Democratic Presidential candidate Howard Dean’s plan for funding higher education has become a hot topic among nomination campaigners lately and is taking center stage as an earmark of the Vermont governor’s political clout.
Dean’s plan, which would commit $7.1 billion to higher education if made official, promises to hand out $10,000 per year in financial aid for junior high students who make a commitment to obtaining a college degree. This is an increase from the $6,625 limit under the current financial aid program. In addition, his plan also would limit the percentage of the total income college graduates would have to put toward repaying student loans.
First-year students who qualify would also receive an increase in the current maximum financial aid allotments, bringing the levels up to $2,625 in loans and $4,000 in grants.
With the campaign trails blazed through the University of Wisconsin campus and less than one year left to the presidential election, leaders and students alike are focusing their attention on the possibility of boosts in higher education support.
Ryan Grady, chairman of UW College Democrats, feels the proposal is an important move toward improving access to higher education.
“I think making college education more affordable for those with financial difficulty is a great idea,” Grady said. “Bush reduced these programs and has done a lot to reduce the hope of people trying to do better in their lives.”
Pointing to the national budget deficit and a largely Republican legislature, Grady expressed some doubt of the proposal being enacted if Dean is elected, but stressed the importance of such a plan.
“This is necessary. I don’t know if the billions of dollars spent in Iraq were necessary, but it is necessary to reinvest in our youth,” Grady said. “This is unlikely to pass in a very Republican House and Senate, but it doesn’t have to be that way over the next five years.”
While agreeing that a focus on higher education is important, chairman of the UW College Republicans Frank Harris said there are some areas in need of clarification in the proposal.
“I’m pretty impressed and amazed by Howard Dean’s focus on higher education,” Harris said, “but there’s a point of contention over how that $7.1 billion will be spent and what evidence will be used to determine who is worthy of the $10,000. Will race or socioeconomic status figure into it at all, and would it focus on public or private schools?”
Some UW students feel that the proposal is unfair to students currently in college or who would enter college before the plan would take effect. There is also doubt that congressional reception of the bill would be favorable.
“This undermines the accomplishments of today’s college students who worked hard to get scholarships because they couldn’t afford to pay for college,” said UW freshman Isaac Lenz. “I doubt it will get passed unless Dean is president and the Democrats get control of the House and Senate.” Lenz added that he believes the budget will not allow such expenditures.
Harris also expressed doubt that the proposal would pass because of budget constraints.
“I don’t know if we would be able to afford this,” Harris said, “and I don’t know if Dean’s proposal to repeal the Bush tax cuts would cover the cost of this plan.”
Aside from his logistical concerns, Harris said that the grandiose nature of Dean’s plan is common of campaign rhetoric.
“This is a great move in political grandstanding,” he said. “Dean has captivated the young minds of college students. His major grassroots effort is paying off on campuses, but I don’t know if it will pay off across the country.”
