18—The Daily Collegian Thursday, Nov. 21, 1985 No big changes in student aid By ALAN J.CRAVER Collegian Staff Writer With Congress in the midst of reauthorizing the Higher Education Act of 1965, most University students will not be greatly affected by proposed changes in the Pell Grant and the Guaranteed Student Loan pro grams, said the acting director of the University’s Office of Student Aid. William D. Boyd said'while the House proposals will continue to provide the current programs under the Higher Education Act, more money through GSLs and Pell Grants will not be available. Becky Timmons, assistant director of government relations for the American Council on Education, said the House Labor and Education Committee has com pleted its proposals for changes in financial aid, but the Senate Education, Arts and Humanities subcommittee has not. She said the Higher Education Act consists of 11 titles which target a variety of student and institutional needs, including funding for university facilities and financial assistance. The American Council on Education is a national organization based in Washington, D.C., that deals with issues of higher education. “We think the House has written a pretty good bill,” Timmons' said. “And we don’t expect the Senate to do anything we can’t live with.” Congress supported the Higher Education Act in a bipartisan way, Timmons said. In the past that has guarded the act from administration cuts or changes by the administration. In the House’s proposal, Pell Grants have been authorized at $4.5 billion for the academic year 1987-88. GSLs have been authorized at $3.18 billion, which is a decrease from $3.8 billion. Boyd said the most significant change in the Pell Grant and the GSL program may require families of dependent students regardless of income to complete a need analysis test before a student could receive a loan. In addition, the age of dependent students will be raised from 22 to 24. In the current program, families with incomes over $30,000 must complete a need analysis to evaluate income, cost of attendance and living expenses, Boyd said. Timmons said the House did not include the need analysis proposal in its final report, but the Senate subcommittee is expected to form a similar proposal when it completes its recommendations. Jay Evans, deputy for loans and legislative affairs for the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, said the criteria for the new need analysis test are not set yet. PHEAA opposes the need analysis for families under the $30,000 income limit, said Evans, who monitors state and federal legislation concerning financial aid matters. PHEAA believes the analysis would reduce Registration for W KHPft/W late Winter/Spring ••« sr- LSAT, MCAT, DAT TEST PREPARATION SPECIALISTS SINCE t 938 7 Schedule for February LSAT Exam Date: February 15,1986 Sun. Sun. Tliurs. Sun. Thurs. ' Sun. Thurs. Sun. Test 1/12 1/19 1/23 1/26 1/30 2/2 2/6 2/9 12-4 pm 12-4 pm 6-10 pm 12-4 pm 6-10 pin 12-4 pm 6-10 pm 12-4 pm Schedule for April MCAT (Choose one of three days) Exam Date: April 19,1986 Tue. Tue. Tue. Tue. Tue. Tue. Tue. Tue. 2/11 2/18 2/25 3/11 3/18 3/25 4/1 4/8 6-10 pm 6-10 pm 6-10 pm 6-10 pm 6-10 pm 6-10 pm 6-10 pm 6-10 pm SaT Sac Sac Sac Sac Sac Sac SaC ‘ 2/8 2/15 2/22 3/15 3/22 3/29 4/5 4/12 l-spm l-spm l-spm l-spm l-spm l-spm l-spm 1-Spm Sure Sum Sum Sum Sum Wed. Sum Sum 2/9 2/16 2/23 3/16 3/23 3/26 4/6 4/13 12-4 pm 12-4 pm 12-4 pm 12-4 pm 12-4 pm 12-4 pm 12-4 pm 12-4 pm Class Schedule for DAT Exam Exam Date: April 19,1986 Sun. Sun. Sun. Sun. Sun. Thur. Sun. Sun. 2/9 2/16 2/23 3/16 3/23 3/26 4/6 4/13 4-Bpm 4-Bpm 4-Bpm 4-Bpm 4-Bpm 4-Bpm 4-Bpm 4-Bpm 444 East College Ave. 238-1423 the amount of aid given to students enrolled at lower cost schools. Under the House subcommittee’s plan, the maxi mum amount for Pell Grants will be set at $2,300 or 60 percent of a student’s academic expenses. This is an increase from $2,100 or 60 percent of the academic expenses. Other changes in the House subcommittee’s proposal for the GSL program include: • Phasing-out the current 5 percent loan origination fee, taken off the loan by the lender before the student receives it. This fee will be reduced one percent each year beginning in 1988, • Increasing the interest rate from 8 to 10 percent for borrowers in their fifth year after graduation. The interest rate is now set at 8 percent for the entire 10 years of repayment. • Increasing the borrowing limit from $3,500 to $5,- 000 a year for