Bush proposal threatens UA programs
Yvette Scorse, Assistant News Editor
Issue date: 2/14/05 Section: News
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Noel Smith was shy and had low self-confidence and few friends before becoming an Upward Bound student. After joining the program, she met her best friend, discovered her passion for journalism and began to challenge herself academically, she said.
President George W. Bush's budget proposal would eliminate Upward Bound and other pre-college programs across the country, if passed by Congress. Bush's proposed budget cuts will reduce spending on 154 federal programs, eliminating education programs worth $4.3 billion, the Associated Press reported.
"Taking [Upward Bound] away would be like slashing my dreams and saying that you want me to fail," Smith said.
Six of the eight pre-college programs at the UA, which serve more than 2,000 students, would be cancelled. Students in grades six to 12 and veterans that benefit from the programs would be "denied their college access," said Shauna Sterling, the director of Pre-College Programs at the UA.
The programs that would be eliminated, including Upward Bound and Talent Search, prepare many low-income, first-generation students for college. The students learn academic enhancement skills and how to be successful, explore possible career paths and have a simulated college experience on campus, said Gina Ervin, the senior associate director of Pre-College Programs.
"This program is the best thing that has ever happened to me," said Tim Standifer, a fourth-year Upward Bound student. "[Upward Bound] has opened so many doors for me. Before this program, I never even thought about college. Without it, I cannot picture where I would be."
To receive federal funding, at least two-thirds of the students in Pre-College Programs must be from families of four with incomes less than $24,000, and be first-generation college students, Ervin said. The students that participate in the programs are usually underrepresented.
"We have students with academic potential and the motivation for continuing their education, students that could be overlooked for a variety of reasons," Ervin said.
President George W. Bush's budget proposal would eliminate Upward Bound and other pre-college programs across the country, if passed by Congress. Bush's proposed budget cuts will reduce spending on 154 federal programs, eliminating education programs worth $4.3 billion, the Associated Press reported.
"Taking [Upward Bound] away would be like slashing my dreams and saying that you want me to fail," Smith said.
Six of the eight pre-college programs at the UA, which serve more than 2,000 students, would be cancelled. Students in grades six to 12 and veterans that benefit from the programs would be "denied their college access," said Shauna Sterling, the director of Pre-College Programs at the UA.
The programs that would be eliminated, including Upward Bound and Talent Search, prepare many low-income, first-generation students for college. The students learn academic enhancement skills and how to be successful, explore possible career paths and have a simulated college experience on campus, said Gina Ervin, the senior associate director of Pre-College Programs.
"This program is the best thing that has ever happened to me," said Tim Standifer, a fourth-year Upward Bound student. "[Upward Bound] has opened so many doors for me. Before this program, I never even thought about college. Without it, I cannot picture where I would be."
To receive federal funding, at least two-thirds of the students in Pre-College Programs must be from families of four with incomes less than $24,000, and be first-generation college students, Ervin said. The students that participate in the programs are usually underrepresented.
"We have students with academic potential and the motivation for continuing their education, students that could be overlooked for a variety of reasons," Ervin said.
