The nationwide shift from purely need-based financial aid to merit-based funding has decreased the percentage of all aid given to students from low-income families, according to a report realeased Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics. Between the 1995-1996 and 2007-2008 school years, the proportion of students in the highest family income quartile receiving need-based aid rose from 13 to 18 percent, while the proportion receiving merit-based aid rose from 23 to 28 percent. Over the same time period, the proportion of students from the lowest family income quartile receiving need-based aid declined from 41 to 37 percent, while the percentage of students receiving merit-based grants fell from 23 to 20 percent. The discrepancy between the two types of funding also varies geographically, with students in the Southeast receiving the highest proportion of merit scholarships, the report said.
Vice President Joe Biden promoted the pending American Jobs Act as a way to both boost the economy and improve neighborhood safety during a recent visit to the University of Pennsylvania, The Daily Pennsylvanian reported. If passed, the American Jobs Act would likely generate new employment opportunities as well as establish unemployment benefits, payroll tax cuts and a tax cut for small businesses. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter explained in an address to Penn students that the law will lead to safer neighborhoods since high employment rates correlate with lower rates of criminal activity, The Pennsylvanian reported. Last year, Penn spent $5 million hiring extra security officers to police areas on and around campus in order to compensate for funding cuts to the city's police force. Biden emphasized that the new bill which would cost $450 billion to implement would restock police forces, fire departments and teaching forces nationwide, according to The Pennsylvanian.
The U.S. Marine Corps reduced its tuition-assistance benefits for service members by 80 percent in a program that went into effect on Oct. 1, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported Tuesday. The maximum amount of assistance service members may receive annually under the program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, decreased from $4,500 to $875. The Marines will attempt to assuage the gap in funds through Pell Grants and other financial assistance programs. Students' increased dependence on these federal aid packages, however, may interfere with the ability of community colleges and for-profit institutions to abide by the federal rule mandating that 10 percent of a school's total revenue must be obtained through non-federal assistance. Unlike in the past, marines will now only be able to use the tuition assistance for certificates that lead to a degree, The Chronicle reported.
