Have tuition increases outpaced HOPE? Students riled.
The financial crisis facing the HOPE Scholarship has been looming for several years but appears to be at a boiling point now with state leaders predicting a certain reduction in either the amount of the scholarship or in how many students receive it.
While we have discussed HOPE several times in the last few weeks, a parent sent me this note that I thought was worth sharing as we have not discussed the increases in tuition at the public colleges:
“I have a senior at Georgia Tech. Four years ago her HOPE scholarship (including the $150 book allowance) was $4,796. I have a freshman at UGA this year and her HOPE scholarship for the year is $8,240. In four years tuition and reimbursable fees have risen 72 percent. Maybe that’s why HOPE is going broke.”
There’s also an AJC story by Laura Diamond about the escalating concerns among students about HOPE. She writes:
Legislative recommendations aren’t expected for a few of weeks, but suggestions include decreasing the amount of the award and raising the minimum grade-point average to qualify for HOPE from a 3.0 to a 3.2, said Rep. Len Walker, R-Loganville, chairman of the House Higher Education Committee.
Both possibilities make students nervous. Some could lose the award. Others could have to delay graduation because they would have to work more hours to afford school, they said.
“I don’t want to assert that students at Georgia Tech or the other research institutions are superior, but it is a little bit more difficult at Tech to maintain a 3.0, let alone a 3.2,” Tech student body president Corey Boone said.
Boone plans to join his counterparts at the University of Georgia and Georgia State University to devise a joint response.
Also planning to respond is Georgia Students for Public Higher Education, a group of activists that plans to meet Jan. 15 in Athens, said Hira Mahmood, one of its members.
Mahmood, a Georgia State senior, questioned lawmakers’ priorities and those who say students see HOPE as an entitlement.
“If it’s not an entitlement, stop advertising it like it is,” she said. “We’re beaten to death in high school that HOPE is there and that all we need to do is maintain a 3.0 and our tuition is covered. We should feel entitled to this because it was a promise made to us.”
–By Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Guides
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2012 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
60 comments Add your comment
Unintended Consequences
December 16th, 2010
12:25 am
If I ran a business where all my customers could get low cost gov’t backed loans or easy lottery scholarships for my product AND my product was a requirement, I wouldn’t be worried about cost control either. Thus, the price of education is rising well above inflation.
Lots jobs in the U.S. that require a college education as minimum, really just require someone with above average intelligence, but courts have deemed most IQ tests illegal in interviews 45 years ago. So for decades now, we’ve had people in the university system racking up big debt to get their diploma who need specific training beyond high school like we used to do for many jobs. However, the court’s rulings unsure that doesn’t happen like it used to for many business jobs.
More unintended negative consequences of government “solutions.”
Echo
December 16th, 2010
12:32 am
Most of the students getting HOPE are completely unprepared for college and real life. I really wish they would just get rid of the program. If you want an education, earn scholarships, take out loans, do work-study or just pay for it.
Tweets that mention Have tuition increases outpaced HOPE? Students riled. | Get Schooled -- Topsy.com
December 16th, 2010
1:31 am
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Bertromavich Reibold, Maureen Downey. Maureen Downey said: Have tuition increases outpaced HOPE? Students riled. http://bit.ly/expYiq [...]
Future Teacher
December 16th, 2010
1:36 am
HOPE has attracted (and kept) many stellar students in Georgia universities. You can’t be a Tech, UGA, or Georgia State supporter without being in favor of HOPE, because it is what has kept those schools growing in prominence and prestige every year. Unfortunately, with increased prominence and prestige comes increased tuition.
With that said, we can’t get rid of HOPE. I don’t even like the idea of cutting the amount given, but I realize that some funding is way better than none. Tighten requirements, especially GPA. It irritates me a bit that the GT student body president is putting that “It’s hard to maintain a 3.0 at Tech” mantra out in public as an argument against tighter requirements, especially because Tech is my alma mater and I maintained over a 3.0. HOPE is supposed to be for the top students, and these students are the ones who will bend over backwards to keep HOPE. Maybe at Tech you may have to work a bit harder for that 3.0, but I thought (and still think) an excellent (and free) education is worth the hard work.
