by Sunnie Redhouse
Daily Lobo
About 1,700 of 4,100 students in Albuquerque won't be able to obtain financial assistance or funds to meet their needs, according to a report by Communities United to Strengthen America.
"It's the only way they (college students) can afford to go to college," said Art Terrazas, local director for the organization. "This is their only line of support."
The organization's goal is to inform communities about issues that affect them, Terrazas said. One such issue is President Bush's administration budget - which hasn't come to Congress for a vote yet - that, if passed, would cut billions of dollars from work study and Pell Grants as part of its 2006 fiscal year budget cuts, Terrazas said.
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"It's an awareness we have to raise throughout the state," he said. "We're preparing the next generation to take over. It really puts a damper on our future."
Although about 5,756 students throughout the state of New Mexico are going to see cuts in the grant funding, UNM won't be drastically affected, said Kathleen O'Keefe, interim director of student financial aid.
"In general, it's not having a great impact at UNM, and I don't anticipate any big change," O'Keefe said.
Last year, UNM students under the work-study program earned $4,024,948, which should be the same amount earned this year, O'Keefe said.
"The most important thing for students to do is apply for financial aid by March 1," she said. "If there's a possibility of running out of funds, they need to meet that date."
Terrazas said students often think there isn't anything they can do about government issues, but they can make a difference if they vote and show they care about issues like budget cuts.
Terrazas and Martin Gutierrez, a UNM student and outreach coordinator of Communities United to Strengthen America, encouraged students at the University's Welcome Back Days to sign a petition and informed them of the budget issue Friday.
Gutierrez said the petition will then be given to Rep. Heather Wilson to urge her to cut interest rates on student loans and keep money in work-study programs.
"For middle-class families, a higher education is very important," Gutierrez said.
Adolph Mazon, a junior studying mathematics, has worked under the work-study program for three years. Mazon said he doesn't want the budget to pass, because the program has financially helped him through college.
"Work study is an excellent program," he said. "Without it, I wouldn't have a job."
Mazon said the on-campus convenience of the work-study program is what helps him most.
"I'll have to start looking for a place (to work) near campus," he said. "This is going to affect a lot of people."
Chris Standley, a UNM junior involved in the work-study program, said he'll lose a valuable working experience if the budget goes through.
"The bonus to work study is that you get to work with people involved in the University," he said. "It doesn't pay a whole lot, but it balances things out."
