The Red and Black

Issue date: 3/20/09 Section: Opinions

KELLY SHAUL

Georgia spoils us rotten.

It offers paid tuition to in-state students earning simply a B average, thus tucking us comfortably beneath a financial umbrella enjoyed by students in only a few other states, and it supplies a substantial book stipend to boot.

Still, classmates complain that HOPE's just not enough.

The state reaffirmed its support of higher education Wednesday when legislators voted to maintain the $300 book allowance, which is certainly good news.

But based on the reaction of University students, you wouldn't know it.

"It's not like the money goes toward books anymore anyways," seniors moan. "The University keeps raising our tuition."

Beginning fall semester, HOPE failed to cover $2 of the University's $6,130 tuition charge. With the addition of a surprise $100 fee for spring semester, students were enraged their scholarship had failed them.

But it hadn't.

Wouldn't you rather pay $102 than pay more than $6,000? That's more than 98 percent off - you'd be crazy to turn down such a bargain.

Scholarship programs are meant to assist qualifying students financially in their efforts to get a postsecondary education.

Most scholarships never come close to covering all tuition, fees and book expenses. But HOPE still does, even despite a recession that's affecting every financial pursuit nationwide - including scholarship funding.

"Now more than ever," recent advertisements proclaim, "it's important to save money." And that's exactly what HOPE is helping us do, whether it goes toward textbook prices or rising tuition.

Unfortunately, many business executives aren't setting a good example for us. What have we learned from them recently? Lying, cheating, stealing - even failing - pay big bucks. People are expecting rewards no matter their situation, and that sense of entitlement is seeping quickly into college minds.

Students want their scholarship - whether earned or not - and they want it to cover all their college expenses, with a little bonus money leftover for a drink or two downtown.

Maybe they're hoping to get deeper into the bailout action. Why the hell not, when so many others are?

But this fairyland mentality - assuming money does grow on trees, at least in government gardens - needs a reality check.

No matter how much we want it to, HOPE doesn't have a backing of unlimited funds.

Instead of tossing the scholarship into the things-the-recession-has-ruined-for-me category - higher tuition, additional fees, student job cuts, hiring freezes - realize HOPE is still giving us a huge break in college expenses, and our elected representatives are trying to help.

Even if the allocated book money no longer covers your textbooks, it's offsetting $300 in tuition a year - and that's not too shabby.

Especially these days, anything that helps us save money is worth being grateful for.

And if you want HOPE to go back to paying for tuition and textbooks, stop whining - just urge Georgians to buy more lottery tickets.

- Kelly Shaul is the chief copy editor for

The Red & Black.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools