Issuu

THURSDAY, APRIL 2

@THEBATTONLINE

SILVER TAPS

SPORTS

Zaiyan Xu, Blake Kevin-Harrison Dorman to be honored at Silver Taps Ceremony on Tuesday, April 7, at Academic Plaza A4

After a series sweep over Missouri on the road, No. 20 A&M baseball heads back to Olsen Field to take on Vanderbilt B1

Changes to Parent PLUS loans cap borrowing at $20K By Emily Anderson News Reporter

Photos by Corby Maupin — THE BATTALION

Computer engineering junior Sreeharine Govi performs a traditional Indian dance during Hindu New Year at Aggie Park on Friday, March 27, 2026.

YUVA event rings in new year India’s diverse regional celebrations come to Aggie Park

By Adhithi Shankar Life & Arts Writer On the evening of March 27, Aggie Park overflowed with students and families dressed in traditional Indian kurtas and lehengas. Two rows of bright orange booths stretched across the lawn, sporting informational posters about cultural traditions and offering everything from authentic chai, a spiced tea, to mehndi, an Indian temporary tattoo art. It was a New Year’s celebration in the middle of March. For many Indian families, international students and immigrants in Bryan-College Station, it can be difficult to find a community that celebrates the full diversity of the religious holidays of Hinduism. To close this gap, the first-ever Texas A&M chapter of Hindu Youth for Unity, Virtue and Action, better known as Hindu YUVA, was founded in 2022. On March 27, the organization’s volunteers gathered to host their third annual Hindu New Year festival, a symbolic event that marks the beginning of the Hindu lunisolar calendar. Hindu YUVA Marketing Officer and biomedical engineering junior Aditya Krishna explained that this holiday is unique because of how differently it is celebrated in various regions of India. “[This event is] tailored to specific cultures rather than just a general Hindu event,” Krishna said. “For example, I’m from Tamil-

nadu myself, so there’s a booth for that. There’s also a booth for Telugu, for Hindi. So it’s very tailored to what you speak and what you know.” At the event check-in, each visitor had the opportunity to grab a “cultural passport” and collect colorful stamps from volunteers manning posters at various booths, each representing a distinct culture within India and their respective New Year’s traditions. According to Krishna, the goal of this interactive element was to emphasize that India — consisting of 28 states that speak over 121 languages combined — is not a monolith, with the same holiday being celebrated in radically different ways between regions. One poster featured information about the traditional clothes, foods and dances that make up Nutan Varsh, the New Year’s tradition celebrated by the Gujarati people. Another focused on the version of the holiday observed by Telugu and Kannada speakers, a festival named Ugadi that’s centered around a flavorful mango dish called Ugadi Pachadi. “It’s a nice aspect that isn’t really shown in events that are just a general gathering of Hindus,” Krishna said. “In this community here, and you get to see some pretty cool performances, and the best part is probably bringing along your friends and making even more friends.” As crowds of visitors sprawled across the main lawn at Aggie Park and socialized, they turned their eyes to the performances onstage. The opening performer of the evening, economics junior Nischintha Srinivasan, sang in a music style commonly practiced in South India.

“I’m trained in Carnatic music, which is Indian classical singing,” Srinivasan said. “I actually grew up in India, in Bangalore, and I was put into those classes and have been learning music for about probably 10 years.” Srinivasan performed the classical Tamil song “Maadu Meikum Kanne,” a staple at religious holidays. First composed in the 18th century, the lyrics are a tender dialogue between the Hindu god Krishna and his mother. Chemical engineering graduate student Divyang Patel, who recently moved to College Station from the Indian state of Gujarat, also had the chance to perform the songs “Tum Prem Ho” and “Mithe Ras Se Bharyo Radha Rani Lage.” “I can sing bhajans and devotional songs very well, and they gave me a platform to do that,” Patel said. “I received a heartwarming welcome from the host, and when I started singing, I saw the audience enjoying my piece of music. That gave me confidence.” After the performances, dinner was served. Visitors that collected stamps from every booth were rewarded with a feast of biryani, a spicy mixed rice dish, and kesari, a sweet pudding made of roasted semolina flour and often served on religious holidays. Reflecting on the event, Patel explained how the Hindu YUVA community gave him a little piece of home in a completely new environment. “After coming to College Station in Fall ‘25, I was worried about where I could find a temple, as I often go to a temple to find peace,” Patel said. “I found out about Hindu YUVA. … Each and every festival is celebrated with enthusiasm.”

