Viewpoints: Protesting students get a C in logic
Published: Friday, Mar. 26, 2010 - 12:00 am | Page 19A
Once again, college students from all over the state flocked to Sacramento on Monday to protest education cuts and tuition hikes.
The system suffered a 20 percent spending cut last year. In response, the colleges raised fees for students, eliminated courses and furloughed workers.
It may surprise you to know that these students, telling taxpayers to spend more money as they struggle to pay their way, are leaving up to $500 million in Pell Grants untouched. They don't apply for them.
About half a million of California's 2.9 million community college students could receive a federal Pell Grant, according to Debbie Cochraneof the nonprofit Institute for College Access and Success in Berkeley.
Why does the money sit there? Because the application process is complicated. "A lot of students do give up," Cochrane says.
One student told the San Francisco Chronicle she thought about applying for financial assistance but when she showed up at the financial aid office, she walked out.
