Get Schooled

By Jeff

July 31, 2007 10:29 AM | Link to this

As was pointed out in the article, this only goes to prove that there were roughly 18000 students getting the State of GA to pay for their first year of college that couldn’t possibly have made it longer than that. Better that the State did the right thing fiscally - for once - and NOT thrown that money down the drain.

As for what to do with the extra money: I prefer putting it in a savings account. If this is ABSOLUTELY not an option, increase the amount of book money the grant covers. Last I heard (and when I used it myself) it was set at $150. Most semesters - even during the underclassman years - this does not cover books. During the upperclassman years, this can be as little as 10% of the cost of books, depending on your major. (With my CS degree, it was generally about half the cost junior and senior years. But with the Math Ed degree it was closer to a quarter.)

By catlady

July 31, 2007 10:59 AM | Link to this

I agree with Jeff that it makes “staying in and eligible” more likely. I also agree that many of those who did not make the cut this year were marginal students. Many students have an inaccurate perception of their academic skills and intelligence. I have seen this time and time again. College is quite a wake-up call on this, but why should taxpayers pay for that wake-up call? (Now, remember, I am not talking about the lottery part of college expenses, but the part borne by taxpayers for every student in public colleges in the state).

Other students are, perhaps for the above reason and perhaps because of “school pride” issues, pushed into AP courses by parents or, more egregiously, by counselors, when they are not ready for them. Schools want to say “we have 250 students in AP courses this semester” as a way of saying “how great are we?” However, students without the skills needed may pull a high C, but not be ready for the college-level class at all. Look at the rates of 4s and 5s on the AP tests, and you will see that very few students “belonged there.”

I applaud the changes made. I am sad that it disproportionately affects students in some areas, but it has been coming for 3 years—plenty of time to adjust your expectations and work habits. I encourage the state-level administrators to close the loophole of students taking sub-par classes: mandate that their HOPE average reflect certain advanced classes and levels without exception, to show that students are doing all they can to prepare themselves for the great honor of the scholarship. (For example, at least one AP class with a 3-5 on the AP Exam, 4 years of Advanced English, etc.) You should EARN a nice $12,000+ scholarship, not have it given to you.

By teach overseas

July 31, 2007 11:14 AM | Link to this

The O in HOPE stands for OUTSTANDING. There is nothing Outstanding about students pulling C’s in high school classes.

If your kid is worried about getting a C in AP or IB classes- your kid is probably not an Outstanding student- even as wonderful as you think they are.

I agree that many students have greatly inflated views of themselves and their abilities.

By Lisa B.

July 31, 2007 12:18 PM | Link to this

ALL high school graduates don’t NEED to attend college. Far more jobs require technical training than college degrees. The students who didn’t get HOPE this year can still go to Technical College and receive HOPE for those programs. Tech school is really where many average students need to be anyway. Most tech degrees lead to gainful employment.

As has been said hundreds of times on this blog, not all students are university material!

By SET

July 31, 2007 1:28 PM | Link to this

Why the controversy? One Third of the graduating students were eligible for taxpayer hand-outs - and that’s called stingy? It sounds like a terribly generous program to me.

What more could be reasonable?

High School “graduates” as a rule are not qualified for a 4 year college. Only a fraction of them are, unless the “college” is a scam. Do some of you remember a recent movie about the South Harmon Institute of Technology?

Now where are the state hand outs for a trade or vocational school? Those programs are easily going for $25k tuition around here and the students need help with living, childcare, Health Ins and Transportation expenses. These are the students who will be paying the bulk of the income and sales taxes in the future… and have the most kids. They are our future also and they need support starting out.

It’s wrong to tax working families to send other people’s kids to “college” who didn’t save a dime for it, especially when the “students” have only a C avg from public schools.

A $10k investment in a Auto Mechanics program, a X-Ray Tech or LVN program, a Police Academy program, etc. provides a better and faster return for a larger number of people who will go on the tax rolls a lot faster.

By Ken

July 31, 2007 1:55 PM | Link to this

I think this dramatic drop in eligibility goes to show that schools were manipulating the way they calculated GPA’s to ensure the maximum number of students received HOPE. I bet in a few years students and schools will adjust to the new system, and over time the number will gradually approach 50% again. Students will take easier courses and teachers will probably award more A’s and B’s.

