Students search for new funds after grant expires

By Amanda Phipps

phippsa@mytjnow.com

Senior math major Yolanda Richardson will have to take out a loan next year to cover the loss of grant money she will no longer receive thanks to the Obama administration. 

Richardson is one of 640 students who will be the last to receive money from the SMART (Federal Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent) grant or the ACG (Academic Competitiveness Grant) at Winthrop this year because of the Obama administration’s decision not to renew them, said Leah Sturgis, director of financial aid. 

Richardson said the SMART grant helped her and her family save money on tuition.

“If I did not receive the grant, my parents would have to take out a parent plus loan in order for me to cover that part of the money that I did not receive,” she said.  “This grant and others helped a lot and kept my debt very low throughout my last three years at Winthrop.” 

Richardson said she will still be able to attend Winthrop without the grant, but she will need to take a loan out.

“I really wish I did not have to take out a loan, but I won’t let the program ending stop me from continuing my education,” she said. 

Financial aid awarded the SMART grant to 75 students this year; 399 freshman students and 166 sophomore students received the ACG grant this year, Sturgis said. 

The $4,000 SMART grant is available to full-time junior or senior students in biology, chemistry, math, computer science or environmental science majors, according to the Winthrop financial aid website. Because the grant is both need- and academic-based, the applicants must meet the 3.0 GPA requirement. They must also receive a Federal Pell Grant during the same semester, which students do by filling out the FASFA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form and meeting the eligibility requirements, according to the website. 

The ACG grant is awarded to full-time freshman and sophomore students, said Michelle Hare, assistant director of financial aid. She said financial aid determines a student’s class standing by the hours he or she has completed. Hare said the grant is for all majors, but students must meet the GPA requirement of at least 3.0. 

Hare said the ACG grant is also a need-based grant. Students must be eligible for a Federal Pell Grant during the same semester. The grant is $750 for first-year students and $1,300 for second-year students, she said. 

The Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005 (HERA) started both grants, Hare said. The date for the grants to expire was set for the 2010-2011 academic year, and the Obama administration has decided not to renew the grants, she said. 

Though she doesn’t know if it’s too late for changes to be made, Hare encourages students to write to their representatives if they would like them to renew the grants, she said. 

“Congressmen make the rules,” she said. “Students need to make them understand how important these grants are to them.”

Hare said even though the grants aren’t a huge source of money, they help students attend school. 

“It can be the difference for some students,” she said. “Unfortunately, both of these programs are ending.” 

Richardson said the loss of these grants can negatively impact students. 

“Students who really have no other source of funds and used so many loans over the years should really be concerned,” she said. “Any grant that can help more students be able to successfully finish Winthrop should not be cut.” 

Students should fill out the FASFA for 2011-2012 immediately so they can receive other forms of financial aid, Hare said. She also said if students haven’t filled out the FAFSA form for 2010-2011, they can still do so. 

Sturgis said even though other forms of financial aid, such as scholarships and student loans, exist for students, there’s nothing to replace these grants, a fact that may be hard on some students. 

“These grants have been around since 2006,” she said. “Some students don’t know life without them.”