The Observer, April 20, 2007
Volume XXXIX, Issue 25
Cuts proposed to Student Choice Grants
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If legislation passes through the Ohio Congress this month, half of Case's undergraduate population stands to lose part of their scholarship money provided by the state.
Changes are planned for the Ohio Student Choice Grant, which currently provides graduates of Ohio high schools who attend Ohio private colleges with $900 of state money per year. Of the undergraduates enrolled at Case this semester, more than half are Ohio residents who stand to lose the grant.
The Ohio Board of Regents plans to restructure the Student Choice Grant to provide money on a need basis rather than simply giving it to all graduates. Only students who qualify for an Ohio College Opportunity Grant will receive the extra grant.
Eliminating the extra Student Choice Grants will help trim Ohio's budget and provide more funding to students who qualify for the assistance.
Many Ohio students at Case are upset about the proposed change.
"I voted for Governor Strickland because I thought he supported education," said student Adam Rupe.
The Student Choice Grant is currently included as part of merit-based scholarships given to Case students. If the changes pass, the university will have to find a way to make up the loss of these grants.
On Tuesday, Interim President Gregory Eastwood sent an e-mail to students who receive the Student Choice Grant asking them and their parents to contact their local Congresspersons and ask them to reconsider the legislation.
Board of Regents Chancellor Eric Fingerhut delivered a testimony last week defending the cuts to the Student Choice Grant budget.
"Like many private businesses, private colleges have both a 'sticker price' and an actual price charged to a customer," said Fingerhut. "While these discounts are typically called 'institutional grants,' they are generally unfunded."
Fingerhut declared that this practice of colleges offering tuition discounts as a marketing tool, rather than on a need basis, effectively limits the ability of low-income students to attend these private colleges.
He also noted that the loss of the Student Choice Grant accounts for just 3 percent of an average private college tuition, room, and board of $30,000.
"This is not meant to suggest that the change in the Choice Grants will not be a hardship to some students in Ohio, nor that the change does not pose serious challenges to some of Ohio's excellent and important private institutions," said Fingerhut.
Nevertheless, students are concerned.
"I understand the rationale, but I don't agree with it," said junior David Gasser.
The Ohio Student Choice Grant was implemented in 1983 as a way to bridge the gap between the cost of public and private post-secondary education in the state. Public universities are much more costly for the state to fund than private institutions.
The grant also attracted students to stay in Ohio rather than attend private universities in other states. According to opponents of the grant restrictions, students often stay in the state in which they are educated. Eliminating grants may contribute to "brain drain," according to the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio.
Case does not just receive public funding for student financial aid. Next year's Ohio budget allots $4.2 million to Case for medical line items as well as a total of $21.1 million to Case and the University of Dayton for various research programs.
Personal finances aside, some students are on board with the grant cuts to balance the budget.
"They need to cut money somewhere," said junior Teja Pasupneti. "It's not personally good for me, but I can see the benefits. It's just $900 compared to $20,000."