Now about that extra money. How about increasing the maximum amount HOPE will pay out to students that make it to college? Currently at Tech I have to cover several hundred dollars of fees and book expenses that HOPE doesn’t pay for. Granted I do just fine without it, but it would seriously hurt a student who could not depend on receiving loans backed by their parents. Several hundred per semester, plus living expenses, adds up to quite a lot of money.

By Lisa B.

July 31, 2007 2:05 PM | Link to this

SET, thanks to HOPE, our Tech school students who maintain a 2.0 GPA receive paid tuition. This is a fabulous benefit for Georgia, and one that MOST of our high school graduates should take advantage of.

My husband teaches at a local technical college. In his program, he has several college grads with degrees in things like English, Philosophy, and Psychology who remained under-employed despite their educations. The job market doesn’t require more than approximately 25% of the population have four-year university degrees. Has anyone noticed lately what kind of salaries are earned these days by medical technicians, auto mechanics, plumbers, etc.? My teacher salary, with 10-year’s experience and an Education Specialist degree, has not caught up yet to the salaries of some of my “blue collar” friends.

Thankfully, for now, HOPE still pays for Technical College tuition.

By AP

July 31, 2007 3:14 PM | Link to this

teach overseas - I don’t buy the “if your kid is worried about pulling a C in an AP class they aren’t ready”. I’ve known a lot of people who got Cs in AP classes and ended up as Doctors, Lawyers, etc (these people also got 3 - 5 on the AP exams).

I didn’t grow up in GA and did not have access to the HOPE scholarship so I ended up paying my own way through college and now law school. I think the scholarship should be for outstanding students, but there should also be a program for people who are college material that simply cannot pay for it on their own. People in GA have a pretty screwed up idea that if you are an average student that means you shouldn’t go to college. Average students become your teachers, attorneys, doctors, etc. Just because you were not a straight A student does not mean that you should not go to college. I have never lived in an area where people do nothing but put down the education system. If it is so bad, do something about it! I see a lot of complaining and no one is willing to do anything to help.

I was public school educated from K through law school in NY. This state is seriously screwed up.

By Terry

July 31, 2007 3:38 PM | Link to this

I hope everybody reads this story.

THIS stuff is the problem with Georgia Public Schools— check it out: http://www.13wmaz.com/news/local_story.aspx?storyid=41387

By HB

July 31, 2007 4:20 PM | Link to this

I don’t mind raising standards, but it does concern me that kids may feel a need to “play it safe” by taking easier classes to get HOPE. That’s not promoting excellence. Getting a ‘C’ in an AP class does not necessarily mean they weren’t ready for it. A ‘C’ is a pssing grade. In theory, in any given class where all students are up to the challenge of that course’s requirements and do the work, some of the students should be ‘C’ (average for that group) students.

I’d rather see a student work hard, learn a lot, and get a 79 in an AP class than skate through a lower level class and get a 90. The problem is at some schools, AP and Honors classes aren’t all that challenging and students were receiving weighted grades for taking them. Unfortunately, the new requirements penalize students at schools that don’t inflate grades and do offer truly challenging courses. We are teaching students that it’s wiser to excel in an easy class than take the risk of earning a lower grade in a tougher class. Choose your classes according to how you can best work the HOPE system — academic benefit is secondary.

By teach overseas

July 31, 2007 4:46 PM | Link to this

AP-

I would never say that kids who get C’s in high school will not grow up and show themselves to be highly intelligent and productive people. We all know people who were complete boneheads in high school and became very successful adults.

But the HOPE scholarship is just that- a SCHOLARSHIP and we only give scholarships to students who meet certain criteria.

And HP, in our over inflated grading system, a C is a pretty weak grade- it’s a VERY low passing grade. Most teachers give A’s and B’s.

The top kids— our real scholars, will not “play it safe”. They are competing not just for the HOPE, but to get into the best colleges and these demand a heavy load of AP or IB classes- and they will expect A’s in those classes.

