Elections encourage colleges’ supporters

With Democrats poised to take control of Congress for the first time in 12 years, some experts, advocates and educators are optimistic that last week’s midterm elections bode well for higher education policy in the United States.

Many Democrats have complained that the Republican-led Congress has done too little to make college more accessible to lower-income students by slashing funding for higher education. They have also said that the Higher Education Act, a law designed to increase funding to universities and provide financial aid to students, simply does not do enough to offset the rising cost of education.

Lael Keiser, a political science professor at MU, said she expects Democrats to lay the groundwork for easier access to higher education but added that their impact on tuition would likely be minimal. The federal government does not set tuition, Keiser said, but lawmakers have the power to affect accessibility by controlling the cost of student loans and the availability of scholarships and grants.

“In general, Democrats have been in favor of increasing funding for things like student loans,” Keiser said.

Before the Democrats take over in January, Congress hopes to pass a budget that would once again slash Pell Grants, the federal government’s largest student financial aid program for low-income students. In 2003, President Bush revised the eligibility formulas to eliminate Pell Grants for 84,000 students, although Congress rejected the measure in an amendment to the federal budget. Ron Berry, a spokesman for Missouri Progressive Vote Coalition, said the proposed cuts in the next budget would mean nearly 33,000 Missouri students would lose grant money.

“If they eliminate the Pell Grants, or if they even cut back the number of Pell Grants available, that’s going to deter individuals from going to school,” Berry said. “I would hope that the new Congress would stop that.”

However, Berry said he thinks a Congress controlled by Democrats will be good for education. Berry said he hopes the Democratic Congress will hinder the Pell Grants cuts, which would be good for education.

“Education is one of the top issues across the country,” he said, “so this Democratic Congress is going to have an emphasis and a priority in public education, whether it be elementary and secondary or higher ed.”

Another issue the new Congress will have to tackle is the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, which guides the government’s major student aid programs. Democrats have said the act, which is up for renewal next month, does not do enough to make applying for college and financial aid easier for low-income students. However, MU Provost Brian Foster said he expects the act to be reauthorized.

“I don’t think there’s any question about that,” Foster said. “It’s a key piece of higher education legislation. The question is about how it gets tweaked.”

Vicki Rosser, an assistant professor in the department of Education Leadership and Political Analysis, agreed.

“My sense is that they will continue it,” Rosser said. “I don’t see them upsetting that apple cart too much.”

Rosser said that, although education will likely be a priority for a Democratic Congress, she expects lawmakers’ attention to be occupied with the war in Iraq.

Also at stake are several recommendations made by the Commission on the Future of Higher Education, a panel charged by U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings to reform higher education. The commission’s report, released last month, said that post-secondary education is becoming increasingly difficult to afford, and makes several recommendations, including reforming the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.

“I have a doctorate in higher ed,” Rosser noted, “and I don’t think I could fill that thing out.”

She said that, while she wouldn’t mind seeing Democrats reject some of the recommendations, others need to be seriously considered if a college education is going to be within reach of more people.

“I can only be hopeful that a Democratic Congress will come through for us,” she said.