Column from U.S. Senator Russ Feingold
Making Education More Affordable
March 4, 2008
In many ways, higher education has changed for the better since my
time as an undergraduate in Wisconsin more than 30 years ago. Wisconsin
universities and colleges are opening their doors to more people than
ever before.
But one aspect of attending college -- in Wisconsin, and across the
country -- has changed for the worse: the burden on students to scrap
together enough funds for an education. When I received my undergrad
diploma from UW-Madison in 1975 the maximum Pell Grant award covered
approximately 80 percent of the cost attending a four-year public college.
Now, the maximum Pell Grant award only covers approximately 33 percent
of those costs.
Pell Grants provide need-based aid to over five million undergraduate
students, opening the doors of higher education to those who otherwise
might not have been able to attend college because of financial constraints.
As the support that Pell Grants provide diminishes, large numbers of
students have been forced to forgo attending college all together or
obtain costly student loans to pay for college. These barriers preventing
access to higher education must be removed to give every American access
to higher education. Every time a young American is turned away from
higher education by soaring costs or our nation is worse off.
Because Pell Grants are one of the most important tools to help more
Americans attend college, I am again leading an effort to urge the Senate
Budget Committee, of which I am a member, to boost funding for the Pell
Grant program. Last week, a number of senators from both parties signed
onto a letter I sent to the Budget Committee calling for the highest
fiscally responsible increase in the maximum Pell Grant award for 2009.
Strengthening the Pell Grant program has strong support from both political
parties and many of us agree that increasing access to a college education
is important for the future of our nation. I joined Senator Edward M.
Kennedy (D-MA), Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) and Senator Norm Coleman
(R-MN) in leading this particular effort to increase funding for the
Pell Grant program. I have worked closely with these senators for years
to strengthen the Pell Grant program and I look forward to continuing
to work with them as the 2009 budget process unfolds.
Because students must complete a Free Application for Federal Student
Aid (FAFSA) in order to receive Pell Grants and other need-based federal
aid, I want to take this opportunity to encourage students to fill out
the FAFSA form at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. I understand applying for
financial aid can be a confusing and time-consuming process, but I am
hopeful that we in Congress can soon make that process easier for you.
Congress is currently working on reauthorizing the Higher Education
Act (HEA) which will simplify the FAFSA process as well help to add
transparency to the student loan industry and reauthorize many important
higher education programs including Pell Grants and the TRIO programs.
The Senate and House have both passed HEA reauthorization bills by overwhelming
margins and I hope that we can get a bill to the president for his signature
soon.
Wisconsin has a rich tradition of higher education. Graduates of Wisconsin
universities and colleges are given the tools and resources to start
successful businesses, become respected community leaders, pursue groundbreaking
research and innovation in their fields, and much more. We can continue
and strengthen this tradition by boosting Pell Grant funding, and starting
to make access to higher education a higher priority in Congress.
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