By teach overseas

July 31, 2007 5:00 PM | Link to this

I would also like to address the issue of a kid “getting a 79”. That 79 did not happen by magic- the teacher did not invent that grade. If you are a kid in that class and you HAVE to get an 80 to get a HOPE scholarship- that kid must do whatever it takes to get that grade—- study, projects, homework, class participation, extra credit. If that kid has to be in with the teacher every lunch, before or after school- WHATEVER.. that’s what he has to do.

This is going to sound harsh- but as an AP and IB teacher myself of over 10 years, if a kid was honestly, HONESTLY working that hard- working his little fingers to the bone and he could STILL not pull more than a C in that class- the material was too much for him. Don’t be giving me excuses about the teacher didn’t do this or that— he has a book and he has the internet, he has peers and he has other teachers, he has ways around these obstacles.

Kids do not “get” grades, they EARN them. If you have an issue with the grading system of a teacher, make an appointment to meet and discuss the grading criteria. Every teacher should have a clear and very no-nonsense grading system. If you don’t think the system is fair, make an appointment with the department chair.

By hll1955

July 31, 2007 5:10 PM | Link to this

I must object to the negative comments about “wasting” taxpayer money by providing the HOPE scholarship to students who drop out of college after the 1st semester. Allowing a young person the experience of college even if it is for one semester is not a waste. Offering that experience is what HOPE was created for. We Georgians were promised free Pre K, computers in every classroom, and the HOPE scholarship to finance any high school graduate with a B or better gpa who wanted to attend college. The only stipulation was that they must maintain a B average once in college to continue to receive HOPE. For those wonderful (and costly if paid for by tax money) things we accepted the lottery in our bible belt state. No matter how you look at it, the small amount of taxpayer money that goes to the public colleges for each HOPE student is much better than no Pre K, no computers, and no HOPE at all. Quit whining and start lobbying to get Georgia out of the cellar in school ranking. Worry more about your Taxpayer money paying for substandard teachers, administrators, and school board superintendents. Worry about why those 18000 students can’t get the grades to get into college? Why does a high school need lights on a field, and a stadium when less than 50% of the students can get the grades to attend college. Georgia needs to wake up and put our taxpayer money where it needs to be…classrooms, quality teachers, computers, and a proven curriculm that will propel our youth towards college.

In the mean time, if there is a surplus of lottery funds to spend as is chartered…then put it to more computers, more Pre K, and an increase in the book allowance for HOPE scholars.

By HS Teacher

July 31, 2007 5:21 PM | Link to this

I know that students have their grade boosted by an administrator. That A might not have been earned. But, get to college and the truth is known. What is the % of students finishing, compared to those who start—less than 50% at many of our state colleges.

Thanks to GAE and the GA Legislature, teachers can no longer be pressured to change a student’s grade. My final grades were changed for several students; by an administrator as allowed by law.

By HB

July 31, 2007 5:25 PM | Link to this

But teach overseas, the original point of the HOPE scholarship was not to reward just the top scholars — lots of scholarships already do that. It was designed to help students who aren’t the cream of the crop but do work hard and get good grades in CP classes and are college-ready. I maintain that in an AP class where grades are not inflated (they do exist), a 79 should count for as much on a 4.0 scale as a B does in a less difficult class. And clearly, at least some top students are being penalized as pointed out in the AJC article, like the National Merit finalist foolish enough to sign up for Japanese III.

I think it’s fine to award the scholarship only students meeting certain criteria. The question is are these new requirements good criteria? I say no. They are not solving the problem of grade inflation. Rather, they are adjusting to the assumption that every class is watering down expectations and inflating grades. Won’t this just further encourage grade inflation in advanced classes and punish students in schools that refuse to make advanced classes easier?

By Tony

July 31, 2007 5:45 PM | Link to this

There are several issues being raised in today’s discussion that concern me.

The HOPE scholarship should have more than one criteria for it to be awarded to students. A combination of GPA and SAT scores would be better at determining which students will succeed in college.

By local student

July 31, 2007 5:48 PM | Link to this

Allowing a young person the experience of college even if it is for one semester is not a waste. Offering that experience is what HOPE was created for.

