The head of Heartland Community College says federal proposals to reduce the amount of and eligibility for Pell Grants and other changes to higher education are "out of touch" with the world and students of today. Republican backed legislation would reduce the program by about 30%.
HCC president Keith Cornille said school officials are still sorting through unclear proposals, but the consequences would be pronounced, affecting 1,600 currently enrolled Heartland students. Requiring heavier course loads to be grant eligible also could hurt their ability to earn a degree. Other education leaders in Bloomington Normal have also spoken out on the proposals.
"And when you look at community college students and they are working and raising families, they may only be able to take two classes at a time," said Cornille.
Heartland estimates if the new grant and loan standards were in place today, it would reduce student aid at the college by $1.2 million, he said.
A new time requirement to be eligible for federal aid also would mean a two-year program would have to be done in a maximum of three years, or 150% of the standard time to graduation. Cornille said that does not fit the reality of many students' lives.
"We could be shooting ourselves in the foot here to try to build a workforce in our community," he said.
Cornille said a recent graduate told him it took him six years to get done because he has a family. If anything, he said government should loosen time requirements to get degrees with government assistance. If the changes become real, he said fewer students would enroll.
Risk sharing
And Cornille really doesn't like a Trump administration proposal to put colleges and universities on the hook for part of defaulted student loans. One problem with that idea, he said, is if a student transfers to another school, the receiving school gets all the liability.
"All the loans they took up to that point, whether at Heartland or another institution, are all now the responsibility of Heartland Community College. If we don't get those students to pay their loans, it's essentially a tax on the college," said Cornille.
Cornille said it doesn't serve students or the community well for colleges to avoid admitting them because of loan risk, adding he agrees loans aren't great. Heartland has reduced the loans it facilitates by 60% in the last several years in favor of grants and scholarships.
Cornille said his institution also is starting to see slower response times from the Education Department as federal staff cuts and departures take hold. That's particularly true for grants and financial aid reports.
