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St. Cloud State University
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HESO discusses work study
By Drew Sandholm
Published:
Thursday, October 3, 2002
It is not necessary to stress the importance of money in today's society. With a troubled Minnesota economy, many people, businesses and governmental organizations face difficult financial dilemmas.
The Minnesota Higher Education Services Office (HESO) budget is no exception. This budget, which affects nearly every SCSU student, provides funding for state financial aid programs, interstate tuition reciprocity, work study, and child care, among other programs.
Last year's budget outcome has stirred much controversy. Students arriving on campuses this fall found that the work study they had received with their financial aid packages was gone. Inadequate budget planning the previous year drained work study funds.
To prevent this from reoccurring, budget recommendations are being made now for the next academic year. Not surprisingly, this year's budget brings with it a hot debate.
After a Sept. 27 meeting in St. Paul, the Higher Education Services Council (HESC) discussed biennial budget recommendations. These budget recommendations will ultimately decide the fate of work study programs in the future.
The meeting follows six public hearings throughout Minnesota from early September. Input from the six cities of Duluth, Mankato, Moorhead, St. Cloud, St. Paul and Winona were reviewed at Friday's meeting.
Also, on the agenda for the council's meeting was a review of the budget reduction plan as required by the Department of Finance. This review is a mandatory factor of the biennial budget process.
"The main objective of the council is making college education affordable for every student,"said Sara Standke, Higher Education Services Council (HESC) member. "This year has been difficult because of budget shortfalls which really hurt aspects of financial aid, especially work study.
Standke described the meeting as being highly informative.
"There were several representatives who talked about the importance of the work study program and what it means for next year," Standke said.
Comprised of eight citizen members and one student, HESC consists of people from every walk of life, ranging in ages from 19-65. Council members reside in just about every area of the state. To maintain a primarily objective agenda, HESC has no more than five members of the same political party.
"Affordability is the main goal of the HESC. We try to do everything you can to make that happen," said Standke.
More than 2,100 students rely on the work study program as a means of paying for college. SCSU employs approximately 977 students through state and federal work study programs, according to the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid.
The loss of funding for the work study program has had a huge impact on Minnesota state colleges and universities. A majority of students, who failed to apply early for positions, did not receive awards.� Over 5,270 students were directly affected by the loss of funds. Increases in students' loans are becoming more visible.
"It upsets me very much so" said Frank Loncorich, director of financial aid at SCSU. "In my opinion, it was not necessary. We are being put in a very difficult situation by people of greater control."
SCSU's office of scholarships and financial aid is allowed the opportunity to compensate for lost allocations. This means SCSU is able to match most lost funds.
HESC wants to prevent another shortfall of funds from occurring in the future. Although the means of accomplishing this task are still in debate, many ideas have been brought to the table. Legislature requires HESO to issue quarterly reports on the status of financial aid programs. However, the accuracy of these reports is under close examination.
"There is difficulty in projecting the status of future economy. We try to keep informed and look at things on a monthly basis," Standke said.
Students also have the opportunity to prevent another financial loss towards the work study program.�
"We are encouraging students to contact their legislators of their home districts to prevent this from happening again," Loncorich said. "I would much rather award money through work study than grants or awards. There are many valuable things to be learned through experiences while working."