As an aside, if HOPE is for the top students, why is it being used towards remedial classes? I think that lawmakers can easily fix one facet of that problem by simply not paying for those class. However, after making that correction, they should step back and ask themselves why GA students need remedial classes in college.
Attentive Parent
December 16th, 2010
5:25 am
Maureen-
Several months ago there was a report on administrative bloat at American colleges and universities. It explained that administrative costs (which benefit those employed adults) have increased much faster than instructional costs (which benefit students). The design of the federal student loan program and HOPE provide the incentive the capture all the available revenue by growing the payroll and thus increasing operating costs.
Now the money is running out at the federal and state level. We just cannot see it as well yet at the federal level as they have a printing press and can run deficits and borrow.
I know you and the AJC understand all this because here’s the link to the AJC story of how this applies to Georgia’s colleges and universities.
http://www.goldwaterinstitute.org/article/4975
Are you trying to get the students in Georgia stirred up by not fully reporting the relevant facts at your disposal?
Yes. I understand they are voters in Georgia and nationally in 2012. What is troubling is if we are trying to keep certain voters enraged, entitled, and uninformed.
That really is not working well at the moment in the UK and elsewhere in Europe.
Unintended Consequences
December 16th, 2010
6:36 am
Hope has had a positive effect on the avg test scores for students admitted to UGA, GT and GA State. However, population growth in Georgia is the single biggest reason that the avg test scores have risen at those schools. They get significantly more applications for a similar number of seats as they did decades ago.
That rise in test scores doesn’t explain the sharp rise in school costs, though.
The rise in tuition is related to their customer being able to afford (via gov’t backed loans) anything they charge, though it puts students in terrible debt. The students don’t have a choice because we require a college education for so many jobs that don’t really need one (because of 1960’s court decisions about IQ tests). There is no natural market pricing because of these two unnatural forces. These two government actions are the primary cause of the college inflation problem.
northatlantateacher
December 16th, 2010
6:37 am
I was in college before HOPE, and I remember my freshman psych 101 teacher saying that HOPE would be the “downfall of rigorous education in this state”. We all thought that was a terrible, awful, no good and unfair thing to say! We felt if a student worked hard enough to earn a 3.0 in high school (which at that time was actually a challenge)that they were entitled to a free ride in college.
Wow, was he ever right. He predicted the decreased rigor and unreal grade inflation present in most Georgia high schools and how that would lead to unpreparedness for college freshmen. He also predicted the rise in students who weren’t necessarily “college material”(I hate this term) needing a year (or more) of remedial course work. He even predicted the outcry from college students when the money ran out.
For HOPE to mean something, it needs to go to the top students. And GPA needs to only be ONE part of qualifying. Also considered should be SAT score. (I know – evil) And if a student needs remedial course work, that should NOT be covered. It goes to too many mediocre students, plain and simple.
College is a privilege, not a right.
Unintended Consequences
December 16th, 2010
6:40 am
And in Georgia, the Hope scholarship has also allowed the colleges to not be cost conscious either (similar affect to the easy access, low interest rate student load program).
Rick
December 16th, 2010
6:41 am
Gwinnet County schools have a budget of $2 billion. I believe that 20% of the students attending these schools are the children of illegal aliens. One metro Atlanta county is spending $400 million each year to educate the children of illegal aliens.
Add in the rest of the metro Atlanta counties and we spend more than $1 billion each year to educate the children of illegal aliens! Shouldn’t that money be spent to educate and provide educational opportunities for children of US citizens and legal residents?
Now the Democrats want to pass the Dream Act to provide a path to citizenship for up to 2 million children of illegal aliens! Think of all the scholarship monies and slots at our local colleges and universities will be filled with the children of illegal aliens! Think of increase in competition for jobs at a time of 10% unemployment and even greater under-employment. Upwards of 20% of the state population is unemployed, underemployed, or have just given up hope of landing a job. These conditions will be with us for years.
