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NEWS WWW.GUILFORDIAN.COM Decreased funds lead to less work-study aid for students FEDERAL WORK- STUDY FUNDING 2009-2010: $245,680 2012-2013: $165,561 ^ . V . 4 ^1' - ;v, - ■ - - YEARLY TUITION 2009-2010: $27,850 2012-2013: $33,430 BY MATTHEW JOKES Staff Writer For years, tuition for full-time students has risen steadily. This year was no exception. Tuition rose 4.1 percent from $32,090 last year to $33,430. However, students who receive work-study as part of their financial aid packages are in for a surprise. Many, including junior Rebecca Allen, have seen their awards reduced or even eliminated. "I was not awarded work-study at the beginning of the year and had to re-apply for it," said Allen. Members of the individual departments that hire work-study students have noticed a downward trend in hours as weU. "When I first started to work here (in 2005), I would say that most students had up to 12 hours," said Susan McQanahan '73, collection management coordinator for the Hege Library. 'T?s really rare if I see over 6.9 (hours)... it seems to be the standard today." Student Financial Services, tiie Guilford College department in charge of administering financial aid, points to reductions in Federal Work-Study grants Guilford receives from the U.S. Department of Education as the reason for some of the changes. "We're given a set amount of dollars from the federal government that we can use towards work-study," said Benjamin Carmichael, assistant director of student financial services, in a joint interview with Brandi Wardell, director of student financial services. "When they reduced our funding, rather than give a smaller group of people a For the 2009-2010 award year, Guilford received $245,680 from the Federal Work- Study program, according to the Department of Education. However, in the 2012-2013 award year, only $165,561 was allocated to the school. This year, that number dropped to $147,919. During that same period of time, tuition has risen approximately 20 percent from $27,850 in 2009. Two years ago, the reduction in funds forced Student Financial Services to lower the maximum work-study award from $2,000 to $1,500. "I will say that the allocation of funding from the federal government has probably been decreasing over a three to four year period," said Wardell. "We saw a bigger hit two years ago, and that's when the department had to make a decision as to how we were going to be able to help as many students as possible." Wardell also said that while most students receive the $1,500 cap, students may see their work-study award reduced later in their time at Guilford. "If there's a pattern of not reaUy working the full amount of hours for a $1,500 award, we put the students at the pace that they have earned in the past," said Wardell. Students have expressed concern that lowering work-study awards while tuition continues to climb wiU adversely affect their ability to pay for school. "It's pretty much impossible even for a student who is on some kind of scholarship and receiving financial aid money or a work- study job," said junior Tesia Burton. "It'll be y C . •^pimt of money, we tried to stretfihf^harder;‘|pcMiem to stay df- ) We|%7iarger group of people. thing is happening. Recent years witness CCE enrollment dwindle as a consequence of reduced grants BY LANDON FRIED Staff Writer Guilford College is suffering from a dramatic decrease in CCE enrollment. In 2011, the CCE program enrolled 1,307 students. Budget planners pinned the worst-case enrollment estimate for this year at around 1,000 students. Only 814 students enrolled. Despite the upward trend in enrollment prior to the decline, over the last three years CCE enrollment has dropped by nearly 40 percent. Less than four years ago, CCE students had multiple options provided by government grants to help pay for their education. Those grants no longer exist. "When you go to school here the first year, it costs you about $8,000 - 9,000 for the year, and you could go to UNCG across town for $6,000 per year," said CCE student and SGA Support Coordinator Jeffrey Ray. "That's a (big) difference in price." In 2011, the federal government cut the eligibility for Pell grants — a program that helps students pay for tuition — by six semesters, capping the eligibility at 12 semesters total. This poses a problem for CCE students, many of whom are enrolled part-time and need more than 12 semesters to graduate. The following year. North Carolina cut multiple scholarships and grants, including the NC Legislative Tuition Grant, to reduce state spending and minimize the state budget dilemma. Without this financial aid, the average cost for CCE students to attend Guilford jumped by 48 percent. For prospective CCE students looking to attend Guilford, other less-expensive options look more enticing now that students receive less financial help. CCE students that started out at Guilford "Don't count us out. Our numbers may be down, but don't count us out. We're still here." Monica Jones, CCE senior & president of CCE SGA with enough resources to pay tuition now have to either pay higher amounts than they originally expected or drop out of Guilford. "I have one class that's going to cost me $3,000," said Madison Lowe, CCE senior. "I don't know where that money is going to come from." Now that current and prospective «students may not have enough resources to study at Guilford, enrollment rates can no longer match numbers from only three years ago. According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, 45 percent of private four-year colleges could not meet their target enrollment for this year. "What is happening at Guilford is not unique," said Rita Serotkin, associate vice president and dean for continuing education. "It's happening all over the country, and it has happened to a lot of other colleges." The CCE program's administrators hope that focusing efforts on recruiting new students will help offset the enrollment drop. "We need to do a better job of marketing our programs," said Serotldn. "We need a better message than the one we have been putting out there." While advertising and recruiting can alleviate the issue, . the program needs to retain current students as well. "Retention," said Monica Jones, CCE senior and president of the CCE SGA. "That's what we're keeping focused on too because we're finding that a lot of the CCE students are coming in, but they can't stay and can't finish because of the lack of money." With enrollment on a downward trend, it will take time to build Guilford's numbers back up. Despite bleak numbers, CCE leaders, including Jones, remain optimistic about the outcome of this situation. "Don't count us out. Our numbers may be down, but don't count us out. We're still here." this week*s developments Oane and Jim Fernandes visited Community Senate this week* They shared their personal stories and discussed important topics such as retention, sexual assault prevention and diversity. Jane shared her vision on how Guilford can provide students with the best possible liberal arts education next week's plans The Senators Program is back and our new senators will be meeting for the first time. Meetings are still open for all community members, but if you want to represent specific constituencies, please contact Senate; seats are still available. During the meeting we will have an open forum to discuss important campus issues and goals for the year. Have an idea? Concern? Great recipe? It’s important to us Compiled by Jose F. Oliva. Community Senate president
The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.)
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