CCSC Resolution Advocates Aid Reforms

On the heels of announcements that several Ivy League institutions would make financial aid policies inclusive of middle-income families, the Columbia College Student Council is lobbying administrators for a plan that would lessen the financial burden for “the majority of families,” according to a resolution passed last week.

The resolution, authored by all five executive board members, cites recent pledges from Harvard University, Yale University, University of Pennsylvania, and Dartmouth College to increase financial aid to the upper middle class.

The resolution suggested that similar changes could help Columbia to increase “competitiveness in attracting the most qualified and capable students” and reduce the “severe financial burden” for most families.

The Ivy League universities’ announcements follow recent Columbia financial aid policy alterations. In fall 2006, Columbia announced that it would replace loans with grants for students whose family income falls below $50,000.

“Even if your parents make over $50,000, it’s still possible to be bogged down by serious loan obligations,” said Alidad Damooei, CC ’09 and CCSC vice president for policy, in an online interview.

Vice President for Arts and Sciences Nick Dirks called the replacement of loans with grants “a good beginning” for updating Columbia’s financial aid policy. “We were working on continuing this discussion, then, kazaam! Harvard comes out with its new plan. But Harvard just has a lot more [monetary resources] to work with than we do.”

Though University President Lee Bollinger said last month that Columbia could not afford to match the offerings of other Ivies, Damooei said the council is in the midst of administrative talks that appear promising.

“I am optimistic that we will see some sort of announcement before the end of the semester,” Damooei said, expressing uncertainty as to how much more aid the administration might promise in such an announcement. The council has not contemplated the quantity of financial aid increase it seeks to achieve in these discussions.

In an opinion piece published in the Spectator on Wednesday, CCSC President Michelle Diamond suggested using more money from the Capital Campaign and the Senior Fund to support financial aid increases.

Meanwhile, Damooei said that student opinion like that expressed in the CCSC resolution would pressure administrators to follow through and enact financial aid reforms.

The council said that it is not aiming for a precise monetary value. The goal is “more about making a clear commitment to more middle class students who still face a financial burden when attending a school as expensive as Columbia,” Damooei said.

Joy Resmovits contributed to this article.

lien.hoang@columbiaspectator.com