Stop funding the educations of illegal aliens and their children! Secure our borders and use E-Verify to ensure that all employees at all firms have hired and are hiring legal workers. Fine and imprison employers who hire illegal workers.
Police should be checking for drivers without legal licenses and without insurance. Those that are here in this country illegally should be taken to jail and turned over to ICE.
Taxpayers are sick and tired of supporting illegal aliens. Resources need to be used for US citizens and legal residents. What good is it to have laws if they are not enforced?
NGAVET
December 16th, 2010
6:44 am
Maureen, how much have state budget cuts in higher education been passed on as increased tuition?
jd
December 16th, 2010
7:09 am
Students receiving HOPE in the public universities make up less than half of the total population — HOPE does not drive tuition costs — however, when the State has lowered its support from 75% to 60%, then tuition makes up that difference. When your student population grows 50%, the sheer numbers drive HOPE costs. Simply saying HOPE distorts market pricing fails — especially when you see that Georgia Tuition is below market media prices for the Southeast.
redweather
December 16th, 2010
7:13 am
As with any problem in public education, this one is multi-faceted. Continually rising (and not always sufficiently justified) administrative costs are one factor. Rampant grade inflation at the high school level is another. Budget cuts coming out of the State House are yet another. Changes must be made; unfortunately, those changes will be made by our state legislators. This is unfortunate because cronyism will rule the day as it always does in Georgia’s State House. If I were a Georgia high school student or his/her parents, I would begin right now to make sure that those A’s and B’s I’vve been getting are the real thing. If you attend a school where B’s are handed out for homewrok turned in and C’s for merely showing up, you may not be prepared for college. Real scholarship is your best defense.
northatlantateacher
December 16th, 2010
7:13 am
Unintended consequences: The money has to come from somewhere – the state has drastically decreased funding for public colleges. Tuition must increase to make the shortfall.
redweather
December 16th, 2010
7:15 am
I’ve . . . homework!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Uncle D
December 16th, 2010
8:03 am
If so many citizens (as reflected above) perceive at least some of the problem to be excessive increases in the cost of higher education, why is our debate in Georgia seemingly entirely focused on cutting the support to those whom the program was intended to benefit (the students)? Why is the Board of Regents not being faced with similar pressure to reduce increases or even (gasp) cut charges to reflect the % change in HOPE funds? I know they have their boilerplate complaints about needing to pay top dollar to keep top professors, but where is the research to demonstrate any connection between this past practice and improved student performance? Could we even contemplate (double gasp) a similar level of accountability by higher ed for student outcomes as apply to K-12 teachers? In the absence of such, why do we keep falling for this argument?
Attentive Parent
December 16th, 2010
8:19 am
jd-
Please read my comments more carefully. A large portion of the students not receiving HOPE get federal student aid which study after study shows is driving higher ed inflation.
Uncle D-
For the same reason all cuts in public spending move immediately to police and fire instead of the bureaucrats.
To create public pain and squawking to prevent any cuts at all. Must raise taxes becomes the default.
GetAGripOnHOPE
December 16th, 2010
8:20 am
If people had any idea how many students abuse HOPE, they wouldn’t feel so badly about the changes. Students can sign up for a full load, HOPE pays for these classes, and then they drop the classes during Drop/Add and only take the classes they know will easy. And, they don’t have to pay back the money they received from HOPE. The high school GPA is way too low, and has still led to grade inflation. Students are NOT held accountable, and the HOPE standards are not stiff enought in ensure that there is no abuse. Students who sign up for classes and then drop them should be required to repay that money before they are allowed to sign up for more classes.