My mistake, hll1955, I thought HOPE was for “Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally”, not “Helping Self-Important Ego Inflated Entitled Kids To Arrive at College Academically Unprepared and Party For One Semester”.

Handing out A’s and B’s to kids like candy contributes to our substandard educational system. You don’t need grades to excel in college or life, you need knowledge and the ability to learn. Currently grades mean nothing except a free spot on the taxpayer teat.

By Tony

July 31, 2007 5:50 PM | Link to this

In response to the Houston County post - there is much more to stories like this than you are told through the media.

By Lee

July 31, 2007 5:51 PM | Link to this

Here we go again….

Just make the HOPE a reimbursement program where the student applies to college, pays his tuition, and gets reimbursed by HOPE upon satisfactory completion of the class. This will eliminate much of the grade inflation pressure at the high school level and will eliminate the waste of funds by students who go for a semester or two only to flunk out of college.

And for those low income kids, there are a ton of student loans and grants available. Financing is not an issue for anyone nowadays. Heck, the low income kids probably are better off than their middle class kids when it comes to college financing.

By Noelle

July 31, 2007 5:52 PM | Link to this

One Third of the graduating students were eligible for taxpayer hand-outs

HOPE is not a “taxpayer” anything. It’s funded by lottery proceeds, not taxes.

Leftover HOPE money should go to merit-based bonuses or raises for outstanding teachers.

By local student

July 31, 2007 6:15 PM | Link to this

What’s the difference between lottery taxes and cigarette/alcohol/other voluntary taxes? HOPE is funded by a state-run monopoly. If you don’t understand that’s a tax, you’re in the group that would flunk out after one semester. You have a choice to play the lottery. You have a choice to buy a yacht. You have a choice to go camping in a Georgia State Park. The proceeds from any of those optional purchases is the same.

Y’all think lottery money grows on trees. If that dollar wasn’t spent on megamillions, it would be spent elsewhere in our economy, hopefully in a more efficient fashion. Even money spent on beer or cigarettes pays distributors, store clerks, etc. A dollar spent paying professors to babysit or watch students sleep in class is totally wasted.

By Concerned

July 31, 2007 6:36 PM | Link to this

Well we are all talking about sending the best to college. If you want to see the best check out the rants and raves at craig’s list athens. I have been in some of the places our best students live and they are some of the nastiest places I have ever been. Also check out the bars in athens and see our best kids pucking or urinating in the bushes on a public street. These are our best students. Hmmmmmmmmm

By catlady

July 31, 2007 7:15 PM | Link to this

Tony,you are right that HOPE is not tax dollars. However, HOPE covers a VERY small percentage of the cost to “put on” the class. My guesstimate is each undergrad student, HOPE or not, is subsidized about $18,000 per year by the taxpayers, and to some small extent by research grants garnered by top researchers. (Much of the grant money funds things for grad students) That is, if undergrad students had to pay the TRUE cost of their tuition (not room and board, mind you), it would cost about $22,000 per year. Therefore, the taxpayers ARe subsidizing every in state undergrad, HOPE or not, and probably should not be subsidizing those who are marginal students. I don’t buy this “time to find himself” routine one of the other posters mentioned, either. Go find yourself on your own money. To check out what I am saying, look at the cost of tuition for out of state students. That is close to the true cost for putting on the classes, since the GA taxpayers via the legislature is NOT going to pay for Alabama citizens to pay in-state rates! Other states feel the same way.

Also, AP, please don’t play that sad old fiddle “If he can’t get HOPE, he can’t afford to go to college”. If that were true, we would have had few college students before 1993. That dog just won’t hunt. HOPE makes it EASIER and CHEAPER and more CONVENIENT for the student and the parent, and it may allow them to go to a “higher tier” school, or go away to school vs. be a commuter, or it may keep students in state, or it may encourage some kids to go to tech school, but a poor student can still go to college without HOPE. While UGA and GT are almost all HOPE scholars initially, look at how many matriculate at Ft. Valley State without the HOPE. Or other, lower tier colleges in our state.

Outstanding should mean more than mediocre. HMPE. How does that sound? We could call it the “hump” scholarship.

