Currently, there are 178 eligible UW-Whitewater students waiting to find out if they will receive financial aid for the coming school year through the Wisconsin Higher Education Grant (WHEG) program. WHEG is a state funded grant available to eligible undergraduate Wisconsin residents who have demonstrated financial need. These students are having to wait for funding because of the delay in approving the state budget. The Senate budget provides funding for these students, while the Assembly budget does not, reducing the funding for this program by more than 10%.
We need parents and students to contact their legislators and encourage the legislature to act quickly on the budget. Classes begin in less than three weeks. Our neediest students must know whether they will receive WHEG funding. Without this funding, they will not be able to afford to continue.
We also need to provide state support for veteran’s tuition remissions. Currently, there is no state support; the tuition is covered by the individual campuses, in effect by all other students. While this is an excellent program, it needs to be supported by the state as a whole, not just by other students.
There is much to address in this budget. Wisconsin’s students need the legislature to act quickly and responsibly. The best way for that to happen is to approve the budget already backed by the Senate and the bipartisan Joint Finance Committee.
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