The State of Connecticut is expected to conclude the year with a $1,353,000,000 budget deficit. Facing such a serious financial problem, Governor M. Jodi Rell and State Legislators have proposed substantial spending cuts for next year. While funding for higher education has thus far remained steady, five University students joined twenty-three other Connecticut students in Hartford on Wednesday to lobby their legislators to maintain the current levels of state financial aid grants for private Connecticut colleges.
“We thanked the legislators for keeping the funding so far and urged them to keep this grant funding in the forefront of their mind,” said WSA Representative and attendee Sylvie Stein ’12. “We went to show how much we value the role that financial aid plays here at Wesleyan.”
The lobby was organized by the Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges (CCIC), an organization that represents the interests of sixteen nonprofit independent colleges and universities in Connecticut, including Wesleyan. Students came from a range of private Connecticut schools such as Fairfield University, Connecticut College, University of Hartford, University of Bridgeport and Mitchell College. They focused on maintaining the current level of state aid assistance for Connecticut residents who attend private, in-state colleges.
“The goal of Student Lobby Day is to have legislators remember our students when they are putting together the final state budget,” said President of CCIC Judy Greiman p’10. “It’s all about getting the message out that students need financial aid now more than ever. Every student on campus is helped by getting this funding.”
Attendees of the mid morning lobby were briefed on the specific financial concerns before having the chance to speak directly with their legislators. Wesleyan students met with State Senator Paul Doyle, and State Representatives David McCluskey, Gail Hamm, and Matthew Lesser.
The state provides financial assistance to Connecticut residents who attend Connecticut-based colleges and universities through the Connecticut Independent College Student (CICS) Grant Program. Over the last two decades, while funding for the program has steadily increased, it has not necessarily matched the rising cost of education. In 1990, the CICS grant provided $12,235,132, with an average of $2098 for 5832 students. The grants in 1990 covered on average 19.6 percent of student tuition and fees while it covered 14.3 percent of these costs in 2009. During the 2009 fiscal year, the CICS program provided $23,913,860 of funding to 5765 students at an average grant of $4116, covering about 78 percent of students in need. Funding declined to $15,800,626 in 2007, but has since remained steady for the past two fiscal years. The state also provides substantially more funding for Connecticut residents who choose to attend one of the many public Connecticut colleges or Universities through the Connecticut Aid to Public College Students (CAPCS) grant program.
The University received $447,509 from CICS in 2008 benefits about 90 students from Connecticut. This money is especially crucial for Wesleyan, which has maintained a policy of need blind financial student assistance despite recent falls in the endowment and cuts in other sectors of spending.
Nationwide, private colleges and universities enroll roughly the same percentage of low-income, minority, and first generation students as do public institutions, according to CCIC statistics. In Connecticut, students who receive private higher education are awarded 49 percent of all degrees granted by the state, including 49 percent of all bachelors and 64 percent of all masters.
Director of Community Relations Frank Kuan is enthusiastic about the opportunity to collectively lobby for such a crucial and timely issue.
“We want to remind [the legislators] that there is strong support and to show our solidarity,” Kuan said. “We are part of a consortium that feels it is important to have financial aid to give assistance for students, whether you are on a small or large campus.”
According to Director of Financial Aid Jennifer Lawton, the University receives the majority of financial aid funding from donors, in addition to a number of other state and federal funding sources. Lawton explained that of the around 2,700 current University students, about 1,150 University students receive financial assistance through grant aids and another 350 receive funding through Pell Grants. These grants are distributed to students who demonstrate significant need through a federal analysis program. Provisions in the recent stimulus bill have raised the upper limit of student Pell Grant funding from $4,310 to $5,350, in addition to increased spending on work-study initiatives.
Yet even with these federal increases in funding, Lawton stressed that state funding remains a crucial source of money for the University to maintain its need blind assistance.
“Since we are need blind, if the state funding is not provided then Wesleyan needs to pick up what is lost,” Lawton said. “If the CICS money were to be reduced, Wesleyan would need to find the resources to fund these students, which would take away funds from other students.”
Lawton also noted that a decrease in state funding could result in less socio-economic diversity at schools that do not offer need blind admissions.
“For other schools, who don’t meet full need, that’s money out of the students’ pockets,” Lawton said. “It’s a matter of concern for all of us. It’s good public policy to invest in student education.”
According to Greiman, Connecticut is lucky that higher education spending has not yet been significantly reduced. She noted, however, that more than two months remain until the State Legislature must present its budget proposal to the Governor, and she hopes that no changes to education funding are enacted during this interval. The issue of the CICS spending is further complicated as a state tax plan is required to continue allocating the funding.
Having faced the prospects of higher education grant cuts before, Greiman knows that students can be quite persuasive in pushing lobbying campaigns.
“It’s always been effective having students up there talking with legislators,” Greiman said. “The CICS grant is sometimes the last little bit needed to help a student get in the door each semester.”
Stein too felt that meeting with her legislators was an important move and was appreciative of the receptive responses. She recalled how speaking with West Hartford State Representative David McCluskey was especially interesting as it contextualized many of the issues of concern. Stein recalled that Representative McCluskey explained the difficulties legislatures face in having to decide how to allocate their limited resources among many worthwhile public interests.
The Student Public Interest Research Group estimates that the average college or University student graduates with $17,500 in loan debt. Faced with this situation, other states provide grants similar to CICS to ensure greater access to higher education, such as Massachusetts, which provides $200 to 2,500 to state students through the Gilbert Matching Student Grant Program. In addition, certain states also provide grants for students attending college or universities beyond their borders.
After assessing the costs and benefits, Representative Matt Lesser, a former Wesleyan student, emphasized his support for maintaining state aid to college students.
“We want to do it,” Lesser said. “This is not the time for cutting financial aid. We want to keep up the scholarships.”
Lesser noted that if the Legislature and Governor Jodi Rell are unable to agree upon a budget in time for the new fiscal year, then expenditures such as the CICS program could be in danger of being eliminated through state procedures.
Lesser reiterated the importance of maintaining the University’s expansive financial need policies.
“I think it is great that Wesleyan is keeping the need blind policy.” Lesser said. “It’s fantastic and very rare these days.”
WSA President and attendee Mike Pernick too noted the important role of financial aid in maintaining diversity on campus. He emphasized the importance of the lobby day in Hatrtford, while stressing that the continuation of consistent funding is tantamount to the University’s future.
“I think it’s important that our leaders at the state level have a personal view of the people whose discussions they will implement,” Pernick said. “If we lose any more money we are going to have to make some very large decisions; we’re in a tough spot right now.”
Greiman encourages students to take further action through letters and phone calls to urge their representatives and universities to maintain their commitment to state financial aid.