A.S. Government Resources

A Resolution in Support of AB 2813

WHEREAS, it is the mission of the California State University to encourage and provide access to an excellent education to all who are prepared for and wish to participate in collegiate studies, and

WHEREAS, California has provided educational opportunities to those who have been underrepresented in higher education by providing financial assistance and has provided the educated workforce that California’s businesses need to compete in a global economy, and

WHEREAS, by educating Californians to work in key industries, the California State University has been a major force in driving California’s large and prosperous economy and for every $1 that is invested in the California State University $4.41 is put back into the economy of surrounding communities, and

WHEREAS, due to the low cost and convenient locations of campuses, many California State University students are the first in their families to attend college or become non-traditional students who return to school later in life, many while raising children, to pursue a more successful future, and

WHEREAS, SB 1644 (Ortiz-Poochigian-Vasconcellos Act) passed in 2000 established the Cal Grant Program, and

WHEREAS, the Ortiz-Poochigian-Vasconcellos Act provided that California high school graduates who pursue college immediately after graduating from high school with at least a 2.0 grade point average or higher were promised Cal Grant Entitlement A or B awards, and

WHEREAS, in order to qualify for the Cal Grant Entitlement Program, students must apply for financial aid within eighteen (18) months of graduating from high school, have graduated from high school after the 2000-01 school year, and not be an ‘independent’ (i.e. married or over 24 years of age), and

WHEREAS, the median age of California State University students is 23, thus many students in the CSU system are ineligible for the Cal Grant Entitlement Program, and

WHEREAS, students that are ineligible for the Cal Grant Entitlement Program are transferred into the Competitive Cal Grant Program, and

WHEREAS, the Competitive Cal Grant Program is very competitive, with financially needy students from the University of California, California State University, California Community Colleges, and private universities competing for $22,500 grants, and

WHEREAS, according to the Competitive Cal Grant Program criteria, during the 2005-06 academic year, one out of six students who qualified to receive aid based on their grade point average and income level received financial assistance while over 117,000 qualified students based on the same criteria did not receive financial assistance, and

WHEREAS, existing law provides that the maximum Cal Grant B award equals the mandatory systemwide fees in the segment attended by the student, and in a student’s first year of enrollment in a qualifying institution, the maximum Cal Grant B award is only for the amount of the access award, and

WHEREAS, Assembly Bill (AB) 2813 proposes to: provide all Cal Grant B high school entitlement award recipients who enroll at four-year institutions with funds to cover tuition and fees during the initial year of their award consistent with current law for Cal Grant A recipients, increase the annual limit of Competitive Cal Grant A and B awards to $45,000, and modify the age cap limitation for Cal Grant Transfer Entitlement awards from 24 to 27 years old to reflect the average age of students seeking a college degree in California, and

WHEREAS, AB 2813 would ensure that California’s financial aid program is consistent with the state’s promise of access to an affordable and high quality college education, and

WHEREAS, AB 2813 would provide all Cal Grant B high school entitlement award recipients who enroll at four-year institutions with funds to cover tuition and fees during the initial year of their award consistent with current law for Cal Grant A recipients, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the Associated Students of San Diego State University supports AB 2813, and be it finally

RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to: Assembly Member Shirley Horton, Assembly Member Lori Saldaña, Assemblyman George A. Plescia, Assemblyman Juan Vargas, Assemblywoman Carol Liu, Assemblyman Tim Leslie, State Senator Denise Moreno Ducheny, State Senator Christine Kehoe, State Senator Jack Scott, State Senator Abel Maldonado, Governor Schwarzenegger, and CSSA.

 

Approved by the Associated Students Council on April 19, 2006.

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Chris Manigault, President