THIS WEEK:
Journeys
To
Take
1982 page 8
The R. A.
Story
A look at the R. A.
program
see page 10
Baseball
Review
page 14
Loyola
Marymount
University
February 22, 1982
Volume 59
Number 14
LMU battles aid shortfall
by Candi Carlyon
Cuts in federal financial aid
programs will cause severe hard¬
ships for many students next
year, but the outlook is even
worse for the 1983-’84 school
year, according to director of
financial aid Donna Palmer.
Palmer said that, although
many fedferal cuts took effect on
October 1 of last year, the office
was able to process most re¬
quests prior to that date, bypass¬
ing the new regulations.
The new guidelines include re¬
quirements that students apply¬
ing for Guaranteed Student
Loans (GSLs), will be required
to demonstrate financial need.
This will make the 9 percent
GSLs subject to the same need
requirements as the 5 percent
National Direct Student Loans
(NDSLs). Palmer said that the
University will begin next year to
include the GSLs in financial aid
packages after the maximum
number of NDSLs have been
awarded.
In the past, GSLs were not in¬
cluded in financial aid packages,
and were available to any stu¬
dent regardless of need.
Palmer projects that about
600 LMU students will be ex¬
cluded from obtaining GSLs
next year because of the need re¬
quirement. If the current
Reagan budget proposal takes
effect, the program will be revis¬
ed to exclude all graduate
students as well.
Those who will be hardest hit
by these cuts will be the students
with family incomes of about
$40,000 or more, who have trou¬
ble qualifying for financial aid,
yet cannot afford the high costs
of attending a private university
without some financial help.
According to Palmer, the
University has no means of
replacing the GSL program, or
making up such monies to
students who cannot qualify for
the other aid programs.
Other changes in financial aid
programs for next year include a
work requirement of $1,000 to
$1,500, which will be figured in¬
to each aid package to reduce
the financial need subject to
grants and loans.
This change means that
students who currently do not
work will be expected to do so,
arid will receive work study as
the first part of their financial
aid package.
Other cuts proposed by the
Reagan administration call for a
40 percent reduction in the Pell
Grant program, a 30 percent
reduction in work study re¬
quirements, and the elimination
of supplemental grants.
The Pell Grant program, cur¬
rently encompassing 983
students at LMU, would be cut
by over $400,000, reducing the
average award from $1,034 to
$620.
Cuts in work study would cost
the University about $240,000,
and the elimination of sup¬
plemental grants, currently
recieved by 827 LMU students,
would amount to $515,000 in
funds lost by the unversity.
Palmer asked that students
Donna Palmer, director of financial aid, must deal with existing and proposed Reagan cuts in financial
aid. The worst effects will be felt during the 1983-84 school year. (Loyolan photo by Danny Garon)
write to their congressmen in an
attempt to prevent these pro¬
posals from taking effect.
^‘We don’t know if it will
work, but we have to try,”
stated Palmer. “If the cuts go
through, we will embark upon a
huge fundraising effort.
“We want this institution to
stay as close to what it is now as
possible.”
Other possibilities which
could threaten financial aid pro¬
grams include proposals to
decrease the Cal Grant program
by 12 percent, and the possibility
that state schools could
drastically raise their tuition in
the face of state cutbacks.
This would decrease the
money available to LMU
students, as more U.C. students
would qualify for aid, thereby
decreasing the amount of money
available to private institutions.
The University has proposed
several measures to ease the
damages of next year’s financial
aid deficits, including the alloca¬
tion of an estimated $300,000 in
budget surplus from this year to
financial aid, and the creation of
a $110,000 student aid reserve.
Father Merrifield will attempt
(continued on page 3)
Council close to
passing rent law
ЩШ
Student protests against housing discrimination should lead to the passing of a bill prohibiting maltreat¬
ment of students by landlords. By a 10-0 vote, the Council gave tentative approval to such a bill.
(Loyolan photo by George Chronis)
by Candi Carlyon
The Los Angeles City Council
gave tentative approval Wednes¬
day to a bill which would pro¬
hibit landlords from
discriminating against students
in rental housing.
The unanimous 10-0 vote
came after the release of survey
data showing that 20 percent of
college students had experienced
some form of discrimination in
their attempts to obtain rental
housing.
According to Bill -Imada,
president of the Los Angeles
Collegiate Council, the Cal State
Northridge study showed that
discrimination against students
took the form- of higher
deposits, longer lease re¬
quirements, or apartments
which were suddenly “not
available” when the landlord
learned that the potential renter
was a student.
Even though the bill gained
the approval of all Council
members present at Wednes¬
day’s meeting, the bill failed to
gain the twelve votes needed to
become law. The measure will be
re-considered by the Council on
February 24, and will need only
ten votes to pass at that time.
Supporters of the proposal are f
uncertain as to the effectiveness
of the measure, should it gain
final approval next week.
Although the civil sanctions
authorized by the bill could
amount to three times the
monthly rent of the rental unit in
question plus attorneys’ fees, the
bill’s main effect may be to act
as a deterrent, rather than a
punitive measure.
Imada stated that cases of
discrimination would be very
difficult to prove. “A student
would have to have witnesses to
the act, and it would have to be
very blatant.”
“We don’t want to give
special priveledges to students,”
said Imada. “What we want is
fair rent, security denote and
leases.”
