Scholarships are becoming scarce:
Funding remains stagnant as enrollment increases

By Mark Schulman
Assistant Editor

Tuition and fees continue to be on the rise while the students at UNCP receive the same amount of money in financial aid, loans and scholarships as they did in 1992. Enrollment has almost doubled in the last few years while UNCP still receives only $323,000.

The administration is not to blame as it is the politicians in Raleigh who make the decisions on how much money in scholarships they give to the state colleges.

“It is hard to keep in touch with these people at their level,” Student Government Association President Nadean Hafner said.

Representatives in the state are older, therefore, they are mostly concerned with issues that affect older people like social security and other retirement plans. The concerns of the student may not be the concern of the state.

The $323,000 that UNCP can award students for scholarships is impossible to stretch very far. For example, the university would only be able to award 323 students $1,000 each year.

The student enrollment now has increased to over 4,700. Out of those, 4,000 students this year have demonstrated they need some form of financial aid, according to SGA Senator Bruce Pier.

UNCP received $18 million in financial aid this year and that is $2 million more than last year.

The money that the university receives in scholarships seems to be mainly for freshman who are the prime candidates for recruiting purposes. With more money we would see more upperclassmen receiving more scholarships.

The SGA is preparing a letter writing campaign to encourage all students to write to their designated county representatives about how they are affected by the lack of support the state has given in financial aid.

UNCP is not the only school in the 16 campus UNC system to bring this failure in the system to light. The estimated annual student tuition and fees for all campuses have increased an average of 18.77 percent in the last four years. Members of all the SGA’s are gathering 100 letters from students at each campus who are affected by tuition increases and lack of financial aid

In Spring, each university will have representatives march to the steps of the Capital Building in Raleigh to proclaim their dispute and the 1,600 letters from the students will be their weapon. Any student who would like to write his or her grievance concerning financial aid can contact the SGA.

The enrollment here is growing and with it should be its scholarship funding.