THE BATTALION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 1979 Page 3 S Middle class can get 11 ft choolgrant lin iuticil is “ e ge of i for tile ew. reporter 'ho thought their parents made too financial aid. Nearly 68 percent of tas A&M University will be eligible By LEIGH MCLEROY Battalion Reporter iiere’s good news for students who thou ich money for them to receive financia ! undergraduate students at Texas A&M University will Basic Education Opportunity Grants for the 1979-1980 [The Basic Education Opportunity Grant is an open-ended account [ith no limit on funds. The Federal Government is required to pay ase students who are deemed eligible for the grants by way of a aancial report. [The ceiling for the BEOGwas raised in 1978 by the Middle Income Isistance Act, making nearly 17,000 Aggies eligible for aid. [Last year, for example, the grant ceiling for a family with two jiildren, one of whom attends college, was $13,500. For the ’79-’80 al year, that figure will increase to about $25,000. The ceiling rises families with more students in college and a greater number of ^pendents. ibility widened To apply for the BEOG students must submit a financial report. That form is available in room 310 of the YMCA building. Once it is completed and mailed, it usually takes 30 to 40 days for a reply. A student’s application is accepted or rejected, or more infor mation is requested. There is no fee for filing the application. The amount of each grant ranges from $200 to $1,800, depending on two variables: the student’s eligibility index, which indicates the amount his parents can be expected to contribute for that year, and chool prayer amendment taken rom Dept, of Ed. bill and buried >19 louse a should :ause it initially >n from a work- ike be ap- esident he 2,1 ontract iliation Wayne “some imount 'o sides would three- un tenth to lated to s ter an- 'tive 4 as Gov. ‘re after charges es. The retired I break- lams, a „ . . in a fK II United Press International no? S ' WASHINGTON — The Senate, ,ne ipparontly unable to defeat the ssue of allowing prayers in public ichools, has taken the long way round to avoid a showdown on the Motional issue. The winner, if there was one in e two days of skirmishing, was the 18 to 19 proposed new education depart ment to nent leaders indicated it stood nts and wicaiaiKr of passage if the prayer imejidment were attached to it. In one of its last actions before a 12-day recess over Easter assover, the Senate attached duntary prayer amendment to bill that has little chance of enact ment, then eliminated it from the ducation department bill, which he administration did not want Jmiardized by the controversy. Thr issue came up suddenly last Thursday when an amendment by ie«, Jesse Helms, R-N.C., to the education department bill was idopted, 47-37. It would have over- !umed the Supreme Court ruling jutlawing all voluntary prayer in lublic and buildings. The leaders succeeded in getting onsideration of the vote and oning it until Monday. But end head counts apparently howed they lacked enough votes to ivertum it. So after a series of procedural rotes, Democratic Leader Robert Jyrd — with Vice President Walter Mondale orchestrating the maneu vers - led the Senate out of a polit ical thicket that threatened to bring r eside or the other to its knees. Bis solution permitted a “yes” vote on attaching the amendment to i bill dealing with Supreme Court urisdiction on other matters before deleting it from the education de partment bill, thus allowing some members the opportunity of voting both ways on the issue. ‘ Ap irate Helms called it “the surest way to kill the prayer amendment,” because Chairman Peter Rodino, D-N.J., of the House iidiciary Commitee will bury the court jurisdiction bill “so deep it will take 14 bulldozers just to scratch the Surface. Helms promised to keep trying to overturn the court on the prayer issue “no matter how long it takes,” Home state campaign aid for Connally United Press International ASHINGTON — In the 66 since former Texas Gov. John (jjpnnally announced his candidacy H the GOP presidential nomina- tion, he has raised $1.27 million in campaign contributions with the bulk of the funds coming from his pome state. lonnally’s national campaign Bairman, Winton Blount, Monday said the Connally for President Committee report to be filed this week with the Federal Election Commission will show financial con tributions of approximately $1.27 million for the period ending March 31. ■Tt is particularly significant that more than half the total funds re vived during this first period came ||>m John Connally’s home state nds and neighbors,” Blount said. These are people who know him jst, who are most intimately famil iar with him and his record of integ- rity and service over a long period of e. I think that says a great deal ut the man.” Blount said Connally had re ceived more than 10,000 individual ftfBbntributions from residents of 49 ,