Staff Editorial | Socioeconomic impact of loan cuts hits campus

On Nov. 2, 2005, Vice President for College Relations Susan Dekrey sent out an e-mail notifying students of the proposed $11 billion cut to federal student loan programs and urging students to take action. According to CNN.com, "House Republican leaders have ordered the committee that oversees federal student aid to find more cuts than any other committee—about $18 billion." If the proposed cuts are approved by Congress, students will be left with less available funding and a greater personal financial burden. Although these cuts will affect many students, those who are heavily dependent on federal aid will be particularly impacted. These cuts may close the doors to students who, without federal aid, are unable to meet financial demands for attending a higher education institution.

In the 2005-2006 school year, Vassar was rated by CNN as the sixth most expensive school in the nation. Over the years, socioeconomic diversity at Vassar has increased by leaps and bounds.

According to the Vassar College Admissions website, 60 percent of Vassar students receive some form of financial aid and over 50 percent receive need-based Vassar scholarships. With cuts to Perkins loans last year and the upcoming impending federal loan cuts, many Vassar students will feel the financial repercussions.

Although a percentage of Vassar students do not receive any financial aid and will not be directly affected by these financial cuts, the Vassar community as a whole will be. It is our responsibility to make ourselves aware of the situation and how it will change the population in our classes, our dorms, and our friend groups.

Vassar students often call for open dialogue on many controversial issues of diversity, including race, gender and sexual orientation. But the campus discussion seems to stop when we face issues of class. Although class is a sort of diversity no more or less nuanced or important than all others, it is rarely directly discussed.

In order to act as an informed and unified community, we must break down the stigmas that are attached to different socioeconomic situations. A place to start would be addressing socioeconomic diversity during the freshmen week workshops, where students are informed about issues of diversity and invited to discuss their thoughts and experiences with one another.

It is important for the Vassar community to speak up now and become proactive not only about longterm issues of diversity, but also about the financial cuts that are looming overhead. This is the time when student dialogue and action is most crucial to the support and maintenance of our diverse community.