Low lottery funds put HOPE at risk
Sophomore management major Ryan Brown is one of many students at GCSU and across the state of Georgia who has benefited from the HOPE Scholarship program. Naturally, he’s concerned about recent reports that the program, funded by the Georgia Lottery, is beginning to dwindle. Despite its success, the lottery is struggling to keep up with demands for the scholarship program.
“It helps cover my expenses and it helps me out a lot. It worries me that it may be reduced or completely eliminated,” Brown said. “I’m a huge proponent of HOPE. I think it helps students further themselves both intellectually and socially.”
If current trends continue, students could see their HOPE book fee funds decrease from $300 to $150 beginning in the fall of 2012. By 2013, the book fee subsidies could be completely eliminated, and by 2014, coverage of mandatory fees that range from $100 to $600 depending on the college could be reduced as well. GCSU students were paid $16.1 million by the HOPE Scholarship for the 2008-09 academic year.
“The HOPE money from the lottery funds is kept in reserves, and if those funds in those reserves reach a certain amount and get too low, you get into the core of that money, and it will trigger some program cuts,” Cathy Crowley, director of financial aid at GCSU, said. “So those book fee subsidies and mandatory fee coverage are going to be at risk.”
Georgia lawmakers plan to discuss ways to amend the program to make it more effective in the next year and hope to have changes by 2011 or 2012.
In 1993, the Georgia Lottery was created to support HOPE as well as pre-kindergarten programs. Any Georgia student that attends college within the state and maintains a 3.0 grade-point average is eligible for the scholarship. The 3.0 requirement was added by legislators in 2004 due to fears that the program’s resources and funds would drain. The program covers students through their first 127 credit hours, something Brown says is scholastically limiting.
“It hurts because some majors require 130 hours, and then you have to take into account those who are double majoring. That’s something I would like to see changed.”
The key issue now is the number of students getting the scholarship and grants, and the program’s costs, significantly outweigh the number of lottery ticket sales. With the current economic climate, out-of-work adults are switching careers and seeking training at technical colleges. While those enrollments are stabilizing, enrollment at two and four-year colleges is expected to continue to increase, which will likely further raise the demand for HOPE funds.
“It’s going to be a tough time if things stay as they are,” Crowley said. “Hopefully, things can be stabilized a little bit and some changes we can be made. HOPE is a wonderful program.”
Brown stressed that the program is very beneficial.
“It enables students to achieve a higher education at little or no cost to them or their families, whereas if they didn’t have that opportunity, those same students might just consider a community college or no college at all,” he said. “It’s aimed at furthering education for young adults and it’s hard to find anything wrong with attempting to make people smarter.”
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Nov 6 2009. Filed under News.
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