[nfbmi-talk] Should Students Participate in College Costs?

Mon Mar 15 03:31:58 UTC 2010

Hi Elizabeth,

I agree, completely, with what you say, here.  Though Geri Taeckens has
worked hard and has made some positive improvements, this policy is severly
lacking and is an anti blind student policy document.  It needs to be thrown
out and written from the ground upp.  

If the Commission wants the college to complete another form, it needs to be
their responsibility to do so, not the student's.  It will turn into a
gotcha game and keep some eligible people from going to school.  The federal
government already asks for all the needed information, why should the
student have to do it again?

How about not giving those who change majors additional time.  In some
cases, it may add another year to the time needed to finish.  If the IPE
approves a change, then all policies for college attendance should then
apply.

Even though the MOU section has been changed, it still does not require the
Commission to step in and resolve the problem.  Despite promises at our
convention, Kerry Bradly did not ever get her math book in Braille.  The
Commission was not able to do a simple thing like get a book Brailled, how
will they resolve complex technical problems?

I hope students are in the audience on Friday to voice their concerns and
objections to this horrible policy.

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of Elizabeth
Sent: Sunday, March 14, 2010 10:48 PM
To: nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
Subject: [nfbmi-talk] Should Students Participate in College Costs?

Thanks to all of you who have commented on my revisions to the college
policy either on or off the list. However, as I have thought about some
things a bit more, I am wondering weather or not college students should
help with the cost of going to college. In a previous version I submitted to
the Consumer Involvement Committee Chair, I included a section on students
contributing financially to the costs of their college education based on
the dollar amount awarded to those who receive Supplemental Security Income.
I did not include it in this draft simply because it sounded a bit confusing
to me, and I was not quite sure how to write it so that it would be less
confusing. I will post it below for your comments and suggestions. 

But I guess what I am really wondering is weather or not students should be
responsible for contributing financially to the costs of their college
education. I am currently not a consumer of the agency, nor do I live on
campus, so I cannot comment on whether or not this is currently the
procedure. However, from what little I have heard about the new DELEG form
is that it would require all students to write down all their current
expenses and sources of income to determine how much a student's family, not
the individual student, can financially contribute towards their college
education. 

Personally, I am not in favor of this new system for a couple of reasons.
The first one being that I don't think it is the Commission's business to
know every detail of how a student chooses to spend, save, and use every
cent of their income. Second, I don't think that it is right for the
Commission to consider the income of student's parents when they are serving
the individual and not the family. The last time I checked, the income of
someone's parent, especially for someone over the age of eighteen, was not a
source of comparable benefits. And finally, looking at a students income as
a way to determine vocational services is basically saying that you have to
pay to play, or in this case to receive an education. And since the income
of the student's parents is considered as part of the equation, the amount
the student has to pay could very well be beyond what the student can
afford. 

So, I don't know, should students be required to help pay for their college
education, and if so, how exactly do we create a system that is simple and
fair to all students? I mean, after all, the client of the Commission is the
student and not the student's parents. And even though the financial aid
system may include the parent's income, does that mean that the Commission
needs to do the same as well even though they are serving the student and
not the parents? Anyways, who the heck knows, maybe I'm just making a
mountain out of a mole hill, but I'm just a little ticked off that the
Commission has been working on this thing for almost two years now, and
still has yet to have a discussion about this new DELEG form that appears to
be magically hidden into the policy. I don't know, I guess I'm just pissed
off about the whole process in general, and the fact that the college policy
is on the agenda when I was told that it would not be ready in time for this
meeting.

Elizabeth

--------------------------

Student Contribution:

Students requesting sponsorship from the Michigan Commission for the Blind
will be required to make a small contribution to their college or vocational
training. The purpose of this contribution is to prepare students for
financial responsibility after graduation. Before a student can receive
sponsorship from the Michigan Commission for the Blind, they must complete
and sign a copy of the Student Contribution form indicating their level of
contribution. Students giving a financial contribution shall be responsible
for making payments directly to the college or university. If students
cannot make the payment all at once, they are encouraged to ask the college
or university about monthly payment plans.

All students who choose to live on campus and subscribe to a dining program
will be required to pay the register's office one-half the current amount
awarded to Supplemental Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries. All students
who choose to live on campus, but do not subscribe to a dining service will
be required to pay the register's office one-third the amount awarded to
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries. Any student who does not
live on campus will be responsible for all expenses associated with
off-campus housing. It will be expected that all students will be
responsible for making this contribution regardless of their level of
income. 

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