Page 14/The Battalion/Friday, September 12, 1986 Changes (continued from page 1) The report also says the reautho rization could change the Pell Grant program. Tentative provisions in the House bill call for Pell Grant eligibil ity to be extended to less than half time students. The Senate bill does not include these provisions. Ozer said the USSA supports the House bill on an “equity” principle. “As an organization representing students, USSA supports a basic fed eral grant program available to all students,” she said. “A lot of differ ent kinds of students are on campus. They shouldn’t be penalized if they can’t take a full load.” Bormann said the Pell program uses index numbers assigned to stu dents based on financial need, the amount of hours being taken during the semester and the costs of the in stitution the applicant attends. He explained that under this system a student eligible for maximum funds would have a zero index number. This year students with index numbers up to 1900 were eligible for the Pell program, Bormann said. However, because of a shortage in allocation of funds for the program the index number requirement was dropped to 1200. This meant stu dents who were rightfully eliglible for the program with indexes of 1201 to 1900 were denied funding, he said. To compensate for the problem legislators passed a new bill which in creased the index requirement to 1500. Still, Bormann said, students who rightfully were eligible for aid were denied. Ozer attributed the shortfall in the program to the Department of Education’s underestimation of the number of applicants as well as the $154 million cut in the program from the Gramm-Rudman deficit reduction law. Bormann is concerned that allow ing the less than half-time students into the program next year may mean another drop in the index number to accommodate the larger population of eligible students ap plying for the program. The result will be a decrease in the amount available to each student, Bormann said. “It’s like a paradox,” he said. “It would appear more students would be eligible in Pell Grants because less than half-time students would qual ify. However, since the federal pro gram is not fully funded, more stu dents would be qualified than the amount of appropriated dollars for program — thereby disqm- eligible students.” funding philosophy te larger pofc the inge The change to meet the large: tion if half-time studentsareai Bormann said. (proposed House bill) prorc) there are proper appropriations ; said. Bormann said his concenm the proposal may deny fundsto:j students who are truly needs. TWO MORE DAYS. . . FRIDAY AND SATURDAY! Dillard's