By catlady

July 31, 2007 7:28 PM | Link to this

’ve only been in Georgia for a few years. But since then it seemed to me that HOPE was viewed largely as a right for every high school graduate. I didn’t realize until Matt and I discussed it the other day that the scholarship was created for low-income students.

By the way,Bridgett, originally there was a NEGATIVE income cap on HOPE. It lasted longer than the wealthy income cap. That is, poor kids who qualified for max Pell did not get HOPE. How fair was that? Don’t believe me? Check it out.

By thomas

July 31, 2007 7:37 PM | Link to this

Yawn.

The HOPE has become another entitlement. “Scholarships” are given away now. The grade inflation in schools- elementary, middle, and high, is out of control. An ‘A’ means nothing now.

Therefore, the HOPE “scholarship” is just another entitlement. But the question becomes— what happens to all of this extra lottery money. They aren’t using it for Pre-K. They aren’t using it for programs and funding for the schools. And now the HOPE “scholarships” have fallen. What are they going to do with all the ill-gotten lottery money?

By John Chambers

July 31, 2007 8:02 PM | Link to this

Educated conservatives usually stay out of the “Hope Scholar” argument because it dosen’t use tax dollars. As long as you don’t buy lottery tickets, than you are not tilting the advantage to some poor minority. I have a great idea, Why don’t we take the savings and build more prisons, since most high school graduates aren’t capable of making it through college according to some of you scum bags.

By catlady

July 31, 2007 8:22 PM | Link to this

John, quite a few high school graduates are NOT prepared for college. Even seemingly-prepared students (3.5 GPA, 1200+SAT) struggle in some more demanding GA public colleges. The typical high school grad around here, if motivated, will “make it” at some public college here in Georgia. It may mean starting at a 2 year school. Witness the HOPE “scholars” who have to have remedial high school work in college. Witness the HOPe “scholars” who lose HOPE as soon as possible. Check out the numbers. They are available.

I agree with your assessment of many high school grads’ prospects unless they go to college, or tech school, or enlist, or inherit Dad’s company. The future is even more dire for the 35-40% who don’t get a diploma.

By high school teacher

July 31, 2007 8:32 PM | Link to this

We could do like the state of Florida and let every Florida high school graduate attend a public college for free… Thoughts anyone?

By Ernest

July 31, 2007 8:59 PM | Link to this

I wouldn’t mind seeing a two part algorithm that funds schooling based on income level and grades. Income level would simply be a sliding scale based on family income, the greater your need the more you get. I would also require each student pay 10-20% of the tuition of front and have the scholarship fund the remaining portion on a sliding scale based on the grade attained. I say this because of what someone told me many years ago, when I was young and naiive about ‘helping’ people. He told me that when people have ‘skin in the game’, they will work harder. If working hard is the behavior we want for college students, this could be another option to consider. A low income student that makes all A’s could still have their college education fully funded whereas someone in a higher income level would pay a portion. IMO, this is still a bargain. Food for thought while pondering this late at night…..

By Allison

July 31, 2007 9:20 PM | Link to this

I have been teaching AP US history for years. I have very few A’s and lots of B’s and a few C’s. Most of my students get a passing score on the AP exam. A few students not getting a passing score is no reflection on the quality of teaching but an indicator that the student wasnt ready for the rigors of the AP class. However, it is always easier to blame a teacher. When most of my students get 4’s and 5’s, I know that I have done my job. In many cases students just dont have the maturity at 15 and 16 to handle a class that is taught on the college level. I believe that a great deal of Hope money is wasted on kids that dont take college seriously. I have taught seniors for years and a lot of them are hopeless and home because they decide that going to class is not important. I think students should be awarded Hope on a semester by semester basis. Students pay for the semester up front and are then reinbursed if their GPA is a 3.0. For every semester that a student gets a 3.0, they will receive Hope.

