I really hope that Pell Grants and other higher ed stuff gets increased funding

[eilen]

My friend is the sole wage earner in her family. She is an RN, works fulltime night shifts at the VA. She has five (5) children and a husband who has incredible (>$100,000) education loans. The youngest child is 3 years old. He is taking care of the kids while he studies for exams that they had not (until recently) had the money to pay for -- to take so he can be licensed to practice medicine--he completed all his residency last year. He plans are to be a family practitioner in an area of high need (northern NY). Now he is thinking of working up at Fort Drum to care for the enlisted men and their families.

Anyway, their oldest son graduated last year from high school. They have family in California so sent him to school there (community college). They researched and found that even out of state California tuition is less expensive than in-state NY tuition. Their son is very smart, had very good grades and wants to be an aeronautical engineer (actually he wants to be an astronaut). She makes annually $54,000 per year. After filling out the FAFSA, their son qualified for absolutely $0 in Pell Grants.


$0???????
How fucked up is this?

[Pirate Smile]

1. It was in the Stimulus Bill.

Pell grants rise with stimulus
By Chelsea Toy

February 19, 2009

Many students at Ohio University will be receiving an increase in their federal financial aid for the 2009-2010 academic year thanks to the $787 billion economic stimulus bill signed Tuesday by President Barack Obama.

The bill, named the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will provide $15.6 billion to increase the maximum Pell Grant, a need-based government grant for higher education, from $4,850 to $5,350. The $500 increase will affect some 7,200 students at all of OU’s campuses who already receive the grant.

“Anytime you’ve got grant money going out, it’s a good thing,” said Sondra Williams, OU’s director of student financial aid and scholarships. “It truly helps the neediest students. You just can’t go wrong.”

http://www.athensnews.com/news/campusnews/2009/feb/19/pell-grants-rise-stimulus/

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

2. Pell's been increased, but their status won't change.

I'd encourage them to talk to a financial aid officer because that does not sound right at all. I'm guessing they screwed up in filling out the form somewhere.

However, I actually don't think Pell should be increased. It costs over $2 billion for every $100 added to the grant, and it does nothing to keep tuition costs from rising. Whenever the Pell gets increased, it's more or less a green light for colleges to raise their tuitions even further. Something needs to be done about affordability on that end of the dial, especially since colleges are typically extraordinarily wasteful in their spending.

[customerserviceguy]

3. Agreed

every dollar that gets shoveled towards higher education is followed by the bill going up $1.10, at least.

[Lyric]

4. It won't make a difference anyway.

At my university (land-grant state U,) the last time there was a Pell increase, the school just raised tuition right along with it and ate it up. They'll do the same this time, too. That extra $500 would be nice, but the students who actually *need* it will never see a penny of it. It should be illegal to do shit like that (jack up tuition for the sole purpose of commandeering any extra student aid.) It's as bad as a landlord who hears that you've gotten a modest raise, and jacks your rent up accordingly. :(

[ThomWV]

5. I'd like to see Vets get Ed benefits equal to state college tuition for 4 years too

When I got out of the Army, if I remember the deal correctly, they gave us an education entitlement that was good for 36 months but you had to use it within 10 years of your separation date. The amount of the check depended on your status, with single vets getting the least and married vets getting more, and then more if there were children. It worked out to 4 years of college. I started late and was up against the 10 year limitation, so I had to do my BS in 3 years so I could get them to continue paying as I got into Grad School. The amount they paid was enough to pay tuition and buy books with a little to spare. When I returned to school in 1978*, married with one child, they were paying $412 a month if I remember correctly.

*I went to school for a couple of semesters right after I got out of the service in early '71 and that ate up several months of entitlement. As a single man then I recall the check was $175 a month.