendments is Proposition 3, which will expand the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s ability to finance more student loans for college students.

According to an analysis by the Texas Legislative Council, Proposition 3 would not limit the total amount of bonds issued like it has in the past, meaning that more student loans will be able to be financed and issued to college students.

“If passed, Proposition 3 will significantly extend the reach of the program to serve more students than ever before,” Amir Barzin, student representative for the THECB, said. “It will also provide long-term sustainability and predictability so that the THECB can effectively respond to current and future demand for low-interest loans.”The THECB issues College Access Loans (CAL) through the Hinson-Hazelwood Student Loan Program. According to Barzin, the program has never relied on taxpayers to repay bond obligations or administer the program.

“Eventually those bonds will have to be paid for by the tax free citizen either way when they come due,” Evan Brantley, a WTAMU graduate student of Accounting, said. “The board should set aside resources each year to prepare for the due date of the bonds. Hopefully, the loans themselves would cover the amount of the bonds when they come due as well.”

The THECB’s desire to issue more loans to students comes at the heels of a recent report by the THECB, which reported a 4.3 percent increase in college enrollment figures.

“Texas will increase the number of high school graduates by 20 percent over the next 10 years,” Dr. Dan D. Garcia, vice president of Enrollment Management at WT, said. “There will be more people wanting to pursue high education and we have to make room for them.”

According to the THECB report, the state has a higher education plan called “Closing the Gaps by 2015,” which aims to get 630,000 more students enrolled at Texas colleges. That goal may be within reach, with preliminary enrollment data for fall 2011 showing 1.5 million students enrolled in a Texas college.

“Costs across the nation are increasing, but more people are going to college,” Garcia said. “[The CAL program] may expand the opportunities for students to go to college, but it is a loan and it will have to be repaid.”

Early voting for Proposition 3 and other Texas constitutional amendments is take place from Oct. 31 – Nov. 4 at the Randall County Justice Center. The general election will be on Nov. 8.