Wisconsin Technical College Leaders Decry Federal Aid Cuts

Frederica Freyberg:
Higher education leaders in Wisconsin sounded the alarm this week over provisions in the House reconciliation bill that tightly curbs student financial aid. They called out the elimination of the federally subsidized loan program for undergraduates, in addition to restrictions on loans for graduate studies. And of major concern, changes to Pell Grants for lower income students that nearly 80,000 Wisconsin students receive. These changes require full-time attendance, whereas 35% of current recipients attend college part time. This is of particular concern to the technical college system.

Layla Merrifield:
We have serious concerns about the numbers of students who would lose Pell Grant eligibility entirely. We think, according to our preliminary analysis, at least 6,000 students would lose eligibility entirely. Many thousands more would lose portions of their grants, as they would be prorated based on the number of credits that these students are able to take. Now, when they’re working part time and often raising families on their own, it’s very difficult for them to increase those credit loads and stay successful both in college career and in their family responsibilities.

Jose Villarreal:
For students like me, that change would make a hard situation even harder. It’s not as simple as signing up for one more class. I’m already taking as many credits as I can while working, being a present father to my young daughter, and managing responsibilities outside of the classroom. I’m doing everything I can to stay on track and earn my degree. Adding another class isn’t just about effort. It’s not about wanting success badly enough. My days are full. My early mornings, late nights, a lot of hard work. Raising the credit requirements wouldn’t speed up my education. It would slow it down. It would force me to choose between work and school. It would make the path harder. It would push students out.