For politicians, words are easy to say, but promises are difficult to keep.
In a country full of lawmakers arguing left and right so often it’s enough to make one’s head spin, it’s nice to know that the controlling party of Congress has been standing by its word.
One of the Democratic Party’s main issues it swore to address was educational excellence, and with the passing of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, college students nationwide know Congress is not only talking, but also listening.
This will increase the Pell Grant, which is the national government’s main financial aid program for low-income students, for the first time since 2003.
With so many students coming from low-income families, this act will provide an opportunity that they could have only dreamed about. Students have been waiting years for the government to make the available grant money compatible with the rising cost of college.
The Pell Grant maximum is currently $4,310, but this act will increase the maximum to $5,400 by 2012. The increases start Oct. 1.
The act will also cut in half interest rates that are given to lower- and middle-class students and cap annual payments for students at a percentage of their income.
Talk about a step in the right direction.
By the passing of this act, the government recognizes the inflating costs of college tuitions and the realization that many apt students don’t have enough money to attend a university.
More eager students are in that situation than perceived.
In the 2006-07 academic school year, approximately 24 percent of the San Diego State student population received the Pell Grant, according to SDSU’s financial aid and scholarships department.
It’s heartening to know that a large chunk of SDSU is lent a helping hand by the federal government and that educational opportunity for all is a serious, progressive movement.
The maximum amount of money presently available to be given by the Pell Grant is only enough money for tuition, textbooks and a campus parking permit for one semester at a California State University, which is much cheaper compared to costs at other colleges across the nation.
With this act, lawmakers can continue to respond to increasing costs in the future and open up doors to students that would otherwise be out of reach.
Giving all students the possibility to pay for a higher education is critical. The more diverse and open our classrooms are, the more functional our society will become.
Getting all American students to obtain a college education should be a significant goal that our government achieves – at least that’s believed in the Democrats’ arena.
Unfortunately, the opinions pertaining to educational opportunity are clearly split because all of the members of Congress who voted against the act are Republican.
The Right may endorse the No Child Left Behind Act, but remember: Actions speak louder than words.