Upcoming changes to Parent PLUS loans could affect students and families who can’t afford to pay for college or do not receive sufficient financial aid. The changes, which will go into effect Wednesday, July 1, are part of President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. New borrowing limits for parents will cap college loans at $20,000 per year and $65,000 total, whereas borrowing was previously capped at the full cost of attendance. The limits only apply to new Parent PLUS loanees, as existing borrowers may continue to borrow up to the amount of attendance until their child graduates. Parent PLUS loans are offered through the Department of Education to eligible parents or guardians after families have exhausted scholarships, grants and student loans, which are usually limited to $5,500 to $7,500 per academic year, founder of The College Investor Robert Farrington said. The average amount of federal loans offered to students at Texas A&M falls below that amount. Students who are still dependents of their parents are eligible for $3,500 their freshman year, $4,500 their sophomore year and $5,500 their junior and senior years, according to Executive Director of Scholarships and Financial Aid at A&M Bridgette Ingram. “If there’s any remaining gap, parents have to step in one way or the other, and the options are really private student loans or Parent PLUS loans,” Farrington said. “So they’re kind of like the last resort to pay for college.” In the 2024-25 academic year, 5% of enrolled freshmen were supported by Parent PLUS loans. The average support amounted to $19,908, the highest of any other kind of loan. Now, families will be unable to take out that same amount each year without exceeding the new $65,000 cap, leaving students who would have otherwise relied on the help of Parent PLUS loans to turn to other funding methods to cover the remaining costs. “They can look at alternative loans; we also have payment plans at Texas A&M,” Ingram said. “We have emergency tuition fee loans and short-term loans.” Typically, students from low-income families, or “an individual whose family’s taxable income for the preceding year did not exceed 150 percent of the poverty level amount,” receive enough scholarships and financial aid to cover their tuition, Ingram noted. Families that are not classified as low income but have limited savings are the most likely applicants to take advantage of Parent PLUS loans. Families may now be forced to turn from Parent PLUS loans to private loans, which could have potential downsides. “[Private loans] are credit based, and so families that don’t have as good of credit may get a higher interest rate,” Ingram said. “There are fewer protections on those alternative loans because they come from private lenders.” Ingram said that parents and students should research alternative loans and different ways to reduce the cost of attendance. “If living at home is cheaper, then that could reduce the cost of attendance,” Ingram said. “Or if a student is working while in school, that can also reduce that cost.” Ingram and Farrington agreed that changes to Parent PLUS loans may cause families to choose schools that are more affordable or offer more scholarships. “You have education, which is getting your bachelor’s degree,” Farrington said. “Then you have experience. What does that dorm situation, housing situation look like? And they are very different.” Farrington also hopes that changes to loan programs will stir up conversation about the financial harm that can be done when prospective students choose to attend a school based on the experience it offers rather than the education. Another option that families have is choosing alternative school types. “It may be that students choose to go to a community college for two years somewhere else before coming to a four-year public institution,” Ingram said. Transfer students make up around 4% of the undergraduate population at A&M. Many of those students chose to attend Blinn College for two years before attending A&M. Changes in loan programs could drive even more students to make that decision. Ultimately, Ingram encourages students and families to consider all their financial options before deciding which school to attend. “I just think that this is a big change, and parents and students do have to know about this coming into college,” Ingram said. “It’s important that we try to get the word out.”