“Where’s my money?” you may be asking in coming college years. The State House is considering a cutback in the HOPE scholarship. If a proposal for the fiscal year 2001 is passed, HOPE will no longer cover miscellaneous fees such as athletic, parking and facilities fees. According to the Student Advisory Council, Georgia students could pay as much as $191 out of their own pockets. 

However, this may be a plus for some Georgia college students. As it stands now, if a student is receiving a Pell Grant he or she is not eligible to receive the full amount of the HOPE scholarship. If the HOPE proposal makes it through legislature, then Pell recipients will be eligible for the full amount of the HOPE scholarship.

Bottom Line: If you receive a Pell grant, the proposal will help you. If you do not receive a Pell grant and rely solely on the HOPE scholarship, the proposal will be detrimental to you.

So how many CSU students will be affected? Exact statistics could not be acquired, however several students were interviewed at random. Out of six students interviewed, all receive the HOPE scholarship. Of those six, only one receives a Pell Grant. 

Needless to say, a majority of the survey group will be spending a few more hours after school flipping burgers if this proposal goes through. The survey group seems to be largely outraged at the proposal. Most of them were not eligible for the Pell grant because their parents earn just over the cutoff point. 

Many students seem to believe that the state government is going back on their agreement with Georgia students. They worked hard for the scholarship and expect the government to fulfill their part of the agreement.

Casie Harbin says, “I worked hard to earn the HOPE scholarship, and I continue to work hard to keep it. I have earned it, and I won’t appreciate any part of it being taken away.”

There is also a general feeling of betrayal by the state government. Laura Taylor says of the proposal, “I don’t understand why the government would brag about sending all these kids to school and then once they get to school, they cut the money.”

Violation of an agreement and betrayal are feelings that students associate with this proposal. But the overriding opinion among students is that by cutting back HOPE funding the government is taking what is rightfully theirs. 

Damita Bryant summed up the situation when she said, “It appears as if the state government has taken on a Robin Hood mentality—steal from the rich and give to the poor.” 

Bryant may have the right idea, however, those that are losing out (recipients of HOPE) are usually not even rich. HOPE recipients are often just getting by financially, as is the case with most of those surveyed. Many are financially responsible for their own education, yet they can’t get Pell grants because of their parent’s income.

Would you be hopeless without the HOPE scholarship? Some Georgia students would be. That’s why students are organizing a rally at the State Capitol at 9:00 am on February 28, 2000.