Maureen Lane

The Governor Gets All the Credit for This Mistake

In among the line item vetoes that Governor Pataki did last week, there were 119.5 million dollars worth of cuts to Tuition Assistance Program (TAP). TAP is a higher education grant program for poor and low-income New Yorkers. In addition to the cuts, Pataki's vetoes shove through increases in the number of credits, from 12 to 15, students must carry a semester in order to receive TAP. Clearly, the wrong way to go.

First off, TAP needs to be fully funded. It is a great program. According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, in addition to raising the credit load, Pataki's vetoes will very likely force students in community and other colleges to drop out. It is hard to juggle other responsibilities, family, work etc... and carry 12 credits let alone 15. Repeatedly, Hunter College WRI (Welfare Rights Initiative) students have tried to increase their semester credits. They want to get their diplomas faster but invariably find that their grades suffer. Grades going down jeopardize grant status and then students are forced to drop out because they cannot qualify for TAP or PELL (the federal higher education tuition grant).

Sara Hebel in the Chronicle of Higher Education article reports the Governor says fraud in private institutions is the reason for the credit load increase. If there is a fraud problem, a college or program can be reviewed directly. Who is served when state policy forces low-income students to stretch their capacity to the breaking point? Let us remember about 75% of the people receiving TAP come from families making under $40,000 a year, most well under $20,000. When student grades are negatively impacted by poor policy choices, we need to stop and get on the right track.

New Yorkers can change the Governor's egregious mistake by calling their state legislators and telling them to override his vetoes. We need to do this in a loud clear voice so that the Governor hears us and, come to think of it, the candidates for governor, too.

Maureen Lane: Author Bio | Other Posts
Posted at 7:51 AM, Apr 20, 2006 in Education | New York
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