The Triangle

Issue date: 3/6/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Aaron Walizer

The Drexel community will be affected by President Obama's multi-billion dollar stimulus package in their benefits, loans and around campus.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, passed by President Obama and the Democratic Congress, aims to revitalize the economy by pumping federal money into various industries and sectors. The ARRA, more commonly referred to as President Obama's stimulus package, will affect the Drexel community in many direct and indirect ways.

Primarily, all benefit-eligible employees at Drexel will be able to put more money in a tax-exempt account specified for mass transit expenses, according to Ellen Posner, director of Benefits and Compensations at Drexel University's department of Human Resources.

"Approximately 600 employees participate in our mass transit account, which allows employees to use pre-tax dollars for mass transit expenses. Those employees will see the maximum amount increase from $120 to $230 per month," Posner said.

According to Posner, employees laid off after September 2008 will also be able to receive a federal subsidy covering their health benefits. However, all of these benefits will be available only to full- and part-time employees, which excludes students working at the University.

According to Melissa Englund, assistant vice president of Enrollment Planning and Retention Services, students will feel the impact of the stimulus in their loan amounts and work study. The Department of Education lists a total of $30.8 billion to be allocated by the U.S. government specifically for college affordability.

"About 15 percent of undergraduate students at Drexel qualify for federal Pell Grants. These students will see maximum awards increase to $5,500 by 2010," Englund said.

Englund said an additional $200 million has been designated for university work-study positions but allocation to individual schools remains to be completed.

The focus of the stimulus is to quickly and efficiently inject capital into selected sectors of the American economy, as seen by the amounts of money specified for immediate use. For example, the stimulus lists $360 million for "construction of research facilities."

According to Mark Greenberg, interim provost of Drexel University, the Integrated Sciences Building at Drexel may qualify for some of the allocated research-construction money.

"The ISB will be a strong candidate for this money because it is 'shovel-ready.' We already have the groundwork for the building done, like the architectural blueprints. The ISB is going to cost a total of $60 million; if some of the cost is covered by federal aid, the extra money could be used for other buildings and jobs," Greenberg said.

Greenberg also said federal money reserved for research may be tapped by the University and its professors. The Office of Research at Drexel, led by Kenny Simansky, will monitor requests for proposals and grant opportunities from government agencies like the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. After reviewing the opportunities, Simansky will try to determine if faculty at Drexel can competitively apply for research grants and will coordinate faculty attempts to secure research funding, Greenberg said.

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