By Jeff

August 1, 2007 9:09 AM | Link to this

On the Houston County situation: As someone with Asperger’s (admittedly not full blown autism), let me say this: This woman is an IDIOT!!!! The ONLY way to fight ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) is also the hardest - for EVERYONE. And that is compelte immersion in as much social interaction as possible. TRUST me, if you let a person with ASD withdraw and become isolated, in many cases they will GLADLY do so. But they will NEVER stand a CHANCE at overcoming it. Is social interaction difficult, trying, even downright maddeningly confusing and emotionally devastating? Absolutely. Are human emotions processed through more of a cerebral, logical, computer-type matrix rather than as a “normal” person would? Definetly. But that cerebral, logical, computer-type matrix has one advantage, and that advantage is the key to overcoming ASD: it can LEARN. It can ADAPT. It can EVOLVE. Yes, the situations that cause this learning are as painful as described above. But once the learning/adaptation/evolution takes place, it can be merged with our already heightened intellects and we become STRONGER than a “normal”, in SPITE of our apparent weakness.

Anyways, back to topic:

teachOverseas @4:46 and 5:00, here’s a big AMEN!!!

I had forgotten that a “computer in every classroom” was one of the promises of the lottery. I say we spend the extra money on THAT. And my reason is this: The computers in most schools I have been to are at LEAST 7-10 years old. There is a TON of educational technology out there that would be INCREDIBLY useful - but you have to go to a lab to do it, and even then half - or more - of the computers are down at LEAST half the time. Why not put a brand new wireless lab in EVERY classroom every 5 yrs??

By Jeff

August 1, 2007 9:30 AM | Link to this

Bridget:

Reinhardt is having a hard enough time drawing enough students to keep the doors open WITHOUT the drop in HOPE “scholars”. They’re going to do whatever it takes to keep these kids coming….

By WFC

August 1, 2007 10:24 AM | Link to this

HOPE is a great program but it needed “tightening up.” I’m retired after 26 years as a teacher and 4 years as an administrator, the last 20 in Fulton County.

HOPE began as a motivtor for HS students to work harder. However, it fell fairly soon into an entitlement for students and a status symbol for schools and school systems.

By jim d

August 1, 2007 11:18 AM | Link to this

I hate to be contrary—Well no I don’t.

But as I recall the campaign to allow for gambling to fund a H.O.P.E program, it was billed as a means to keep Georgia’s brightest in state—not the poorest.

Now for the down side of the new formula to qualify for Hope. Let’s say we have a student that is pretty smart, who in his/her infinite wisdom decides to take the most rigourous courses available (AP). Let’s say in so doing this student remains elgible for hope for his first 3 years of high school and then takes an elective AP class (say in statistics) where said student manages a D but still pulls a 4 on the test. Let’s then assume this D in an elective class brings the students GPA down to a 2.98.

GUESS WHAT HAPPENS TO THE KID THAT REALLY ATTEMPTED TO DO HIS/HER BEST!

This student actually get penalized by losing HOPE when he could have taken a few honor’s classes and maintained his grade. This is eactly what my son predicted was going to happen a couple of years ago. So the question I have is how long do you think it will take our fearless leaders in Downtown Atlanta to figure out they screwed up once again?

By HB

August 1, 2007 1:55 PM | Link to this

Right you are, jim d, about HOPE trying to keep students in state and it has worked. There may not be many students choosing UGA over Harvard because of HOPE, but they do choose to stay rather than go to other out of state public universities. I graduated just as HOPE was getting started. I knew many honors students, a few years older than I was, who got very good grades but weren’t among the top students looking to enter top tier schools. Out of state schools often awarded scholarships to these students in the form of out of state tuition waivers lowering the cost to about the same as staying in GA, so quite a few chose to attend FSU, Auburn, etc. In my class and the one behind mine, though, almost no one did this because UGA was free with HOPE. One of my best friends was at the top of her class and always wanted to attend UNC, but HOPE convinced her to stay in state.

You are also correct that HOPE was never meant to help the poorest students. A family income higher than the Pell cut off does not mean college is easily affordable. HOPE was designed to help out working and lower middle class families for whom tuition can be a real hardship. Sure most students from such families could afford community college while living at home as someone wrote earlier — depending on where you live. Georgia is a big state, and a lot of the population lives outside metro Atlanta! For many students, community college can be well over an hour commute (let’s hope they can afford a car), and even then that may only be a jr college or a 4-year offering 3 or 4 majors.