Atlanta mom
December 16th, 2010
8:34 am
How many business have been able to raise prices 72% in the past four years?
catlady
December 16th, 2010
8:38 am
Rick– in my system, 90% of the “children of illegal aliens” were born here, and have the same right to an education that any other American citizen has. It’s not that I am against sealing the border, or using some system to identify people (everify is a joke!), or against deportation. Just realize that many of the people you are calling upon to be deported are as “American” as you or I.
northatlantateacher
December 16th, 2010
8:42 am
Atlanta mom: Ha! I would say that as long as the public feels that a college degree is a right and we should support any student’s desire to go to college with HOPE money, colleges will raise costs to compensate for having to educate the masses. Colleges were not created or designed to educate the number and drastically varying ability levels they now do.
catlady
December 16th, 2010
8:49 am
Getagrip: while I agree with you, those students “get it in the end” when they run out of HOPE hours but have not finished their degree.
HOPE has produced many unintended, but easily predicted, consequences. This is because HOPE was designed by politicians, rather than talking to experts in higher education policy, or even financial aid specialists. As are too many “good ideas” that local, state, and federal politicians come up with for education which are unsound, counterproductive, ill-advised, or just plain stupid! Would you come up with a new procedure for heart surgery without asking specialists in cardiac medicine? Would you design “improved” highways or bridges without talking to engineers? (yes, obviously politicians DO do this) Yet we pour millions into rats’ holes with these poorly conceived educational “solutions.” Because everyone knows about education–they ALL went to first grade!
clueless
December 16th, 2010
8:50 am
Taking one graduate level course used to cost me under $500; now it’s over $1000.
Lee
December 16th, 2010
8:50 am
Whenever the consumer of the goods of service does not have to pay for it, there is no market pressure incentive to keep prices in check. It’s easy to play fast and loose with other people’s money.
Case in point: healthcare. For years, most people had to pay for their doctor visits out of pocket. Then, Congress enacted the laws that created the Medicare/Medicaid system and employers began providing healthcare insurance as a benefit of employment. The consumer no longer cared what doctors or hospitals charged because they did not have to pay for it. The result was that healthcare costs spiraled out of control until we finally reached the breaking point.
Pell Grants and the HOPE Scholarship have the same effect on tuition. Colleges had no market based incentive to maintain cost controls. The name of the game was to increase the enrollment in order to keep the dollars flowing in. Just look at the enrollment of Kennesaw State and Georgia State from 1990 to present. The Legislature also saw an opportunity to pull money from colleges to fund their pet projects.
This perfect storm has been brewing for years and now has come to a head.
BTW, colleges love the remedial classes. It is much cheaper to have a Graduate Assistant teach a remedial class than a Professor teach an upper level class. Both bring in the same money.
oldtimer
December 16th, 2010
8:54 am
Colleges need to contain costs. Teachers need to teach another class or two. Maybe instead of far better insurance, colleges could be in the same plan as all other teachers and state employees. From my experience many of the high cost research professors are not very good teachers and TAs cover their classes. Students who graduate with a 3.0 and need remedial classes, should be able to sue their school system to pay for these classes.
Also, the president of a college does not need a higher salary than the President of the United States.
northatlantateacher
December 16th, 2010
9:18 am
Oldtimer: As far as whether or not research professors are good teachers – that’s not the point. Students coming into college shouldn’t need a teacher but a professor. Huge difference of which I’m sure you are aware. Any hey, why just the school system? Why not teachers? Let’s just open up the flood gates. Malpractice lawsuits have done wonders for our healthcare system, right?
Lee: Of course colleges love those remedial classes. Which is exactly why HOPE should stop covering them. My guess is those that graduate high school but need a year or remedial courses will not enroll in college in the first place if they aren’t covered. Maybe not such a bad idea.
College students: sell booze on Sunday, cut pre-K to fund HOPE « Georgia Colleges
December 16th, 2010
9:18 am
[...] comment on ajc.com’s Get Schooled is vehement, blasting high schools for inflating grades and failing to adequately prepare students [...]
northatlantateacher
December 16th, 2010
9:19 am
*and
*more
Everybody wants a free ride
December 16th, 2010
9:28 am
HOPE has become another entitlement program offered by our State government. Requirements are low so we can provide an education to the more “disadvantaged” folks in our state who would never qualify to attend a university. Thus the need for all of the remedial slasses offered by Georgia colleges. As a parent of a HOPE student at Georgia Tech, I am happy to receive the assistance. My daughter has worked her fanny off both in high school and college to earn the help. She was accepted to all universities she applied to and was offered hundres of thousands of $’s for tuition help. She chose to remain here for many reasons, the least of which is a strong family leagacy at GT.
