NC attorney general tours colleges, weighs run for governor

The average North Carolina college student graduates with nearly $24,000 in debt — and N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper wants to make sure they know how to manage that burden after graduation.

Cooper kicked off a College Cash and Credit Tour on Sept. 8 at High Point University, speaking to students about becoming smarter consumers.

“Taking the time to learn how to be a smarter consumer now will pay off for years to come,” Cooper said at the event, according to a statement from the North Carolina Department of Justice.

Speculation has surrounded Cooper in recent months on his possible run for North Carolina governor in 2016. Ferrel Guillory, a UNC journalism professor and director of the Program on Public Life, said it is relatively clear Cooper has emerged as the leading Democratic opponent of Gov. Pat McCrory.

“His initiative about students and credit cards — he’s still the attorney general and he has to do his job,” Guillory said. “Doing his job is one of the ways candidates run for office. You build a record.”

He said the attorney general’s office has had a consumer protection division going back several decades, which advocates for consumers on issues with utility bills, power rates and other consumer troubles.

The tour will continue through five other campuses statewide, including Queens University, Shaw University, East Carolina University, UNC-Pembroke and Cape Fear Community College.

At each stop, experts from the consumer protection division and victims services section will speak with students about managing loan debt, avoiding repayment scams, establishing good credit history and protecting themselves from identity theft.

About 40 students attended the kick-off event at High Point University, which was held in junction with a business class.

Pam Haynes, spokeswoman for High Point University, said students participated in a Q&A with Cooper during the event.

“It was a great experience for our students to be able to see a state official of his caliber one on one and spend some time with him,” she said.

Cooper is focusing on an issue that’s important for students, said Wilson Parker, president of the UNC Young Democrats and director of state and external affairs for UNC Student Government.

“He’s been an advocate for students,” Parker said. “It’s exciting that he’s working on that initiative.”

Though the initiative is part of Cooper’s attorney general duties, Guillory said it doesn’t hurt Cooper’s political aspirations, since college students are a vocal part of the voting block.

“There’s political motivation around everything, and so it is in his interest to energize young people and keep them within the democratic constituency,” Guillory said. “It seems to me like that kind of an initiative isn’t sort of a flag-waving type thing that would get you a bunch of voters, but it keeps him in touch with a segment of the electorate.”

While Parker agreed Cooper’s campaign is primarily linked to his attorney general work, he said it is encouraging that an official who is looking out for students’ interests is demonstrating intent to run.

“As a student, I think that seeing a politician who is actively interested in standing up for student needs instead of doing the opposite, which is what we see so much of in Raleigh these days, definitely means a lot.”

state@dailytarheel.com