Don't cut back on Cal Grants

When attending college there are two major headaches that plague the enjoyable experience – passing classes and paying for them. For more than half a century Cal Grants have successfully funded students through college within our state, making it one of the best programs that aid students in pursuing higher education.

With tough times hurting many Americans, there is no better time for this program to live up to its promise and help put the next generation of American youth through college. Unfortunately, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger does not think this. Throughout many of the budget proposals that the California governor put forward throughout 2009, one item in particular was cutting or eliminating the Cal Grant Program. If this elimination were to go through, California would be the first state to eliminate its financial aid program. This, in addition to rising tuition throughout both state and private colleges, only adds to the challenge of going to college.

The program aids students by supplying them with up to $9,708 based on parental income and grade point average and that can be used for tuition, room and board, or books. In his most recent proposal, Gov. Schwarzenegger proposed the freeze of a certain type of Cal Grant which would prevent many students from receiving aid. The University of California recently held a private meeting along with outside protest with the governor to convince him not to make any more cuts to the program and instead focus on some alternatives to putting money back into state universities.

For the past couple years, many aspects of American living have gone out the window due to the recession. Jobs, budget cuts and higher living costs are just among the many issues that plague the citizens of our state, not to mention the financial security of our college career. It may not be certain if and when we might lose our Cal Grant privileges, but if the day does come, the effect will be detrimental to students and the University.

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