Financing the pursuit of a college degree is hard enough as it is, but thanks to the 2006 budget proposals from President Bush it is going to get even tougher.
Tuition has skyrocketed a whopping 35 percent since Bush took office, yet his 2006 budget proposes to cut Department of Education funding by $530 million, while also falling $1,000 short of his promised $5,100 maximum Pell scholarship and cutting other important financial aid programs.
And what about all those students that take out loans? Well, typical students will now pay $5,500 more for their college loans, thanks to the proposed elimination of the current low fixed consolidation rate benefit. But it doesn’t stop there. Despite soaring loan debt, the President wants to abolish the Perkins Loan cancellation program that offers loan forgiveness for teachers, law enforcement officers and military service members.
Our education is what prepares us for the future. Our most important investments are in what is yet to come, and our future is in the hands of hardworking students. Unfortunately, the majority of these students simply cannot pay for college without scholarships, grants or loans that are now even harder to attain (and keep) through the Bush administration. By denying students the help they need and deserve, we cannot move forward in this country.
Linda Thompson
University College Democrats
Sophomore