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

Mon Mar 15 16:36:36 UTC 2010

Personally, I am not opposed to the idea of students paying for their own 
educational expenses with the help of student loans, PEL Grants, and 
whatever other means are necessary. This type of drastic shift would need to 
be phased in over time and account for other circumstances where this type 
of policy would not make sense. But if we want to be considered as equals, 
we need to pay as equals. This policy would also allow for a major 
redirection in funds to hire additional counselors, pay for much-needed 
technology, provide braille textbooks where appropriate, and improve 
training opportunities. In essence, any expense that would not be realized 
by a sighted individual would be covered.
I realize not all would be in favor of this shift, but I feel it could 
ultimately lead to better services if implemented correctly.

J.J. Meddaugh - ATGuys.com
A premier Licensed Code Factory and KNFB Reader distributor
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Fred Wurtzel" <f.wurtzel at comcast.net>
To: "'NFB of Michigan List'" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, March 14, 2010 11:31 PM
Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] Should Students Participate in College Costs?

> 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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