Serving students and non-profit higher education since 1953

In this issue:

Legislative Session at a Glance:

House Cuts SNG and SWS

Pell and SEOG at extreme risk

Students Activate

Student Profile:
Evan Rydinski

Scholarship Apps up 150%

Focus: Campus Events

Connect with ICW

Linked

Board of Directors

Donor Honor Roll

Support Students Now

Spring 2011

Legislative Session at a Glance: House Cuts State Need Grant and Work Study

With a growing state deficit, now estimated to be $5.2 billion in the 2011-2013 biennium, there are no good options and very painful choices will be made.  In these times every area of the budget will be cut. 

Many student aid programs have been suspended or significantly cut so that the legislature could focus priority funding on the State Need Grant, primary student aid program for low-income students.

Independent Colleges of Washington has supported those decisions.  However, the recently introduced House budget goes too far.  While the budget increases the maximum grant for State Need Grant for students at public colleges, it cuts the grant by 30% from current policy for students attending private non-profit colleges, saving about one-half of one percent of the higher education budget.  In addition, the bill suspends the State Work Study program.  Helping Washington residents attend an independent college is the state’s least expensive way to provide opportunity. 

We urge the House and Senate to support the current policy of linking the State Need Grant for students at independent colleges to the research universities, and restore funding to State Work-Study.

State Need Grant policy has made it possible for the independent colleges to serve more Washington residents and keep more students in the state from to going college.  Providing a predictable State Need Grant keeps families out of financial jeopardy and expands access to low income students. 

The Work-Study program is a complex network of over 1,000 non-profits and businesses that provide work opportunities for over 9,000 students.  Students not only earn funding for college, but learn critical job skills making them better employees upon graduation. Many non-profits will not be able to provide critical services without Work Study students. For public colleges, much needed assistance in office, labs, and libraries will be significantly reduced. Graduates will have less relevant work experience as they compete for scarce jobs.

To keep up to date on the activities in Olympia, sign up for our Legislative Action Center. You will receive information about budget negotiations and calls to action when your notes to the governor and legislators will have the most influence to help bring about positive outcomes. Also follow the news on Facebook and Twitter.

Pell and SEOG at Extreme Risk

As Congress tries to complete its budget for this fiscal year and avoid a government shutdown, it is considering significant cuts to student aid including cutting the Pell Grant maximum by as much as 15% lowering the maximum from $5,500 to $4,705.  It is also considering eliminating the Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (SEOG) which means a loss of up to $4,000 each year to students with the highest financial need.  

The combination of these cuts would mean $77 million in cuts to aid to students attending college in Washington state for the 2011-2012 academic year, making it harder for students to attend any college.  

Students are Speaking Out Against Cuts

Across the state, students are contacting their state legislators and Congress, to explain the dramatic impact these cuts will have on their ability to pay, and stay in college.

Hundreds of messages have been sent out already, many using the tools in our Legislative Action Center, and students are getting creative in their outreach!

A Student Responds to Student Aid Cuts: Evan Rydinski

I recently completed my undergraduate degree in Political Science at Seattle University.  One of big draws of SU was its intimate learning environment and mission of educating the whole person. Upon my acceptance to SU, I was relieved to find that the cost of attendance would be comparable to our public universities because of a combination of athletic scholarship, state, federal, and institutional grants, and student loans. 

Particularly important was receiving the State Need Grant. Without this grant, my educational experience would have been significantly different and I would have likely attended another institution. I would have had to spend considerable time outside of my campus job working to cover the cost of tuition. By receiving the State Need Grant I was able to focus on classes and not balancing multiple jobs.

With the current proposal for large cuts in State Need Grants for students attending private colleges, I am very relieved that I have already completed my degree and do not have to worry about what I would do. At the same time, I am concerned for the students across Washington, including my brother and classmates, who will be affected in the next two years.

Please do not cut State Need Grant or Work-Study. It made my future possible.

ICW Scholarship Applications up 150% over 2010!

As students plan for their next year of college, scholarship applications are a priority.  Over 250 applications, including essays, reccomendation letters, and resumes have arrived in the ICW office by the March 12 deadline, 100 more than last year.

“Increasingly, students are looking for outside funding to stay in college.  We’re honored that donors to ICW have endowed scholarships for these students, and that volunteers sign up for selection committees to match the students to the scholarships...” said Violet A. Boyer, ICW President and CEO.   

