Students voice opinion on financial aid legislation reform

“No because it is not guaranteed and the scholarships were made to help pay for their tuition, pay for their book, etc., and it’s very important for universities to provide that for students,” said mathematical biology junior Ali Khalafi. | Julie Araica/The Cougar

“Yeah, I do agree with it. If it takes out a lot of extra money from financial aid and more people realize that college isn’t a necessity for success, then yeah, they can probably do without school if it’s just something they can’t afford,” said entrepreneurship freshman Calvin Laskey. | Julie Araica/The Cougar

“I feel like they should not do that because everyone deserves a chance and not guaranteeing lower income students a chance is discrimination,” said kinesiology freshman Chris Pratt. | Julie Araica/The Cougar

“They shouldn’t get rid of student sponsored scholarships because if they do that, it creates a slippery slope. They won’t be able to go to school, they can’t get a degree and it’s going to be harder for them to start a career,” said Computer Information Systems junior Ajozie Ezedinma. | Julie Araica/The Cougar

“No because not everyone can afford to pay for college because it’s hard and college has become such a necessity. Nowadays you just can’t get very far without a college degree because things have become so competitive and no one should be put in that type of situation because of what the government decided for them,” said CIS junior Holly Gozum. | Julie Araica/The Cougar

The Texas legislature will be voting on whether to reduce tuition by eliminating student sponsored financial aid and freezing tuition for four years.

Student sponsored financial aid is a state mandated program that sets aside the portion of each students’ tuition to go toward scholarships for lower income students. Texas legislators want to get rid of this because they believe that this money should come from the state, not the students.

The Cougar asked students whether or not they agreed with this decision. This is what they had to say.

Tags: Financial aid, legislation, reform, Texas