National funding cuts hurt students

By Matt Weafer
The Broadcast

Next semester, you may be denied your PELL grant, which for some students is $1,000. You may be rejected from Student Support Services (SSS) tutoring. Your student loans may rise from 6.1% to 8.1%. By 2009 SSS may be eliminated from Brescia’s campus completely. Less students may be eligible for any financial aid, and the financial aid allotted will not compensate for the rise in cost of living. Southern states will find that college is less and less affordable.

All of these possibilities are genuine threats to Brescia students if Congress approves the bill to cut education funds, increase military funds, and slice taxes for the wealthy, Director of SSS Dolores Kiesler said. She and SSS have been battling the education funding cuts for years.

“The current bill focuses on changes in the Stafford Loan Program and the PLUS loan program,” Kiesler said. “What the new budget proposes is to cut $12.7 million from the financial aid for college students by raising and setting permanent interest rates for loans.”

“All of the TRiO Programs—Upward Bound, Talent Search, Student Support Services, Equal Opportunity Centers, and McNair—are in danger of losing all funding,” Kiesler said. “This year we managed to Save Upward Bound and Talent Search but we know we will have to fight for Equal Opportunity Centers next year, McNair the following year and SSS in 2009.”

SSS struggled with similar cuts under the Reagan Administration and for the last four years has been forced to work with a level budget, Kiesler said. “We have not had increases in our budgets despite increases in the cost of living.”

According to Kiesler, “Indirectly students and Brescia, in general, will also be affected by cuts in Science Foundation grants, Endowment for the Arts (less money for the RiverPark, hence higher ticket prices), loss of funding for some of the SSS programs. For example, restrictions on the amount of tutoring, reduction in staff, tutors or peer mentors; and many other such programs that have prepared students for college in the past.”

To help prevent losing SSS, and to help more students afford college, Kiesler said, “Flood your senators and representatives' offices with emails, letters and phone calls.”

Anyone can send a letter or email, or call state representatives every day.

“In Kentucky, Representative Ron Lewis for this district and both senators — Jim Bunning and Mitch McConnell — voted repeatedly for the cuts to education,” Kiesler said. “Anne Northup, who represents Louisville, chairs the appropriations committee where these decisions are made and she has voted for the cuts each time they have come up for a vote.”

“These people need to hear the students' personal stories,” Kiesler said. “Make the cuts real for those who represent us. Tell them your story, your parents' stories, and why you need assistance with educational costs.”

According to Dolores Kiesler, director of SSS:
The 2005 budget had 51% of the total U.S. budget going to the military and 7% going to Education.

The 2006 budget has 52% of the proposed budget going to the military and 6% going to Education.

2006 proposed budget

Education - $166,733,000,000 (cuts of $13 billion)
Military - $970,000,000,000 (increases of $21 billion)
Tax Breaks for Wealthy - $210,000,000,000 (new tax breaks in 2005)