Some of the students applied through Washington’s new web-based scholarship matching site, TheWashBoard.org. ICW participated in the steering development of this popular tool, now used by over 40,000 students in the state.

The need for scholarships is growing for students at independent colleges.   More than one hundred donors made a significant difference for students by providing scholarship funds through ICW.   For more information about contributing, contact Anne@ICWashington.org or 206.623.4494.

Focus: Campus Arts, Cultural, and Community Events

The final quarter, semester, or term of the year is underway. This is a prime time for music, art, and lecture events. Students and the local community are all welcome to join the extensive cultural and educational opportunities offered by our colleges.

It is Lu'au season at our colleges, and Saint Martin’s University starts the celebrations on the evening of April 9. “Hui `O Hawai`i is excited to share delicious Hawaiian food and music, different cultures of the Pacific and the aloha spirit with the community," said Saint Martin’s student Malia Ibarra, who heads this year’s festival.

The Gonzaga University Wind Symphony, a 50-piece wind ensemble led by conductor Robert Spittal, will perform “American Visions” April 10 at The Fox. This program features an array of works that reflect American composers’ visions of American music and culture. Works on the program include “Symphonic Dances from West Side Story” by Leonard Bernstein, music from “An American in Paris” by George Gershwin and works by Aaron Copland, Frank Ticheli and Scott Joplin.

Heritage University is hosting the Seattle Shakespeare Company’s production of
Romeo and Juliet on April 19. Admission to this 90-minute production is free, with complimentary admission tickets being distributed in Toppenish campus’s bookstore and the College of Arts and Sciences administrative office.

Pacific Lutheran University's MediaLab will sponsor a three day film series on April 11-14. An exclusive screening of The Experiment, with filmaker Leonel Mendez kicks off the event. The Experiment documents the hopes and fears for the public education system in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The series ends with an evening discussion about life in Hollywood by PLU alumna and 'Glee' castmember Rosanna Pansino.

The Whitman College Undergraduate Conference celebrates the scholarship and creativity of the Whitman student body through a day devoted entirely to presentations, posters and performances by students.  Held April 12 on the Whitman campus, the conference brings together students from every academic discipline of the college to share their research and creative projects with the campus community.

Seattle Pacific University hosts the fifth year annual Social Venture Plan Competition on April 13. Teams representing more than 135 graduate, undergraduate, and high school students have been working on their business plans for social enterprises, entities that addresses social needs and provide sustainable revenue, since January. More than 100 judges from organizations such as Microsoft, World Concern, the African Chamber of Commerce, Siemens, New Horizons, Starbucks, The Gates Foundation, and Pioneer Human Services will choose the winning teams.


The 41st annual Spring Lu`au at University of Puget Sound will will be held Saturday, April 16 with an exotic evening of Polynesian food and entertainment. The dinner, stage show, music, and traditional costumes attract about a thousand attendees each year and will include 13 dances from cultures including Hawaiian, Tahitian, Samoan, and Maori, as well as ritual face-painting, grass skirts, the malo (loincloth), and colorful island dresses. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Tacoma Rescue Mission. Those on the east side of Washington can enjoy Whitworth University's Lu'au, also on April 16.


In honor of Autism Awareness Month, Whitworth University will host a lecture on April 20 by Betty Fry Williams, Whitworth's Lindaman Chair and coordinator for special education, as well as an art exhibit, "Faces of Hope," which runs through April 21. Professor Williams will present “Not Your Father’s Oldsmobile: Today’s Behavioral Treatment for Autism Specturm Disorder,” For more information, please call (509) 777-3228.

Walla Walla Univerity and wwudrama present "My Fair Lady". Show dates on April 23, 24, 28, 30 and May 1. All from the community and campus are welcome to join Walla Walla in this popular adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's 'Pygmalion', and to celebrate the 50th year of dramatic performances at the university.

On April 29th, the Seattle University Choir presents its annual spring concert. Inspired! A Celebration of Poetry in Song is a joyous exploration of song inspired by poetry and the wedding of text to music. It features a stunning variety of choral settings of the poetry of many beloved poets including William Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Ezra Pound, Mary E. Coleridge and John Masefield.

Thank you for taking the time to read our electronic newsletter and have a great Spring!

Please email any comments or suggestions to Chadd@ICWashington.org, or call us at 206.623.4494.