LIZ BANDSTRA STAFF WRITER
The Financial Aid Office and student senate are encouraging students, parents, faculty and staff to lobby for the importance of the Iowa Tuition Grant, which will experience a 10 percent cutback due to state budget cuts this year.
Financial aid and senate plan to heavily promote their yearly letter writing campaign, which provides advocacy for the Iowa Tuition Grant to Iowa legislators.
Though the Financial Aid Office encourages students to write a letter every year, but only a few students do it, Jen Sassman, director of financial aid, said.
“It’s sad to know that only seven to 10 students write each year when we have hundreds of students receiving the Iowa Tuition Grant,” Sassman said. “But this year, I think people are realizing how important it is and are ready to rally together.”
In an attempt to get more students to write to their state senators, student senate will be hosting letter writing events on Monday, Oct. 26 and Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. in Cardinal Commons.
Stationary, envelopes, stamps and a list of state senators will be available at the events. Pizza and pop will also be provided.
“I believe that senate can play a key role in making sure that this program is secure not only for the sake of Wartburg students but for students across the state,” Abhay Nadipuram, student body president, said.
The Letters to Legislators 2009 Campaign asks students to write two letters to the state legislators. The letters are to include gratitude for the Iowa Tuition Grant and pleas for the state not to cut grant money in the future.
“Though we ask students to write every year, this year is a little different,” Sassman said. “We’ve asked the letters to be handwritten for personalization and to be sent to the home addresses of their hometown representative and senator to set their letters apart from other lobbyists.”
The letter campaign is occurring at every private college in Iowa and is being used to get the Iowa Tuition Grant on the legislative forefront for the 2010-2011 academic year, Sassman said.
Since the Iowa Tuition Grant will see a 10 percent budget cut this year, the letters written by grant recipients are to focus on the need for future protection of the Iowa Tuition Grant.
“This is the most united front that we’ve had among private colleges in Iowa in a long time,” she said.
In the 2009-2010 school year, 672 Wartburg students are expected to receive a total of $2,635,498, Sassman said. Currently, the state is analyzing the number of students awarded the grant at private colleges throughout Iowa. Once this number has been determined, the state can then figure out the maximum amount of the grant that can be awarded.
Iowa private colleges are waiting to hear the extent of how they will be affected by the 10 percent budget cut, which is being applied to all state-funded progarams, in November, Sassman said.
Sassman said Wartburg, along with all other private colleges, will not be able to make up for the lost money this year.
“It’s frustrating to me…that educational resources seem to keep diminishing,” said Erryn Warnke, an Iowa Tuition Grant recipient, said. “…If support does continue to decrease, students will simply not be able to afford schools like Wartburg. The education will not be worth the cost.”
Stationary and postage stamps are being provided in the Financial Aid Office for any student, even those who don’t receive the grant, who want to write to their legislators.
“We really need to get our message heard,” Sassman said. “Though the Iowa Tuition Grant is a grant to students, it still benefits the college. It frees up Wartburg’s funding, leading to a domino effect of advantages. This year, we really want to gain a louder voice because of that.”