Our mission

The Student Loan Advocates and Volunteer Exchange (SLAVE) is dedicated to the promotion and protection of the interests of student loan borrowers in the United States.

* To accomplish our mission by establishing and maintaining a cohesive nationwide community of student loan borrowers and other individuals and organizations dedicated to the SLAVE mission
* To aggressively pursue all available means appropriate to the accomplishment of the SLAVE mission, including funding, conducting, and supervising litigation on behalf of student loan borrowers
* To facilitate collaborations between legal advocates and non-legal volunteers in the pursuit of the SLAVE mission
* To mobilize student loan borrowers to become activists, individually and collectively, in the fight against student loan laws, regulations, operating procedures, and practices that harm student loan borrowers
* To communicate to student loan borrowers the importance of taking immediate action to protect the interests of all present and future student loan borrowers
* To develop and implement a comprehensive array of fundraising activities for the exclusive purpose of funding SLAVE initiatives
* To maximize the use of state-of-the-art communication and information technologies to unite student loan borrowers and SLAVE mission supporters within a collaborative online and offline community environment
* To establish and maintain a positive organizational culture committed to promoting and protecting the interests of student loan borrowers
* To maintain the highest standards of expertise and professionalism in representing the interests of SLAVE constituencies

* We will demonstrate honesty in all association operations and practices
* We will act with integrity in our interactions with all individuals and organizations
* We will adhere to the highest professional standards of ethical conduct
* We will reflect exemplary tenacity in the pursuit of our mission

SLAVE is a private association funded entirely by private voluntary contributions and donations. Private association status provides SLAVE with the ability to aggressively pursue the most effective and immediate strategies to accomplish our objectives without the pressure of external or peripheral considerations that could otherwise compromise SLAVE initiatives:

* In the event the federal government (i.e., the U.S. Department of Education) is included in a class action lawsuit in which SLAVE represents student loan borrowers, the nonprofit organizational form would be inappropriate. Receiving compensation from a defendant entity in a lawsuit (in this case, in the form of a tax benefit) would call into question the independence and objectivity of the SLAVE organization and General Counsel in the funding and supervision of litigation related to student loan borrowers.
* The federal Internal Revenue Service has become increasingly proactive in its micromanagement of nonprofit organizations under the rationale that receiving a public benefit (i.e., a tax break) gives the federal government the right to demand concessions from nonprofit organizations. Enabling the IRS to micromanage SLAVE operational and financial affairs would ultimately compromise the ability of our organization to aggressively protect the interests of borrowers of federally guaranteed student loans.
* Nonprofit organizations must comply with federal requirements regarding the composition of a mandatory board of trustees to be granted the ultimate power to control all organizational operations. Nonprofit status would provide the opportunity for individuals with an interest, allegiance, or alliance in conflict or competition with the SLAVE mission to obtain membership on a SLAVE board of trustees through false pretense, allowing such individuals to influence organizational decision-making in a way that would dilute, misdirect, obfuscate, or compromise our ability to effectively, efficiently, and aggressively protect the interests of student loan borrowers. The issues and dollars at stake in our fight to protect student loan borrowers are substantial (e.g., over $250 billion in outstanding federally guaranteed student loans), and SLAVE will not allow any naivety regarding the strength and power of our adversaries to negatively impact the accomplishment of our mission. The SLAVE private association organizational form provides the most effective and efficient vehicle for achievement of the SLAVE mission.
* Private association status allows SLAVE to maintain the confidentiality of contributors and donors, which is an important consideration given the possibility of contentious litigation.

SLAVE has been intentionally and strategically situated to maximize its ability to serve as an effective advocate on behalf of student loan borrowers.
The SLAVE Director is vested with the responsibility and discretion to plan, organize, direct, and control all aspects of SLAVE operations, including (but not limited to):

* Identification, adoption, and implementation of strategic plans and operations to achieve the SLAVE mission
* Selection, retention, and/or dismissal of all SLAVE employees including administrative and professional staff, management, and officers
* Direction and management of all SLAVE financial operations and matters
* Negotiation and execution of contracts with external entities to perform functions related to SLAVE operations and SLAVE initiatives


The SLAVE organization structure is designed to accommodate the projected expansion of our association as the SLAVE membership increases. The SLAVE General Counsel is vested with the responsibility and discretion (under the authority of the SLAVE Director) to plan, organize, direct, and control all aspects of SLAVE legal operations, including (but not limited to):

* Select outside counsel and co-counsel (whether individual attorneys or law firms)
* Determine rates of compensation for outside counsel and co-counsel under contingency fee, flat fee, and/or hourly fee agreements
* Identify and implement all legal strategies related to SLAVE operations and SLAVE initiatives in pursuit of the SLAVE mission