The tuition increase proposed by the Tuition and Fees Conference Committee for the 2008-2009 academic year is not expected to impact students receiving financial aid from the University, according to Julie Rice Mallette, associate vice provost and director of scholarship and financial aid.

“We have looked at our aid applicant group last year and this year and have projected what we expect the number [of applicants] to be for next year,” Mallette said. “What we have done is said ‘it is going to take this much money to offset that increase for those [needy] students.'”

According to figures released by Provost Larry Nielsen, 42.1 percent of the proposed tuition increase will go toward financial aid, which does not include the proposed 17.6 percent increase set aside to support Pack Promise. Pack Promise is a financial aid program that guarantees the University’s neediest students 100 percent of their financial aid requirements.

Mallette said if the chancellor and the Board of Trustees approves the recommendation, the total allocation to financial aid and Pack Promise would be $1.357 million. The proposed $1.357 million increase, plus the current portion of tuition alloted to financial aid and Pack Promise, would bring the total devoted to financial aid to about $18.5 million, according to Mallette.

Mallette said the effort to “hold harmless” needy students is not an isolated issue, rather it reflects a growing national trend.

“Studies across the country have shown that [the low-income family] is our biggest growth in population, and it’s also the group that is least likely to go to college,” she said.

The country cannot hope to compete in the global economy with an uneducated, low-income work force, according to Mallette.

“This is really a way of not just helping individual students … but it’s also a way to help the economy to make sure that we will have an educated workforce,” she said.

Even with the additional money going to financial aid, students may still be affected, according to Mallette.

“We can’t always predict how many students will qualify [for financial aid],” she said. “It is the best estimate we can give before the year even begins, and students start applying for aid.”

According to Mallette, it is important to apply early to receive financial aid.

“We’re still receiving applications for aid for the current academic year, but we’ve long spent the money that has been allocated from tuition and fees,” she said. “That is why it is critical to apply early, so we know what [the students’] needs are.”

Patrick McCachren, a sophomore in turfgrass science, said as a student receiving financial aid, he doesn’t want tuition increases to affect him, but that there are alternatives.

“There are other scholarships that you can get to cover [tuition costs] if financial aid doesn’t,” he said. “Either way it goes, if you work for it, you can still get that financial aid.”

Rachael Johnson, a senior in business management, had a different opinion.

“Students on financial aid should have that increase in their tuition covered, but then again, if students not on financial aid have to pay more, they should too,” she said. “Just because you aren’t on financial aid doesn’t mean [a tuition increase] isn’t a burden.”

Jacqueline Cameron, a junior in biological sciences, agreed with Johnson.

“It’s kind of a bummer that our tuition increase is going toward financial aid,” she said. “Why can’t they take out loans? It is a tricky situation.”