I feel the way to remedy the situation is for the State to offer very low or no interest loans to students for the first year of college. If you make the necessary grades to obtain the current HOPE, your loan will be forgiven. If not, you must pay it back. You could use this sytem for each year also. This cuts out the State giving out millions of dollars to kids that do not need to be in college.
Double Zero Eight
December 16th, 2010
9:33 am
No remedial classes should be covered. In order to guard against
grade inflation in high schools, there should be a minimum SAT
or ACT score in order to qualify.
the prof
December 16th, 2010
10:46 am
Quite frankly, you student have never and still never pay close to the actual cost of attending a university.
the prof
December 16th, 2010
10:46 am
pardon me…”students”
Atlanta mom
December 16th, 2010
10:49 am
Does anyone here know what the deal is with “tuition” and “fees”. As I look at my student’s bill for tuition at UGA it is only $3,535, but fees add another $833. If you have to pay the fees (and I believe you do), why isn’t it just called tuition?
Atlanta mom
December 16th, 2010
10:53 am
I’m just wondering if tuition increases have to be approved by the legislature and fees don’t, or something of that nature, if games are being played by someone, somewhere.
what to do?
December 16th, 2010
11:03 am
I teach a required class to seniors at my high school. Our HS does not differentiate graduation tracks any longer so I have a mixture of high, middle and low level performers. So far this semester I have had numerous meetings with parents and my administration over the issue of grades. My parents and administrators are applying not-so-subtle pressure to get Suzie or Johnny an ‘A’ so that they can qualify for Hope money. These students are ‘C’ level and if I cave to the outside influences, it will devalue the work of the students who have earned that ‘A’. I am interested in how some of the teachers on this blog have dealt with this issue.
Random Thought
December 16th, 2010
11:12 am
Why should HOPE stop covering the remedial classes? These classes will still count towards HOPE credits. For those that do not know, HOPE was changed so that it is not an unlimited funding system. HOPE will only pay for 120 credit hours or for the number of credits your degree requires if your degree exceeds 120 credit hours. This means that if a student is required to take 12 credit hours of remedial classes, the student will have to find funds to complete 12 credit hours of his/her degree. If a degree requires 150 credits, HOPE will only pay 150 credits hours regardless of whether the degree was completed/earned. If a student withdraws from a class with a grade of W, that class is still counted toward the HOPE credit hours. Even if a student pays for a part-time semester out of pocket thinking to reserve HOPE for a full-semester, the credits paid for out-of-pocket is still counted towards HOPE credits. HOPE counts the first 120 credit hours (or degree required credits) regardless of who pays for it.
Everyday I read this blog and everyday I read a comment from a teacher stating that many students are behind their grade level. However most of these students do not recognize this because they have been given multiple opportunities to earn a better grade or they are passed along for the next grade level to deal with.
Why continue the disservice to these students? If it takes a student going to college to learn what they should have learned in high school then so be it. Towards the end of their college career they will still be responsible for these classes because remedial classes are counted towards the HOPE credit limit.
Tuition has outpaced HOPE. Below are the $ increases at my alma mater (per semester) within 6 years:
TUITION-UNDERGRAD (14 credits)
2004: $1,214.00
2010: $2,324.00
TECHNOLOGY FEE
2004: $38.00
2010: $75.00
FALL HEALTH FEE
2004: $23.00
2010: $23.00
FALL ATHLETIC FEE
2004: $79.00
2010: $108.00
Fall Activity Fee/Recreation Wellness
2004: $92.00
2010: $92.00
Transportation/Facilities
2004: N/A
2010: $100.00
Institutional (REGENTS REQUIRED FEE)
2004: N/A
2010: $200.00
In 2004 the total cost of tuition and fees per semester for 15 credits was $1532.
