Brandon Jackson English 1102 Joining the Conversation (pt 3) 15 April 2013 Cast of Characters: Vice President President

NCE CarlyRoseSaraTaraBrandonJoe Biden Barack Obama National Center for Education Statistics Carly Lindauer Rose Rennekamp Sara Lipka Tara Siler First Year College Student

Scene 1: U.S. Senate, 120th U.S. Congressional Session, Washington D.C. Objective of the meeting is to address the cost of college and the affordability to American families and provide solutions or alternative methods of payment to send every child to post-secondary eduation. Vice President: I hereby call the 120th U.S. Congressional Session to order. Please rise for the President of the United States. Crowd rises and applauds as the President of the United States Enters. President: Thank you, Thank you. Now, for todays agenda, we are going discuss a topic that most American families struggle with financially college affordability. Almost every child dreams of the day they move into their first dorm room to begin their first semester of college. Unfortunately, most adults cant afford to send their own children to college due financial issues. It is my great pleasure to introduce a few colleagues that can better explain the costs of college and ways for American families to overcome that financial burden.

President returns to his seat, NCE takes stand at the podium. NCE: Good evening. Id like to inform everyone that, according to a Congressionally Mandated Studies of College Costs, over the last two decades, college tuition has increased at a faster rate than both the Consumer Price Index and the median household income. This means families are spending more on college tuition with no increase in income. As a result, more and more low-income students have leaned towards borrowing money to afford college, although increasing their debt. To help keep college tuition at a feasible price, students and parents can look at alternative ways to pay for college. Carly: Recent trends in college tuition show that in 2012-13, in-state tuition increased 4.8% from the previous year, while total student aid decreased from $52 billion to $49 billion. Rose: As NCE stated, there are alternative ways to help afford college. Many parents think, we cant afford college or we dont qualify for financial aid. However, two out of three students get at least some financial aid to help make college more affordable. Students can receive a combination of grants, loans, scholarships, or work-study jobs to help reduce the cost of college. Sara: In 2003 alone, almost sixty-six percent of undergraduates received some form of financial aid. I think that the amount of students who receive financial aid will increase dramatically with college tuition steadily rising.

Brandon: As a first year college student, I am familiar with the process of planning for college. Although my parents are paying for my education and I didnt qualify for government aid, I took it upon myself to apply for scholarships from multiple sources. Tara: The problem is, most families complain about the cost of college but dont take advantage of federal or state aid. Students leave about a half billion dollars in aid each year. Thats enough money to fund roughly 10,000 students for the cost of tuition alone. NCE: Thats the issue; families need to search for all aid available. Tara: Almost two million eligible students nationwide are foregoing this federal assistance. Thats two million families that would have to pay less out of pocket for college. Sara: As NCE was saying, students should follow Brandons advice and plan for college while in high school and apply for multiple scholarships.

Brandon: From my scholarships alone, I received about $3,000. Although that number may not seem like a relatively large amount compared to the increasing numbers for college tuition as a whole, $3,000 covers almost one whole semester of tuition which is roughly about $5,000, excluding room and board.

Rose: Applying for Federal aid is simple; just complete the FAFSA. There are needbased aid for lower-income families, and merit-based aid for students who excel in athletics or academics. Need-based aid is for families who make less than a certain dollar amount each year (ie. Less than $20,000/year), and they qualify for student aid that does not have to be paid back. Merit-based aid are for students who excel in academics, someone who makes a near perfect score on the SAT/ACT or someone who is involved in every aspect of high school, and shows leadership and determination. NCE: What seems to be a possible solution to allow students to be informed about financial aid opportunities? Sara: Since each college student meets with his/her academic advisor, the academic advisor should also talk with each student about the types of financial opportunities. Brandon: What seemed to benefit me the most was talking to my guidance counselor in high school. Each week my guidance counselor would send out multiple emails of various scholarships with the links to apply for them. From the links in the email, students can determine if they meet the requirements for that specific scholarship and if so, they could apply for it. It does not get much easier than that having someone send you direct links to scholarships without going through the trouble of searching for them yourself.

Rose: Also, since most parents are in control of the financial aspect of college, schools should reach out to parents to provide different information about aid and how to apply for them. There are thousands of scholarships available for students to apply for. Tara: Aside from federal assistance, students who dont qualify for aid but still struggle with costs can do a work-study program in colleges. Students can work on campus as little as 3 hours per day and finish a semester with over half of the tuition paid for. To find more about work-study programs, students can visit the career center building on campus. Brandon: As Tara mentioned, there are many jobs available on campus from working at a food vendor to a library assistant. Campus jobs are flexible with each students school hours and require little to no transportation. Having a job right on campus is very convenient for students who reside in dorms on campus. Everyone returns to his or her seat, President walks to the podium. President: All of my colleagues mention good ideas that can be implemented to help cut costs for families. We can be the change that we seek, and together, we can make college more affordable. I would like to thank everyone for your time today. Vice President: All rise, as the President of the United States leaves the room. Audience rises; President is escorted out of the Senate building.

Vice President: I would like to call the 120th Congressional Session to a close. Audience rises and exits the building. The End.

Works Cited Siler, Tara. "Millions In Student Aid Going Unused." NPR. NPR, 31 Mar. 2010. Web. 27 Mar. 2013. Congressionally Mandated Studies of College Costs and Prices. Washington, D.C.: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept. of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, 2003. Internet resource. Rennekamp, Rose M. "I Cant Afford College and Other Financial Aid & Grant Myths." Articles Advice. N.p., 7 Sept. 2011. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. Lindauer, Carly. "New College Board Trends Reports: Public College Tuition Increases Slow; Rapid Growth in Federal Grant Aid Ends." New College Board Trends Reports: Public College Tuition Increases Slow; Rapid Growth in Federal Grant Aid Ends. The College Board, 24 Oct. 2012. Web. 01 Apr. 2013 Lipka, Sara. The Chronicle of Higher Education. [Washington, D.C.]: Chronicle of Higher Education, 2011. Print.