Incoming freshmen will not receive Michigan Promise Scholarship until further notice
There’s nothing worse than giving your all and getting nothing in return.
The Michigan Promise Scholarship was not approved for incoming freshmen at Central Michigan University. The hiatus comes from Lansing, as the state’s budget is yet to be set. CMU usually fronts students the money so they have access to it immediately.
Without confirmation from the state on the status of the scholarship, though, students are in the dark on whether or not the scholarship will come through.
In other words, our state government is not doing its job and it is the college student who have to pay for it.
The Promise is given to students who score high on the Michigan Merit Exam, an exam that every school in the state is required to take.
It’s the exam that makes or breaks a school district; bad merit scores means a bad reputation, thus driving away perspective parents from that school district. Whether or not this is a sound system for judging a school district is up for debate - but as it stands, this is the way things are.
With the scholarship in limbo, there’s no incentive for students to do their best. School pride? Surely you jest. Bragging rights? Perhaps, but it’s still meaningless if there’s no pay off. Students who do well on this test are told one thing, and one thing only: $4,000 that can be used in your first year of school. What will the state tell them now? How about, “College? Sure, just start playing the lotto and hope for the best.”
This is inexcusable. Not only are students depending upon this scholarship to enrich their lives, it’s being taken away from them at the very last moment. CMU is doing it’s best to combat the situation by using pell grants and additional loans, but there’s only so much the school can do.
But college doesn’t work like that. In a world where college tuition hikes are guaranteed like taxes and death, every scholarship counts. It’s becoming more burdensome for students to educate themselves. Eventually, the burden will become too much and students will leave Michigan for out of state institutions. Or worse, stay in Michigan and join the ever growing uneducated workforce. In the absence of education, there are no visible solutions for tomorrow’s problems.
Granholm, I’m pleading with you: Don’t take the scholarship away. For Pete’s sake, woman, think of the children for once!
Maybe instead of fixing the state budget by destroying other people’s dreams, we can start by cutting the salaries of the people who seem to be unable to do their jobs. You know, like people who can’t budget a state balance.
Just a thought.
