Cal Grants and other need-based financial aid grants may face elimination in spite of increased University of California fees, at least in Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s most recent budget-cut proposal made in early January.
The proposed reduction in state aid, especially grants, will only add to the financial burden UC students bear.
The reality of this financial crisis was realized at a town-hall-style meeting Thursday when UCLA’s administrators met with the undergraduate student government and students to discuss the necessary courses of action.
With the prospect of decreased state support, UC President Mark Yudof announced last week that students from families with incomes of less than $60,000 a year will have all their academic fees covered by the university’s financial aid program.
Yudof said the financial aid gesture is supposed to encourage low-income students that a UC education is affordable. Yudof’s plan has yet to be approved by the UC Board of Regents.
Federal and state programs such as Cal Grants and Pell Grants should not disappear. With a state budget yet to be approved, legislators must remember that grants keep deserving students in the university and help maintain diversity in enrollment numbers. Grants provide a necessary gateway for many who cannot afford higher education.
Financial assistance must remain a priority to the state, not a throwaway.