New student classification releases funds
By MELODY WARD
Of the Emerald
A revised definition of “inde
pendent student” has been prop
osed by the U.S. Department of
Health, Education, and Welfare’s
(HEW) Office of Education.
Intended to improve the equity
of the classification, the proposed
definition would be used to clas
sify students for participation in
federal programs of postsecon
dary student financial aid.
"All it is now is a proposed
change," explains University di
rector of Financial Aid Ed Vignoul.
"Basically they're tightening up
requirements for students to be
independent. I happen to agree
with them.”
Vignoul says the number of stu
dents claiming financial indepen
dence has increased by 35 per
cent since 1974. "The reason is
because more and more we’re
dealing with the non-traditional
student,” he says.
The change would extend by
one year the current tax exemp
tion criterion, meaning that an in
dependent student could not have
been claimed for Federal income
tax exemption purposes by any
person other than himself or a
spouse for two calendar years
prior to the academic year for
which aid is requested.
“The idea is to get the money to
people that it was designed for,”
Vignoul says. “The same amount
of funds would be available if the
proposal goes into effect but the
distribution might be different. We
have more students who are eligi
ble to receive funds than the
money available to go around."
Asked how the change would
affect students from middle
income families, Vignoul re
sponded, “I believe that the prim
ary responsibility for higher edu
cation still belongs with the fam
ily.” Vignoul says the statement
that financial aid programs are
eliminating middle income
families is “totally erroneous,” and
that other types of assistance in
the form of loans and work study
are available.
“Parents have some obligation
to education — the magic age of
18 doesn’t dump that responsibil
ity on the public,” Vignoul states.
The proposal would also
change the current residency re
quirements. At present, students
are limited to two consecutive
weeks at their parents residence.
Grants offered to middle-income students
By LAURENCE MAGDER
Of the Emerald
If you are an in-state student
from a middle income family you
may have just become eligible for
a state need grant of up to $500
per term.
A law, passed this summer by
the Oregon State Legislature,
makes a 62 per cent increase in
the amount of money allocated for
state need grants. This budgetary
increase enables the Oregon
State Scholarship Commission
(OSSC) to redefine “needy
student” in such a way as to in
clude students from middle in
come families.
According to Gary Weeks, de
puty director of the OSSC, the
Commission can now make
grants to students from families
whose income is up to $17,000.
Previously, grants were only
made to students whose family in
come was $12,000 or less.
These income levels are only
applicable to families with two
children. Weeks indicated that
grants might be awarded to stu
dents whose family income ex
ceeded $17,000, and denied to
those whose family income was
less than $17,000.
One must be a resident of
Oregon to qualify for a state-need
grant.
The same new law makes a
further appropriation to offset the
tuition increases that will go into
effect during the 1977-79 school
year. Weeks said that this approp
riation will enable the Commission
to raise the family-of-four stan
dard of need to $20,000 for those
going to four year public colleges.
Weeks stated that it had been
an important goal of the OSSC to
get enough money to provide
grants to middle income students.
“These are the people that need
some kind of grant help,” he said,
“as they won’t qualify for the Basic
Educational Opportunity Grant, or
other major grant programs.” He
said that with the help of the
Oregon Student Lobby, the
Commission was able to make
this point to the legislature.
Students who receive a State
Need Grant will be awarded from
$100 to $500 each of the first three
terms of the school year. If there is
enough money, grants may be ex
tended to the summer term. The
size of the grant is determined by
the student’s need. Students
whose family-of-four income is
less than $14,500 will receive the
maximum.
Karen Aydt, of the ASUO, ex
pressed concern that there are
many students eligible for the
grant who don’t know it, particu
larly among those gone for the
summer.
Students who think they might
qualify for a state Need Grant
should submit a “Financial Need
Form”. Weeks said that the OSSC
will be accepting applications for
fall term grants through Oct. 1.
After that, students may still apply
for winter and spring grants.
Bill to aid ‘displaced’ homemakers
. The displaced homemaker may be the “Rip Van
Winkle ' of our time, but her years of unpaid labor in
the home may be over, according to state represen
tative Nancy Fadeley, D-Lane.
Speaking Monday at a meeting of the Lane
County Democratic Forum, Fadeley said that after
years as a dependent spouse, life can be hard for a
displaced homemaker, Her years of homemaking
can be developed into skills that would make her a
contributing member of society, thanks to a bill spon
sored by Fadeley which will establish displaced
homemakers centers in Oregon.
According to Fadeley, the principal sponsor of
Oregon's Displaced Homemaker Act, lawmakers all
over America are beginning to recognize the prob
lems and the potential of the displaced homemaker.
Recently returned from Washington, D.C.,
where she testified for national displaced
homemaker legislation, Fadeley said that 28 states
are now considering displaced homemaker bills. She
also predicted passage of federal legislation before
the end of the year.
Oregon's homemaker act, signed into law last
month, established a center for displaced
homemakers on the University campus in conjunc
tion with Oregon's Widowed Services program. The
center, according to Fadeley, will offer personal and
job counseling to those homemakers who, because
of death, divorce or the illness of a spouse, are no
longer married to a wage earner.
State estimates show that 22,000 Oregon resi
dents might qualify for help through the center.
Eugene’s center may handle between 400 and 500
people.
The University’s center is due to open Sep
tember 1.
‘That’s not even much of a vaca
tion,” says Vignoul. The proposal
recommends that an independent
student could not have lived with
the parents for more than a total of
six weeks during any year that aid
is requested or the previous year.
Comments on the proposed
rule should be sent within 10 days
to Peter K.U. Voigt, Director, Divi
sion of Basic Grants and State
Student Grants, R.O.B. #3, Room
4717, 400 Maryland Ave., S.W.
Washington D.C. 20202.
GENTLEWOMAN
presents
new ideas
for your summer wardrobe
ffT;
1639 E. 19th Ave.
19th & Agate
343-9555
MWF 10-8, T-Th-Sat 10-6,
Sun 1-5
DISCOVER ILFORD
BLACK & WHITE
— LIMITED OFFER —
ILFORD B & W paper & film 20% Off
GERLACHS
CAMERA CENTERS
CAMPUS ATOMS MAM STONB
Ml S. 1M* 900 MM It, tprlwtfUM
PRICES GOOD THROUGH SATURDAY, AUGUST 6