State to subsidize summer classes

By Timothy Kudo
Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Financial aid for all students may decrease because more
students will be receiving financial aid during the summer,
spreading thin the total amount of aid available.

In the state budget for 2000-2001, Gov. Gray Davis allocated
funding to subsidize the cost of summer sessions, making their cost
equivalent to classes offered during the normal year.

Currently, UC students graduate in just over four years. The
university’s hope is that, by encouraging more students to
attend summer school by lowering the price, the students will
graduate sooner and free up space.

Davis and UC officials hoped this would provide a solution to
the massive enrollment growth ““ known as “Tidal Wave
2″ ““ which is expected to bring an additional 60,000
students to the UC system over the next 10 years.

But, while the budget for financial aid allocations remains the
same, the university must give near-complete financial aid packages
to more students. As a result, more is coming out of the pot than
is going in. Though officials expect to have enough money to
maintain aid levels next year, current figures show a funding
shortfall may follow in a couple years.

“There’s not going to be enough resources to give to
all students,” said Nick Valdivia, assistant director of the
UCLA Financial Aid Office. “In order to fund all the students
in the summer, it may affect what we have available during the
academic year.”

If the university isn’t able to find a budgetary solution,
financial aid for all students may be $50-$100 less, Valdivia
said.

According to UC Spokesman Brad Hayward, the university is
currently working to solve all the problems that are arising with
the transition to subsidized summer sessions.

“We are facing some challenges in this area and we are
working on solving them,” he said. “It’s a fairly
complex issue and the solutions aren’t always
simple.”

Additionally, federal loans and Pell grants are not currently
available to summer session students, Hayward said.

“Even if we solve that issue, … we may still need
additional funds to make aid packages equivalent,” he
said.

The break given for summer was originally instituted to allow
students to harvest crops. Eliminating the summer break was first
thought of as a solution to overcrowding in many elementary schools
where it has already been enacted.

The university has toyed with the idea of year-round education
and now the need may be imminent with the onslaught of Tidal Wave
2.

But, Valdivia said students taking part-time schedules may drain
the system by taking financial aid close to what full-time students
receive while not necessarily graduating earlier.

Instead of receiving significantly less financial aid, their
costs remain high since financial aid covers housing, food and
other costs that must be met regardless of course load.

Valdivia said one option being thrown around is to limit
financial aid to students who are full-time.

Aside from funding issues, concerns have been raised that, even
if fees were lowered, students might not attend because they use
their summers for other activities such as relaxation, jobs or
internships.

“I have a job in the summer,” said Sandra Ibarra, a
third-year sociology student. “I think a lot of students
would benefit from the lower costs, but I still wouldn’t go
because that’s my only job.

Enrollment was opened for summer session Monday, but it’s
too early to tell if the fee decreases are having any effect, said
David Unruh, director of summer sessions.

Though the enrollment date was bumped up this year from March 1,
he said spot checks on enrollments show little change from last
year.

Summer session classes start June 25.

With reports by Noah Grand, Daily Bruin Contributor. For more
information, visit www.summer.ucla.edu.

SUMMER SESSION COSTS GO DOWN Summer session
fess have been cut for UC students, so the university can better
facilitate enrollment increases. Also, enrollment dates have been
pushed up for UC students only, giving them priority.  
Old Summer session New summer
session Enrollment starts March 1 Enrollment starts Jan.22
$300 registration fee No registration fee Scaled unit cost $100-160
(depends on factors such as labs, etc.) Undergraduates:$76/unit
Graduates:$100/unit   Source: UCLA Summer Sessions, Financial
Aid Office Original by ADAM BROWN/Daily Bruin Web Adaptation by
TODD SHINTANI