Spring Break
USGA investigates PHEAA grants
Omkar Baxi
Issue date: 11/21/08 Section: News
While USGA President Kristen Smith plans to continue researching the possibility of Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency grants for fifth-year students, Melissa Englund, assistant vice president of Enrollment Planning and Retention Services, said securing such grants is not feasible.
As USGA president, Smith, a senior majoring in biomedical engineering, has focused primarily on sexuality and student life issues, and said she plans to address the PHEAA situation during the winter term.
"Coming into the presidency, I decided to approach the issues on a term-by-term basis. [I decided to] prioritize on sexuality events in the fall term because it would have an instant effect with incoming freshmen," Smith said. "Since the effects of the PHEAA grants situation would be long-term, we decided to work on that during winter term."
According to Smith, the USGA is still in an "information-gathering phase" and is trying to determine the exact details of the Drexel-PHEAA situation by talking to administrators.
The USGA will also need to decide if they can approach this issue through the University or if they will need to go through the Office of Community and Government Relations to approach the issue at a state level.
"In Pennsylvania, different five-year institutions are classified as bona-fide and eligible for fifth-year grants. I want to find out exactly what makes Drexel ineligible for fifth-year grants even though it is a five-year school," Smith said.
Smith's statement was contradicted by the Pennsylvania House Education committee, but neither party was completely sure about the overall fifth-year grant status in Pennsylvania.
"As per my knowledge, I don't think there are any schools that receive PHEAA grants for a fifth year of study. There has previously been an introduction of legislation to offer grants to fifth-year students, but that bill was never put into law because of poor support. But I will look into more detail to see if there are special fifth-year grants," Tracey-Ann McLaughlin, research analyst for the House Education Committee, said.
As USGA president, Smith, a senior majoring in biomedical engineering, has focused primarily on sexuality and student life issues, and said she plans to address the PHEAA situation during the winter term.
"Coming into the presidency, I decided to approach the issues on a term-by-term basis. [I decided to] prioritize on sexuality events in the fall term because it would have an instant effect with incoming freshmen," Smith said. "Since the effects of the PHEAA grants situation would be long-term, we decided to work on that during winter term."
According to Smith, the USGA is still in an "information-gathering phase" and is trying to determine the exact details of the Drexel-PHEAA situation by talking to administrators.
The USGA will also need to decide if they can approach this issue through the University or if they will need to go through the Office of Community and Government Relations to approach the issue at a state level.
"In Pennsylvania, different five-year institutions are classified as bona-fide and eligible for fifth-year grants. I want to find out exactly what makes Drexel ineligible for fifth-year grants even though it is a five-year school," Smith said.
Smith's statement was contradicted by the Pennsylvania House Education committee, but neither party was completely sure about the overall fifth-year grant status in Pennsylvania.
"As per my knowledge, I don't think there are any schools that receive PHEAA grants for a fifth year of study. There has previously been an introduction of legislation to offer grants to fifth-year students, but that bill was never put into law because of poor support. But I will look into more detail to see if there are special fifth-year grants," Tracey-Ann McLaughlin, research analyst for the House Education Committee, said.
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