Will Limit Access to Higher Education
63168 MAGAZINE 2004
5/19/04
11:27 AM
Page 16
Governor’s Proposed Cuts to Cal Grants
Will Limit Access to Higher Education by Don Davidson, director of Communications & Marketing
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2004 –2005 attempts to address a mounting deficit by reducing services to Californians. While Republicans and Democrats alike recognize the problem, the manner in which it will be addressed is the subject of a heated debate in Sacramento and throughout the state. The governor’s proposed budget will dramatically impact Mount St. Mary’s College and its students and their families by limiting access to quality higher education for thousands of low-income Californians. The Cal Grant program, administered by the California Student Aid Commission, is in jeopardy and the Mount needs the help of its alumnae and friends in ensuring its future and the future of its current students and generations of students to come. The governor’s proposal will lower the income ceiling by 10 percent for new students who qualify for the Cal Grant program and reduce the award for qualifying independent college and university students by 44 percent, from $9,708 to $5,482. Asking families to make up this difference is unrealistic and will deprive most, if not all, Cal Grant-eligible students from attending Mount St. Mary’s College or the college of their choice. You can help by writing to your elected officials and expressing your opposition to these reductions. For more information about the proposal, visit the Web Site http://capwiz.com/aiccu. Created by the Association of
16
Students Florence Flores ’06 (left) and Jessica Langford ’04 (right) with Melissa Romero ’02 in Sacramento
Independent California Colleges and Universities (AICCU), the site will help you identify your state representatives and get their addresses and e-mail information. If you choose, a convenient fill-in form can be used to send your message to the governor and others involved in this critical decision. In February, Mount Sophomore Florence Flores, Senior Jessica Langford, and Melissa Romero, coordinator of the MSMC Ambassador Program, traveled to Sacramento to attend AICCU’s Cal Grant Students Day, where they delivered letters to the Mount’s state senators and assembly members. In part, the letters said, “We hope you see the importance of investing in the young women and men of California to ensure a healthy future for our state with an educated workforce. Full funding of the Cal Grant program is essential to enabling us to realize our dreams.” Please join our students by reaching out to your elected officials. Together, we can ensure the Mount’s young women and men can realize their dreams.
The Mount Winter/Spring 2004
5/19/04
11:27 AM
Page 16
Governor’s Proposed Cuts to Cal Grants
Will Limit Access to Higher Education by Don Davidson, director of Communications & Marketing
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2004 –2005 attempts to address a mounting deficit by reducing services to Californians. While Republicans and Democrats alike recognize the problem, the manner in which it will be addressed is the subject of a heated debate in Sacramento and throughout the state. The governor’s proposed budget will dramatically impact Mount St. Mary’s College and its students and their families by limiting access to quality higher education for thousands of low-income Californians. The Cal Grant program, administered by the California Student Aid Commission, is in jeopardy and the Mount needs the help of its alumnae and friends in ensuring its future and the future of its current students and generations of students to come. The governor’s proposal will lower the income ceiling by 10 percent for new students who qualify for the Cal Grant program and reduce the award for qualifying independent college and university students by 44 percent, from $9,708 to $5,482. Asking families to make up this difference is unrealistic and will deprive most, if not all, Cal Grant-eligible students from attending Mount St. Mary’s College or the college of their choice. You can help by writing to your elected officials and expressing your opposition to these reductions. For more information about the proposal, visit the Web Site http://capwiz.com/aiccu. Created by the Association of
16
Students Florence Flores ’06 (left) and Jessica Langford ’04 (right) with Melissa Romero ’02 in Sacramento
Independent California Colleges and Universities (AICCU), the site will help you identify your state representatives and get their addresses and e-mail information. If you choose, a convenient fill-in form can be used to send your message to the governor and others involved in this critical decision. In February, Mount Sophomore Florence Flores, Senior Jessica Langford, and Melissa Romero, coordinator of the MSMC Ambassador Program, traveled to Sacramento to attend AICCU’s Cal Grant Students Day, where they delivered letters to the Mount’s state senators and assembly members. In part, the letters said, “We hope you see the importance of investing in the young women and men of California to ensure a healthy future for our state with an educated workforce. Full funding of the Cal Grant program is essential to enabling us to realize our dreams.” Please join our students by reaching out to your elected officials. Together, we can ensure the Mount’s young women and men can realize their dreams.
The Mount Winter/Spring 2004
