Student aid bound up
WHEG grants caught in stalled state budget
Nicole Strittmater
Issue date: 9/13/07 Section: Campus News
Non-traditional junior Jeff Ruh received his state-based financial aid, but he's worried about the close to 5,000 students in Wisconsin who didn't.
"We're owed financial aid. We deserve that financial aid, and now (legislators) want to wrangle us?" Ruh said.
The UW System budget, which was supposed to be passed by July 1, is hung up as the Republican-controlled Assembly and Democratic-controlled Senate negotiate over the state budget.
Now, as the tuition deadline approaches, hundreds of students at UW-Eau Claire who applied for financial aid after June 27 didn't receive their need-based Wisconsin Higher Education Grants, said Elizabeth Schinke, Eau Claire's delegation leader for United Council, a student lobbying group.
"That's preventing them from getting their money, and really being able to focus on school as opposed to the financial aspects of it," Schinke said.
In an effort to urge legislators to settle, members of United Council lobbied in the Campus Mall Tuesday. They asked students to sign postcards written to state Rep. Kitty Rhodes, R-Hudson, and state Sen. Russ Decker, D-Weston, the co-chairs of the Joint Finance Committee.
The postcards asked for a fully-funded UW System, including a tuition freeze for this school year and a tuition cap of 4 percent in future years.
Decker and Rhodes could not be reached for comment by press time.
Rebecca Johansson, finance and development director for United Council, said Eau Claire is the first university writing to legislators about the budget.
"I think that's going to put a really important and strong message to them that university students care about getting their financial aid," Johansson said.
Cedric Lawson, legislative affairs director for United Council, said 4,708 students in Wisconsin - 217 at UW-Eau Claire - were left on a waiting list as of Sept. 4 because of the stalled budget.
Senior and student senator Samantha Lee showed her support Tuesday. She said she has friends who received financial aid and knows how difficult it would be if they didn't.
"We're owed financial aid. We deserve that financial aid, and now (legislators) want to wrangle us?" Ruh said.
The UW System budget, which was supposed to be passed by July 1, is hung up as the Republican-controlled Assembly and Democratic-controlled Senate negotiate over the state budget.
Now, as the tuition deadline approaches, hundreds of students at UW-Eau Claire who applied for financial aid after June 27 didn't receive their need-based Wisconsin Higher Education Grants, said Elizabeth Schinke, Eau Claire's delegation leader for United Council, a student lobbying group.
"That's preventing them from getting their money, and really being able to focus on school as opposed to the financial aspects of it," Schinke said.
In an effort to urge legislators to settle, members of United Council lobbied in the Campus Mall Tuesday. They asked students to sign postcards written to state Rep. Kitty Rhodes, R-Hudson, and state Sen. Russ Decker, D-Weston, the co-chairs of the Joint Finance Committee.
The postcards asked for a fully-funded UW System, including a tuition freeze for this school year and a tuition cap of 4 percent in future years.
Decker and Rhodes could not be reached for comment by press time.
Rebecca Johansson, finance and development director for United Council, said Eau Claire is the first university writing to legislators about the budget.
"I think that's going to put a really important and strong message to them that university students care about getting their financial aid," Johansson said.
Cedric Lawson, legislative affairs director for United Council, said 4,708 students in Wisconsin - 217 at UW-Eau Claire - were left on a waiting list as of Sept. 4 because of the stalled budget.
Senior and student senator Samantha Lee showed her support Tuesday. She said she has friends who received financial aid and knows how difficult it would be if they didn't.
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
wisabe
posted 9/13/07 @ 9:53 AM CST
...."We're owed financial aid. We deserve that financial aid," Ruh said.
Jeff, I too feel the pain of students left out due to budget problems (and their own late financial aid applications), but "owed" is a pretty strong word. (Continued…)
Abrahanb
posted 9/13/07 @ 11:24 AM CST
I agree with you that it's a privilege, not a right. I think what Jeff meant was that he was banking (no pun intended) on the aid for the school year. (Continued…)
Wisabe
posted 9/13/07 @ 12:13 PM CST
True enough. But who can predict (or sadly, maybe it is EASY to predict) that the budget would get held up the way it has. And it's somewhat ironic that much of the hold up in Madison is due to arguing about entitlements and how much of a free ride is too much. (Continued…)
Chelle
posted 9/16/07 @ 10:53 AM CST
"Slippery slope when compassionate thinking (nothing wrong with that...give to all the charities you can) leads to outright socialism and thinking that "you over there have too much. (Continued…)
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