In 2010 the total cost of tuition and fees per semester for 15 credits was $3088.
This is a 100% increase in tuition and fees over a six-year period; however, within those six years students have received cuts on available classes and other services.
oldtimer
December 16th, 2010
11:16 am
@ What to do…big dilemma. Teachers are having huge ammounts of pressure to “give” grades. I taught my last couple of years that was big into “do-overs”. I was tired of regrading papers. I know much had been copied from someone else. Kids could do it over till thay got an A….So schools have been “dumbed” down and remedial classes should be paidfor by the school systems. Most of these students and their parents think they are college material.
As a teacher, with a cop husband, I was glad for HOPE. Now living in another state I see the value of an ACT score as part of the qualifications.
Random Thought
December 16th, 2010
11:35 am
I find it funny that teachers say they had to “dumb down” the material under pressure. If every teacher made a fuss over having to dumb down the material as much as the do about their pay, then maybe, just maybe you can start to change the course of education. But until then, remedial classes in college needs because the “dumb” will continue to graduate high school and they need to learn the material somewhere.
Really amazed
December 16th, 2010
11:49 am
@what to do, my son goes to a very challenging private school in Cobb his AP World History teacher is giving just about every 10th grader a C. They have worked there butts off but she insist these students will be the ones to ace the AP exam at the end of the year. We will see. Our school refuses to grade inflate because a parent complains. I do hope this doesn’t ruin his chances for HOPE but do understand that my child will know how to get through college because of the rigiours curr. he has had.
redweather
December 16th, 2010
12:15 pm
what to do . . . You should maintain your standards regardless of what students, parents and administrator think. At some point they may thank you. Here’s why.
I teach at a large, multi-campus community college in metro Atlanta. This semester I began with approximately 100 students in four different classes. Early on a few students in each class fell by the wayside for one reason or another. When it came time to enter final grades, only five students earned A’s. In one class there were 9 F’s, 8 B’s and 7 C’s; in another 5 B’s, 11 C’s. one D, and 6 F’s. The numbers in the other two classes were similar. Loads of F’s and C’s.
Most of my students will freely admit that they received A’s and B’s in high school without having to do much to earn those grades. As a result, they enter college (with or without a HOPE scholarship in hand) unprepared to do college work. Can they find professors who will continue to cut them slack? Sure. There are some of those everywhere. However, the rest of us “don’t play” as students are fond of saying. This is what your students, parents, and administrators need to know.
Perhaps most important of all, parents need to know that they will have no leverage whatsoever once their children enter college. Unlike K-12, no one is required to attend college. So if students are unwilling or unable to do the work, they can’t expect that their parents will be able to put pressure on the professor. If they happen to have HOPE, they will quickly lose it.
JB
December 16th, 2010
12:16 pm
@northatlantateacher
I too attended UGA before the HOPE. I also peer-tutored students and I can tell you there were many students ill-prepared for college back then. However, when I attended UGA in the late 80s it was considered a “fall-back school” – the school you went to if you couldn’t get in anywhere else. I must admit, that even the Honors program was a breeze.
But HOPE attracted many more quality applicants; getting in became more competitive (desirable). Now UGA is considered a high-quality school. My sister attended 2000-2004 and the improvement was significant. I don’t beleive her ex A rising tide lifts all boats.
As to the cost. These kinds of tuition increases have been seen all over the country, in public and private schools and in states w/o HOPE, so I don’t think you can attribute the steep rise in cost to that. According to another article, the schools contend that the competition for good students is so great that they have to improve amenities to attract them — athletic facilities, arts, spas etc. So until a lower price becomes an amenity that students and parents find attractive, spending will continue and costs will rise.
Mom of two successful HOPE recipients
December 16th, 2010
12:24 pm
Why can’t we just say that a HOPE scholarship of, say, $4,000 covers the cost of a year’s tuition – no matter what the actual tuition being charged to others is. It could be similar to the early savings plans that other states have that freeze tuition rates for those students. i think the schools started looking at the HOPE as a cash cow, and started raising rates a little indiscriminately.
