Yasmine Alotaibi - Staff Writer

2008-04-02 20:48:09

College students could see a drop in financial aid packages after President Bush releases his 2009 budget.

According to the United States Student Association, the budget includes cutting $18 billion from education. National Public Radio reported Bush’s plans to increase the Pentagon’s budget to $515 billion.

Some of the spending cuts will affect higher education financial aid programs. The Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant, a fund providing additional money to eligible Pell Grant students, will lose $959 million.

Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnerships, a program that matches state grant aid funding, was cut by $65 million.

The Thurgood Marshall Fellowship program, a scholarship in honor of the first black Supreme Court justice that supports black students pursuing law degrees, will lose $2.9 million.

The Perkins Loan Cancellation program, loan forgiveness for borrowers hoping to pursue careers in public service, was cut by $64 million.

Carmen Berkley, vice president of the USSA, said her organization isn’t happy with the proposed cuts.

“We feel like it’s very unfortunate that for seven years in a row the president has been balancing the budget on the backs of students,” she said. “We need the Bush administration to see higher education in a good light.”

Berkley said even with the downturn in the economy, cuts shouldn’t be made in higher education.

“We feel the economy is very directly related back to education,” she said. “With the current economic crunch, it’s important to be in school, stay in school and get an education.”

George Spiva, professor emeritus of economics, said the long-term effects of cutting education costs could outweigh the short-term benefits.

“Education is a safe thing to cut although it’s a very foolish thing to cut,” he said.

Spiva said it’s “never a good idea” to direct money from education toward defense.

“I’m not saying we shouldn’t spend that money on the war in Iraq,” he said. “But people need to be worried about what the costs are. What else could you have had with that $40 billion?”

Spiva said he thinks the effects of cutting back on higher education will be “terrible.”

“It’s no question,” he said. “One of the most significant things contributing to economic growth is the quality of the labor force. … If you cut funds for education then you’re shooting yourself in the foot.”

Higher education needs to be more of a priority in the United States, Berkley said.

“Some don’t think the government should fund higher education,” she said. “In particular, I think higher education is a right. All people who want to go to college should go.”

Berkley said USSA is currently lobbying at the national level to fix the “budget shortfalls.”