HOPE may be simply an unecessary entitlement to some, but for many students it’s a valuable resource. I can’t figure out why a financial cap (set higher than most needs-based scholarships) isn’t put in place and/or a graduated system, as someone wrote upthread, where all qualified students receive funds but the amount given varies by need. That seems much more reasonable than encouraging students to take easier classes.

By catlady

August 1, 2007 2:03 PM | Link to this

jim d, “smart” kids with “savvy” parents have been doing that HOPE shuffle for years. ‘course, the kid isn’t as well prepared, but so what? The bottom third is gone in a year, to either dropping out (but they had that “free” year to find out college wasnt for them!) or staying in and paying/taking out loans. And the HOPE class shuffle continues in college for the first couple of years: dropping courses, getting into the easiest courses that meet the requirements for the distribution, etc. Look at the percentage that retain HOPE all the way through. Shows, in my opinion, how generously HOPE defines “outstanding scholars.”

Jeff, I have watched Reinhart do the ole bait and switch on financial aid a number of times. They don’t have much cred with me (they are not the only private college who does it). So yeah, they can play around and look good for the publicity.

IF there is an excess of money, let’s increase the HOPE stipend to those who continue to be eligible. For example, if they keep the 3.0 through the first half of their college undergraduate career, start kicking in money for room and board or books. Or, as said earlier, reward graduate students with HOPE eligibility, especially in certain needed fields.

By jim d

August 1, 2007 4:08 PM | Link to this

Cat,

What really sucks is that had our legislators left the formula alone and simply made Hope a reimbursement program as I’ve advocated since it’s inception. they would have accomplished more towards encouraging our brightest to continue to challenge themselves with rigorous courses.

Reformulating as they have simply encourages mediocrity.

By catlady

August 1, 2007 5:58 PM | Link to this

Amen, brother Jim.

By pcw61

August 2, 2007 4:37 PM | Link to this

I have 2 kids in college now using HOPE. One is going into her sophomore year one is almost a junior. Both of them have consistently been on the Dean’s list and have not lost their HOPE funds. Here’s what I told them…if you lose HOPE, you lose my money as well. so far, I’ve jot had any issues!

By College Dad

August 3, 2007 1:17 PM | Link to this

I am all for higher standards for the HOPE scholarship but I see that in the future that this money doesn’t go as far as it did when the program was first implemented. My son starts his freshman year next week and in my visits to several colleges this year, I was shocked with the amount of money that was being spent on non-academics. One college that I visited boasted of their new 3 story rock climbing wall. This wall was housed in a student athletic center that had 2 indoor tracks, 5000 square feet of hardwood basketball courts, and a weight room that would be the envy of most private gyms. Not to mention free cable TV in all dorm rooms, many with private bathrooms and appliances. I’d like to know when the outrage will be directed at the Board of Regents and the College Presidents who cannot seem to control costs.

By Jeff

August 3, 2007 1:35 PM | Link to this

College Dad:

The outrage belongs on the kids that demand these things and the parents that give in to them.

The Board of Regents and the various colleges are only doing what they can to attract students.

By Lifer

August 6, 2007 3:29 PM | Link to this

Catlady — I have read several of your posts and applaud your common sense.

College Dad — I likely work at the institution that “boasted of their new 3 story rock climbing wall”. If we do not have a climbing wall, the students will go to another school that has one. (almost) Private bathrooms are common in colleges and universities that are building new living spaces for students. Those of us who went to school “in the good ol’ days” need to understand that college is different for students in the 21st Century, and we need to quit comparing our experiences to theirs.

On another note, colleges and universities are also not immune to grade inflation. Every semester, at least one student comes to my office to crying that he/she needs (insert grade here) to maintain his/her HOPE scholarship. Save the drama for TNT. TNT knows drama.

HOPE is paying less and less for books because colleges and universities must increase certain fees to maintain or start new programs and services. I believe students attending Georgia Perimeter College receive $35 for books after tuition and fees are accounted for. $35 is a down payment for one book, not the total of all required books. It is expensive to run a college, and the money is not going to large paychecks for faculty and staff.