When President Clinton sends his fiscal year 1999 budget package to Capitol Hill next month, it will contain an 8 percent hike in work-study funding.
The $70 million increase over the 1998 budget, which Clinton unveiled during a Friday speech, would create 60,000 more work-study jobs for college students. But what impact the extra allotment would have on the University remains to be seen.
First, the spending increase must pass through Congress. Even then, University officials are unsure if it would mean extra money for the school’s work-study program. “Sometimes if (the president) increases nationwide, not every school gets an increase,” said Karen Miller, who helps oversee the University work- study program.
At the University, approximately 2,400 students receive monetary work-study awards as well as being on payroll. An additional 1,500 are awarded only by being on work-study payroll. The University currently receives $1.1 million from the federal government and a $1.4 million contribution from the state.
“We get a pretty good chunk of money here at the University,” Miller said.
The 1998 federal budget, which took effect Oct. 1, allows $830 million for work-study jobs. Extra money would send the total number of participants nationwide to an all-time peak of 1 million students, Department of Education officials estimate.
Candidates for work-study at the University are evaluated on two criteria: the individual’s financial aid and the money available.
In his speech Friday, Clinton proclaimed that “money is no longer an obstacle to any American going to college.”
He attributes this to a host of government initiatives aimed at reducing the financial burden on students, including HOPE scholarships and other tax credits and higher Pell Grant awards.