Pell Grants could face large cuts
Alyssa McKinley knows the importance of the Pell Grant Program. So much so that she wouldn’t be attending Syracuse University without it.
‘If it wasn’t for the federal aid I got, I would be going to community college,’ said McKinley, a sophomore television, radio and film major. ‘No doubt.’
With the ongoing proposals and debates in Washington, D.C., on cutting spending from the federal budget, Pell Grants could be on the chopping block. The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a bill, H.R. 1, that cuts about $60 billion from the federal budget, including $5.7 billion from the Pell Grant Program, according to a U.S. News and World Report article published March 2.
For each individual student, passage of the bill would result in an $845 reduction on the maximum Pell Grant available, which is currently $5,550 per year, according to the article.
SU has not made a decision on what will happen if the Pell Grant Program loses funding, said Youlonda Copeland-Morgan, associate vice president for enrollment management and director of scholarships and student aid. The university will consider everything from increasing loans by a small amount to looking into if SU will put in more money from its own resources to fund the difference, she said.
Copeland-Morgan said the university is committed to ensuring that students will have the financial aid needed to attend SU, even if the Pell Grant Program is partially cut.
‘Obviously there are a set of discussions that will need to take place to talk about how we make adjustments, to make sure that we can keep our commitment to our continuing students. And that’s the message we’re giving to our students,’ she said.
For the incoming freshman class, merit and financial aid are given out when the students receive their admissions decision in late March, Copeland-Morgan said. But she said there’s no guarantee the federal government will have decided its cuts by then.
‘We’ll have to just look at everything that we’re doing and make the best decision that we can, fully being aware that we may not have enough info by the time we have to award our freshman students,’ Copeland-Morgan said.
Copeland-Morgan said the university hopes to see the government progress and clarify the issue by late March, when financial aid and scholarship packages are given out to incoming freshmen. Resolving the issue would not only be beneficial for SU but for students as well. She said she wants to make sure the process does not derail a student’s confidence about the affordability of college.
SU sent out an e-mail Feb. 24 informing students of the potential cuts to federal student aid. The e-mail encouraged students to take action by sending personal e-mails to U.S. representatives and senators about what the Pell Grant means to them.
SU’s Office of Financial Aid and Scholarship Programs worked with the Office of Government and Community Relations to send out the e-mail, Copeland-Morgan said.
Beth Rougeux, associate vice president of government and community relations for the university, signed the e-mail. She said the bill will move to the Senate now that it has been passed by the House. The Senate will propose its own version of the bill as well.
Since the federal budget for the 2011 fiscal year hasn’t been passed yet, it makes things even more complicated, she said.
‘Right now it’s hard to tell what’s going to happen, and that’s why it’s important that people make calls or e-mails so that they can let people know that this is important to them,’ Rougeux said. ‘As soon as we hear, we’ll also get that info to our students.’
In the meantime, McKinley, the sophomore who uses a Pell Grant, plans to appeal to her representative.
‘I’m definitely planning on filling that out,’ McKinley said. ‘I need my Pell Grant desperately.’
McKinley also said she hopes the university will help her out if she needs it following a federal aid cut.
Neal Casey, Student Association president, said it’s the obligation and civic duty of every student to let their representatives know how their legislation will affect them.
‘A lot of students do not follow politics as closely as some people think they should,’ he said. ‘So it’s the university’s job and our job as a student government to let them know what’s happening. Because these students could potentially affect a student’s ability to attend college.’
Published on March 2, 2011 at 12:00 pm
Contact Mark: mcooperj@syr.edu | @mark_cooperjr
