Students and the university are being forced to make some adjustments in light of the late and significantly reduced New York state budget.

Although Syracuse University officials said financial aid is safe, some students said they have seen a decrease in their aid this year, and other programs will still be affected by state cuts, including a 10-year-old internship program.

The state’s veto included $100,000, which was to be put toward SU’s Renaissance Internship Program, a collaboration that assists engineering students through local internships.

The students intern in the engineering and computer science fields and can work 20 hours per week during the academic year — or 40 hours per week during the summer — while continuing their full academic course load. One hundred seventeen students have received internships since the program’s inception, leading to jobs in the Syracuse area for many, according to an April SU news release.

Despite $115,000 of grants to SU being vetoed during the course of the 125-day-late budgetary process, university officials said planning ahead allowed them to take this year’s financial plan in stride.

‘I think SU is well-positioned in terms of the period of time when the government is cutting aid,’ said Kevin Quinn, senior vice president for public affairs. ‘We provide about $180 million a year that are SU money that go to SU students in the form of financial aid.’

The vetoed funds for the Renaissance Program are a setback, Quinn said, but he expects larger employers will continue to hire students. Smaller employers, though, will be more affected because SU covered 50 percent of the interns’ compensation.

 ‘I can tell you that, of course, the reduction in funding is disappointing, but we remain firmly committed to continuing the Renaissance Internship Program,’ he said. ‘The program is a win-win for students and local businesses and has helped keep many SU alumni in the region.’ 

University officials assured students they will not see a change in need-based aid as a result of the budget or tough economic times. But at the same time, not all students received the same financial aid package as they did last year, like sophomore political science major Nathaniel Berger.

Berger received grants and work-study last year, but when he went to apply for a job as a main desk assistant, he was told the position was only for those with work-study. To his surprise, when he checked his financial portfolio online, he found no work-study had been given. As a result, he took out loans for the first time.

Berger only received a small amount of aid last year, he said, but the amount was enough to make a dent in SU’s $51,960 in tuition and fees. Though he was expecting less aid following his sister’s graduation from college, a factor used in determining aid levels, he wasn’t counting on losing it all.

Youlanda Copeland-Morgan, director of scholarships and student aid, said a change in federal work-study amounts is not unusual.

‘We have to be careful when you try to say why or why not a student did or did not get work study,’ Copeland-Morgan said.

Morgan said late applications or a change in family situation or income could cause a student to lose work-study eligibility.

‘Lots of factors go into whether a student will have access to work study,’ she said. ‘There are always students who may get work-study one year but not the next year. It’s the same as grants and scholarships. It’s always based upon the family’s individual circumstances.’

Berger argued his case to the financial aid office and submitted a formal appeal. In return, he received a phone call telling him all the year’s aid had been dispersed and that no further aid would be given. He was placed on a waitlist, but was told it was unlikely he’d make it off.

Work-study is in higher demand, Copeland-Morgan said, because of increased expenses and potentially less cash at home. But still, SU is trying its best to meet the growing demand for student employment, she said.

As of Wednesday, all students who were on the waitlist for work-study were granted the funds, Copeland-Morgan said.

The work-study program is a federal program, Copeland-Morgan said, meaning the amount that can be awarded is not in SU’s control. But she said SU will continue to do all it can to aid its students however possible.

‘Of course we are always disappointed when we see that there are cuts in federal programs or state programs that could benefit our students,’ she said. ‘But our commitment does not rely solely on what happens with the federal government or state government. So, it’s disappointing, it weakens the partnership, but we’re certainly no less committed to our students.’

lefulton@syr.edu

 

Published on September 1, 2010 at 12:00 pm

Contact Lorne: lefulton@syr.edu