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Show THE UNIVERSITY JOURNAL· SOUTHERN lITAH UNrvERSlTY • MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1998 Pell Grant awards less that anticipated (continued from page 3) The budget process often cakes funding away from education, she said. " It's always a question of budget priorities," Evans said. "Educati on isn 't a priority for many members of Congress. A lot of them live in districts with military bases, so they put a priority on that." She said some money should be . spent on defense, b ut most of the country's haules won' t he fought with B-2 Bombers and other weaponry. "The way we w ill compete in the future is based on the skills of our people and higher education is critical to that, " Evans said. "We ar e now competing more economically than militarily." High school guidance counselors have witnessed first hand the increasing troubles students have had in securing aid. "We tell everyhody they need to go to college, hut I don't think there's a commitment to providing the money to do it," said Jennifer Denhalter, a counselor at Cedar High School. " Peopl e are doing all they can to support their family, hut it's still too much of a stretch." She said a student may he able to get up to 70 percent of costs covered hy grants and other means of finan cial aid, hut the remaining amount often CEdAR <SiTy ~86.-1:J 1 cannot be covered by poorer families. Paying for college ha~ become more difficult in recent years, said Denhalter. " You used to he ahle to cover everything with Pell Grant and work study would put a few dollars in your pocket," she said. " But now there are very few cases where 100 percent of schooling is covered." With grants and scholarships covering a smaller percentage of costs, low-income students are forced into debt, said Michie. "They're being forced to borrow more," he said. "And they have to continue to borrow excessively." · Michie said ther e are plenty of privately funded scholarship programs for students to take advantage of, hut they ofterr aren 't awarded to those who need them most. "Often the peopl e that get those [awards) aren 't in l ower income groups, " he said. " Most of them go to middle and higher-income groups. " The effects of falling into debt can be more far r eaching than the years the student is in college, Michie said. "When you've got a pile of debt o ut there, i t's going to put a damper on your life, n he said. "You might have to reconsider going to graduate school, starting a family or buying a home." Last year, more than 3.6 million students receive federal Pell Grants. 165 S. Main Cedar City 865-9335 urs sports Center c~,~ INLINE &KATE& Footwear .. .IT'S THE AlilWAII.K \ • ~ SKECHERS1 !=lczczbOk ~ TM CUSHIONING |