Q: Will technical school students receiving the HOPE grant take their share of the cuts that Gov. Nathan Deal and others are proposing?
-- Margo Camann, Atlanta
A: HOPE includes a scholarship and a grant. The HOPE grant, which is primarily used by students attending a college within the Technical College System of Georgia, would undergo several changes as part of the overhaul outlined in House Bill 326. The biggest change would require grant recipients to earn a 3.0 GPA once enrolled in technical college to keep the award. Currently, there is no GPA requirement, although officials with the Technical College System of Georgia said, in practice, colleges require students to have a 2.0 GPA. About two-thirds of the HOPE grant recipients currently have at least a 3.0 GPA, officials said. Also, students who have a postsecondary degree would be ineligible for the grant. Currently, about 2 percent of the students on the grant have a bachelor's degree or higher.
Q: Does the Coca-Cola Co. have a secret formula for each of its soft drinks? Are they protected the same way as the formula for Coke?
-- Claude C. Paquin, Atlanta
A: Just like Coca-Cola, all of the company's product formulations are unique, and the company protects that uniqueness, Coca-Cola spokeswoman Kerry Tressler told Q&A on the News. "We consider our products to be our company's most valuable trade secrets," she wrote in an e-mail.
Lori Johnston wrote this column; staff writers Laura Diamond and Jeremiah McWilliams contributed. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or e-mail q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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