college junior and seniors. Sophomores and freshmen will still be able to borrow up to $2,500 a year. The overall limit students can borrow during their academic career will be set at $14,500. • Considering tuition when determining the amount graduate students can borrow each year. Graduate students with tuitions and fees under $B,OOO can borrow $5,000 a year, while graduate students with tuitions and fees over $B,OOO can borrow up to $B,OOO. Boyd said the proposals probably will be changed once they pass Congress “At this time, I’m hesitant to start taking shots at it,” Boyd said. “It’s too early to get too specific.” Evans said reauthorization will extend the Higher Education Act programs and determine the limits of funding for programs that the budget must comply with during the reauthorization period. The last reauthorization of the Higher Education Act took place in 1980, Timmons said. The reauthorization usually implements programs for a five-year period but this can be flexible. With reauthorization, the House and the Senate work independently to create programs and set parameters to operate those programs, Timmons said. Harry Phillips, press secretary for U.S. Rep. Wil liam F. Clinger, R-Pa., said the House is expected to vote on the reauthorization sometime this session. However, the reauthorization bill has not been sched uled for a vote because budget and deficit issues have been in the forefront of discussion. The session was expected to end Nov. 1, Phillips said, but Congress may work until the end of December to complete everything planned for this year, including the reauthorization bill. An aide to U.S. Sen. H. John Heinz, R-Pa., said the Senate’s Education, Arts and Humanities Subcommit tee has not completed its proposals yet. The Senate does not expect to vote on a bill for the reauthorization until February, he said. The reauthorization bill is expected to go into effect when the current Higher Education Act expires in 1986. WORK SMARTER.NOT HARDER! Use A Personal Computer for Term Papers Theses Group Projects Resumes Cover Letters Dissertations Rent Personal Computers By IBM & AT & T for the hour, week, or semester. For More Information Phone 234-4220 pc workshop 421 E Beaver Ave. MON.-THURS. 10-10 Ambassador Square FRI.-SAT. 10-5 Next to Domino’s Pizza SUN. 2-8 Academic Assembly elects VP By JOHN L. SPENCE Collegian Staff Writer The Undergraduate Student Gov ernment’s Academic Assembly last night elected Mary Ann Stefko (se nior-communications disorders) as its new assistant vice president. Stef ko will take office next semester. Beth Roman (senior-accounting), the current assistant vice president, will leave her post in January to take a 10-week accounting internship with Coopers & Lybrand in Pittsburgh. The assembly also discussed set ting up a system of advising guidelines for measuring University professors in terms of their advising effectiveness. Advising Committee Chairman Bill Flood said the guidelines would be used to examine the problems asso ciated with advising, addressing the problems of both the adviser and the student. In a similar announcement, Flood said the committee is trying to set up an open forum on advising to be held in the third or fourth week of Spring Semester. The forum would be similar to the general education forum the assem bly held last Monday. The assembly, is seeking student opinions on the University’s advising system. Assembly President Jay Clark said plans for the forum will be finalized at the assembly’s next meeting Jan. 15. The meeting scehduled for Dec. 4 will not be held. Diane Mapstone, chairwoman of the “Excellence in Advising” award committee, said the committee is considering making the award an annual event. She said Edward D. Glass Jr., associate professor of food science, won the first award last year. In other business, assembly mem ber Sandra Churchin said the assem bly’s survey on academic quality at the University will be administered in either the third or fourth week of the Spring Semester. The survey was originally scheduled for the first week in December. • f CINEMEITE^; STATE ' 1 128 W. Coll»q» 237-786 A JAGGED EDGE ir> TONIGHT: 8:00,10:00 STARTING TOMORROW: RAINBOW BRIGHT o TARGET <n) TONIGHT: 7:30, 9:45 STARTING TOMORROW: ONCE BITTEN o-ont '342-1888 PHIUPSBUHO, TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. <r, TONIGHT: 7:15, 9:15 STARTING TOMORROW COMMANDO (R) Write a letter to a friend!
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