The economic downfall has caused a lot of issues within the educational funding programs. In the past programs such as HEOP has encountered an average cut of 6.5% in the amount of aid they receive. This year, to make things even worse, the Senate and Assembly will pass “one-house” budget bills which proposes to cut approximately $55 million.
This morning I received the following e-mail from my HEOP director with a link to the article posted below. I found it interesting and thought of sharing it with you.
This week, the Senate and Assembly will pass “one-house” budget bills. This is one of the final steps toward a final New York State Budget – which currently has proposals to cut approximately $55 million from college student aid programs and is due in just three weeks on April 1. As someone concerned about higher education access, please take a moment now to tell your elected officials why state student aid matters to you or helps those you know.
Visit http://www.nystudentaidalliance.org to quickly and easily send e-mail to your hometown legislators and other important education policy makers. Click on one of three “TAKE ACTION” links, and share your story. (Note: we do not provide a form letter or talking points. Instead, we ask for you to say in your own words why state financial assistance for college students is important.)
As you know, New York State faces extremely difficult financial challenges, but more than 300,000 students depend on state financial assistance to meet their college costs.
• The proposed Budget cuts millions from the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), and it changes the full-time status of a student to 15 credits, as opposed to 12, limiting the amount of aid provided. Direct Institutional (“Bundy”) Aid, often used for scholarships, is cut as well. TAP for graduate students is eliminated, and C-STEP in sliced in half. Please oppose these changes and cuts.
• At the same time, Governor Paterson has introduced a new, low-cost student loan program called NYHELPs (New York Higher Education Loan Program). If passed by the Legislature, this program could help thousands of students borrow for college at interest rates lower than what private, alternative loan lenders now offer. Please encourage elected officials to enact this new initiative and to support the successful HEOP and Liberty Partnership Programs.
The Legislature’s past support for student aid programs has been essential. We need to call upon our elected officials once again to preserve access to higher education in New York State .
Please forward this e-mail to others who can add their voices of support. You can make a difference. Please take action today.
Sincerely,
Abe Lackman, President
Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities
17 Elk Street, P.O. Box 7289
Albany, NY 12224
Phone: (518) 436-4781 Fax: (518) 436-0417
http://www.cicu.org – Higher education information for policymakers.
http://www.nycolleges.org – Admission and financial aid information for students, families, and counselors.
mail@cicu.org