- The Record Archives
- Volume CXVIII, No. XX - November 10, 2005 -
Congress targets college financial aid for huge cuts
CSB/SJU would lose as much as $530,000
The Record
Financial aid from the federal government might be cut as much as $14.3 billion today.
The U.S. House of Representatives is voting on a modified bill that calls for the cut.
The original bill, created by the U.S. Senate, proposed $18 billion in cuts to aid in hurricane relief.
Minnesota State University has started a coalition of students from colleges statewide.
For the last several days, they have bombarded the offices of their state representatives with letters and phone calls in hopes of swaying their representative's vote against the new bill.
Because the Republican party created the bill, the St. John's Senate has decided to not take a partisan stance on the matter.
However, they have agreed to create student awareness about the debate through mass e-mail.
Several senators have also volunteered their time to go to dorms and educate students on the bill.
SJS Regent Cody Fischer introduced the idea of having the senate take part in informing the student body about the federal budget cuts.
He has taken the lead in organizing the senate's participation and urges the student body to participate as well.
"What we're asking the student body to do is call Representative [Mark] Kennedy, and tell him we do care about this and we want him to vote on this bill," Fischer said.
If the House passes the bill, CSB/SJU stands to lose $530,000 in federal financial aid.
Fischer said such cuts will affect student work awards and the amount of money students receive through financial aid.
It may also keep some students who apply now for financial aid out of the running.
"[The bill] might make it difficult for some students to continue going here," Fischer said.
The issue hits home for him.
"I receive both federal subsidized loans and a work award, so I sort of know how this impact students," he said.
If you would like to contact Rep. Mark Kennedy, you can call his St. Cloud office at (320) 259-0099.