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Pell
grant changes do not benefit students
The
Pell Grant, which gives aid to low-income
students who otherwise would not be able
to afford college, is being re-worked by
the Bush Administration. Supposedly the
changes will help students who are financially
shocked from the recent tuition raises.
The
grants differ in amount depending on how
much aid each particular student needs,
and whether they are going to school full
or part-time. Pell Grants aid approximately
2 million students, which make up one-third
of all community college students, according
to the American Association of Community
Colleges.
President
Bush will ask Congress to raise the Pell
grant by a meager $500, compared with his
pledge in 2000 to raise the maximum to $5,100.
The catch is that the money will be added
gradually over the next five years. The
$500 that is being added is simply raising
the maximum amount by 12 percent, while
college tuition, books and living costs
are continuously being raised.
This
year, students currently receiving the grant
may see their aid shrink even further, despite
rising tuition costs. By cutting the amount
of aid across the board, the grant program
will save money. The grant program is currently
in debt, as are California and America,
and cutting the money is supposedly going
to help save the program later.
Congress
is also going to change the grant eligibility
so that some students may not receive any
aid. According to the University of Texas
at Arlington, these changes will come into
effect in the summer of 2005. The grant
is restricted to undergraduate students.
Next
month Bush is scheduled to send a budget
to Congress that will cut even more funding
from domestic programs. In addition, Congress
has refused to block the Education Department
from updating the tax deduction forms that
are used to figure out aid eligibility,
according to the University of Texas at
Arlington. Updating these forms will cause
an average of 1 million people to lose eligibility
or have their grants reduced by around $300.
The reason for this, again, is saving money
for the Pell Grant program. Because of the
nature of the grant, poorer students will
definitely feel this change, as wealthier
people do not qualify for the grant.
Bush
is attempting to make the Pell Grant and
loan programs more efficient, but in doing
so, many students will lose out. He is also
encouraging already stressed high school
students to schedule their time more ferociously
by taking difficult classes. The incentive
for these students is a $1,000 Pell Grant.
Students
should apply for financial aid as soon as
possible to have time to prepare to supplement
the amount of aid they receive. Students
will still receive aid, but it will not
be as much, and so students need to plan
accordingly.
Some
universities, such as Duke University, will
make up the difference for students on need-based
aid. Other universities are not able to
make this gesture, but some schools nationwide
have a policy of meeting the financial aid
need for students. Without the universities
help, students will have to work with the
little they are offered, and possibly supplement
the difference with scholarships, loans
or by taking on another job. For schools
that are already struggling to find funding,
like the Cal State schools, finding additional
funding for financial aid will be even more
difficult, if not impossible.
It
is unfortunate that our country must continue
to reduce funding for domestic programs
like education, while the defense budget
takes barely a hit because of the war. Students
will have to take on more responsibility
to help the schools continue.
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