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

Mon Mar 15 22:29:12 UTC 2010

Elizabeth,
Speaking as someone with a student loan currently, there are several 
programs in place by the government to allow for delayed payments of student 
loans. Essentially, those meaning certain income requirements have the 
ability to have their loan payments defered until a time where they can 
afford to pay. Also, there are several payment options available, and as 
long as one is in communication with the government about the loan, there 
are ample opportunities to make suitable payment arrangements.
Hope this helps.

J.J. Meddaugh - ATGuys.com
A premier Licensed Code Factory and KNFB Reader distributor
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Elizabeth" <lizmohnke at hotmail.com>
To: <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, March 15, 2010 5:04 PM
Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] Should Students Participate in College Costs?

>
> I agree with your thoughts, but should blind students be required to take 
> out loans for college when the unemployment rate is higher among the blind 
> then it is for the general population? I understand that right now it is 
> difficult for anyone to find and keep a job, but it seems as though it is 
> even more difficult for a blind person to find and keep a job. So with 
> this in mind, should blind students still be required to take out loans 
> that they may not be able to pay back to fund their college education?
>
> Respectfully,
> Elizabeth
>
> > From: jj at bestmidi.com
>> To: nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
>> Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:36:36 -0400
>> Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] Should Students Participate in College Costs?
>>
>> 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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