And no more of the ridiculous “fees” without attachments, please.
Do that, and then add a SAT/ACT component, get rid of paying for remedial classes, lower or eliminate the private school HOPE, and limit or eliminate earning it back after losing it.
Ann
December 16th, 2010
12:40 pm
I take issue with the requirement to raise the HOPE qualifying grade point average. I work at Georgia Tech, and they don’t play the “grade inflation” game here. Most students I know are extraordinarily smart and talented, but have a hard time maintaining a 3.0 at Georgia Tech because we don’t puff up those grades, and it is a very RIGOROUS school to get through. Raising the minimum tuition will hurt some of the smartest students in the state…those attending Georgia Tech.
Maybe that’s why UGA is starting their own engineering program where they can inflate grades and keep more engineering students in HOPE.
LP
December 16th, 2010
12:49 pm
Hello all,
I have reserved making any comments up until now. IWhen I went to college 13 years ago I received HOPE but lost it after my first semester because I was unprepared for college life. So I agree with most of you on the point that most kids aren’t prepared from the major leap from h.s. to college. But with all that being said I did adjust, no I did not receive HOPE again but I did receive other monetary provisions most if which were loans and the PELL grant. I then went on to acquire my Master’s at the entire expense of the Federal government which is now my expense.
All the choices that I have made we just that choices. No one forces anyone to go to school or rather pursue a higher education. You choose to do those things and more. But be willing to except the responsibility of those choices. If HOPE does drastically change as many are predicting that it will, be prepared for what your next step will be after that.
Wondering
December 16th, 2010
2:24 pm
The fact is that one of the top spending lobbying ‘firms’ in the state is the Board of Regents. BOR wines and dines our legislature and Governor, while allowing their costs to increase by 100% over six years. Our legislature rattles their swords, but pull back to protect 4-H. In the mean time, the University System fails to control their non-academic expenses (see previous article in the AJC) and Hope picks up the bulk of the expense. Everyone is happy.
Now the educational cash cow is running dry, and we can’t ask BOR to get their costs under control (they will first cut 4-H), so we are looking to save Hope by eliminating from its program the very students it is designed to help. Sounds like fiscal prudence, Alabama style. If you want to attract the employeers of tomorrow, we will need to provide them an educated work force. Our government will also need to show that it is serious about our long term future, which will be based on education, not low taxes, poor services, and lots of retirees.
The Regents need to step in and demand that University administration do their jobs. Controlling expenses is a major part of their role, and it doesn’t appear they are doing the job. Do the job or get replaced.
Just A Teacher
December 16th, 2010
2:38 pm
A college education isn’t supposed to be free. Students should work to pay for college. I had to pay for mine and did so by working while raising 3 children. If you want a degree, work for it!
Double Zero Eight
December 16th, 2010
2:54 pm
@ Just A Teacher
The lottery would not have passed if the Hope provision was
not attached to it. If they repeal Hope, then the lottery would
in essence need to be repealed.
Double Zero Eight
December 16th, 2010
3:00 pm
The student most likely does not have a legitimate 3.0
GPA if he/she needs remedial cousework upon entering
college. As I stated in a previous blog, a minimum SAT
or ACT score should be established.
Just A Teacher
December 16th, 2010
3:15 pm
@Double Zero Eight
OK. Get rid of the lottery. The money it was supposed to generate for public education is being diverted to other projects anyway. I firmly believe that students who are required to pay for their own educations are more inclined to take their studies seriously. It’s the same thing as buying your child a car. If he or she has to work and earn the money to pay for it, then its value is much greater to him or her. Keep giving this generation everything for free, and they will learn to do nothing but suckle from the government teat.
Mitch
December 16th, 2010
4:46 pm
“Hope” simply means that our millionaire college professors and admin. staff can continue to live the life without any worry or having to do much of anything.
Really amazed
December 16th, 2010
5:35 pm
@Just a teacher, totally agree!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!