Ron Kind: “I support the efforts today to make necessary technical changes to the Higher Education Act. On behalf of the 3rd…”

“I support the efforts today to make necessary technical changes to the Higher Education Act. On behalf of the 3rd Congressional District of Wisconsin, I have a significant interest in a particular section of this legislation that will assist the University of Wisconsin two-year campuses in my home state. Over the past 30 years, Congress has established a series of programs to help low-income Americans enter college, graduate, and move on to participate more fully in America's economic and social life. These programs include financial aid programs that help students overcome economic barriers to higher education, as well as TRIO programs which help students overcome class, social, and cultural barriers to higher education. Currently, TRIO regulations allow multiple branch campuses to submit separate grant applications so long as the programs are run on campuses that are both geographically apart and independent of the main campus of the institution. Unfortunately, the Department of Education does not recognize the University of Wisconsin system as having "independent" two-year campuses because the thirteen branch campuses share a single chancellor. Thus, the University of Wisconsin's two-year college system is only eligible for one TRIO grant, which currently provide only $435,000 for 475 students. This group of students is only 6 percent of those eligible for funding under the program.”