Student
      Aid
      Programs
      Need
      Assistance
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      TORONTO
      (CUP)
      --
      The
      government
     
     
      expects
      too
      much
      of
      parents
      when
      it
      comes
     
     
      to
      sending
      their
      children
      to
      university,
      a
     
     
      new
      report
      suggests.
     
    

    
     
      The
      study,
      commissioned
      by
      the
     
     
      Canada
      Millennium
      Scholarship
     
     
      Foundation,
      established
      by
      the
      federal
      gov-
     
     
      ernment
      in
      1998
      to
      award
      grants
      to
      "needy
     
     
      students,"
      and
      to
      improve
      access
      to
      post-
     
     
      secondary
      education.
     
    

    
     
      The
      report
      revealed
      that
      student
     
     
      assistance
      programs
      routinely
      expect
      fami-
     
     
      lies
      with
      pre-tax
      incomes
      of
      over
      $80,000
     
     
      to
      contribute
      at
      least
      $10,000
      per
      year
      to
     
     
      their
      children's
      education.
     
    

    
     
      But
      according
      to
      another
      recently-
     
     
      released
      report
      by
      the
      Foundation,
      only
      3
     
     
      per
      cent
      of
      students
      actually
      receive
      this
     
     
      level
      of
      support
      from
      their
      parents.
     
    

    
     
      "While
      Canada's
      student
      aid
      pro-
     
     
      grams
      for
      the
      most
      part
      provide
      students
     
     
      adequate
      assistance
      this
      study
      shows
      that
     
     
      specific
      problems
      exist
      within
      the
      system,"
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     
      said
      Alex
      Usher,
      director
      of
      research
      and
     
     
      program
      development
      for
      the
      Foundation.
     
    

    
     
      Fred
      Hemingway,
      the
      author
      of
     
     
      the
      report,
      writes:
      "It
      is
      the
      general
      consen-
     
     
      sus
      that
      parental
      contribution
      levels
      are
      too
     
     
      high
      for
      some
      families."
     
    
   
   
    
     
      He
      concludes
      that
      a
      number
      of
     
     
      middle-income
      parents
      have
      difficulty
     
     
      because
      of
      other
      living
      costs
      or
      the
      "inabil-
     
     
      ity
      to
      save."
     
    

    
     
      The
      report
      also
      describes
      student
     
     
      loan
      levels
      which
      haven't
      increased
      in
     
     
      almost
      a
      decade,
      even
      though
      tuition
      has
     
     
      increased
      by
      at
      least
      85
      per
      cent
      over
      the
     
     
      same
      time
      period.
     
    

    
     
      "If
      loan
      limits
      were
      appropriate
      in
     
     
      1994,
      they
      may
      be
      considered
      less
      than
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Hemingway,
      a
      former
      chief
      exec-
     
     
      utive
      officer
      of
      the
      Alberta
      Student
     
     
      Finance
      Board,
      said
      financial
      aid
      adminis-
     
     
      trators
      he
      interviewed
      "all
      confirm
      the
     
     
      message
      that
      unmet
      need
      is
      increasing."
     
    

    
     
      "This
      study
      shows
      that
      stagnant
     
     
      loan
      limits
      have
      created
      serious
      problems
     
     
      of
      unmet
      need
      among
      certain
      groups
      of
     
     
      students,"
      Alex
      Usher
      concluded.
     
    

    
     
      Many
      students
      who
      need
      financial
     
     
      support
      but
      cannot
      qualify
      for
      government
     
     
      student
      aid
      must
      resort
      to
      private
      lines
      of
     
     
      credit
      to
      finance
      their
      education,
      and
      many
     
     
      of
      these
      students
      fail
      to
      meet
      the
      require-
     
     
      ments
      set
      out
      by
      private
      loan
      providers,
      the
     
     
      report
      says.
     
    

    
     
      It's
      the
      "insufficient
      maximum
     
     
      assistance
      limits"
      which
      concern
     
     
      Hemingway
      the
      most.
     
    

    
     
      The
      consequences
      of
      this
      are
      felt
     
     
      most
      severely
      among
      students
      with
      high
     
     
      costs
      to
      meet,
      such
      as
      students
      from
      rural
     
     
      areas
      and
      those
      with
      dependents,
      he
      con-
     
     
      cludes.
     
    

    
     
      "Unmet
      need"
      could
      lead
      to
      a
     
     
      decreased
      persistence
      among
      students
      from
     
     
      low-economic
      backgrounds
      and
      a
      high
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
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      adequate
      now,"
      the
      report
      states.
     
    
   
   
    
     
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      Continuing
      and
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      Education
     
     
      Willet
      House,
      38
      Crowell
      Dr.,
      Wolfville,
      NS
      B4P
      2R6
     
     
      1-800-565-6568
      902-585-1434
     
     
      continuing.education@acadiau.ca
     
    
   
   
    
     
      http:/iconted
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Sy
      oa
      eee
      Ea
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
          
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
          
     
    
   
   
    
     
      reliance
      on
      private
      debt,
      as
      well
      as
      stu-
     
     
      dents
      working
      long
      hours.
      All
      of
      these
     
     
      conditions
      could
      serve
      to
      lengthen
      the
      stu-
     
     
      dent's
      academic
      career,
      Hemingway
     
     
      reports.
     
    

    
     
      But
      the
      Canadian
      Federation
      of
     
     
      Students
      —
      a
      longtime
      critic
      of
      the
      foun-
     
     
      dation
      —
      argues
      that
      increasing
      loan
      limits
     
     
      only
      hurts
      students
      in
      the
      end.
     
    

    
     
      "The
      Foundation
      has
      attempted
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘document
      the
      level
      of
      financial
      hardship
     
    
   
   
    
     
      faced
      by
      students,
      yet
      they
      fail
      to
      draw
      the
     
     
      obvious
      conclusion
      that
      increasing
      tuition
     
     
      fees,
      especially
      in
      professional
      programs,
     
     
      is
      the
      primary
      source
      of
      unmet
      financial
     
     
      need,"
      said
      Joel
      Duff,
      Ontario
      Chairperson
     
     
      of
      the
      Canadian
      Federation
      of
      Students.
     
    

    
     
      Duff
      said
      the
      only
      way
      to
      soften
     
     
      the
      blow
      on
      student
      finances
      is
      to
      lower
     
     
      tuition.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "The
      raison
      d'éétre
      of
      the
     
     
      Millennium
      Scholarship
      Foundation
      con-
     
     
      tinues
      to
      be
      one
      of
      ideological
      justification
     
     
      for
      the
      federal
      government's
      failure
      to
      ade-
     
     
      quately
      address
      the
      crisis
      in
      post-secondary
     
     
      education,"
      said
      Duff.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      page
      [15]
      april
      2
      2003