Cutbacks for those
with good grades
iven good grades can't get a student money in some cases.
The University's major source of awards to top students,
the regents scholarship program, has had to be cut back this
year, according to Jack Ritchie, director of scholarships and
financial aids.
The total number of scholarships awarded has had to be
reduced, Ritchie said, because state money budgeted to the
program "just didn't keep pace with the tuition increase."
Stories by Susanne Schafer
Two types of regents scholarships are awarded: the
four-year full tuition scholarship, given to incoming freshmen
who scored in the top 100 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test
(SAT). One-year scholarships are given on a yearly basis to
freshmen, upperclassmcn students in the professional schools
and to Nebraska high school students.
Students who maintain a high grade average usually are able
to renew their scholarships.
This year, however, about 100 regents scholarships were
cut. All of those were one-year upperclass scholarships.
Since the upperclass one-year scholarships arc the last to be
awarded, they were the first to be cut, Ritchie said.
Those scholarships are awarded on the basis of the
student's percentile rank in the university class in all colleges'
and schools. This year only those students in the 9l)th
percentile in class rank and above were able to receive a
one-year regents.
This means, Ritchie said, that many students with 3.8 and
3.9 accumulative averages "got nothing."
"If wc were funded by the number of the scholarships we
want to award rather than the strict dollar figure, we could
keep pace with the rising tuition," he said.
In cases where financial need is great, students have been
able to receive aid, Ritchie said.
Most students contacted by the Daily Ncbraskan who had
lost their regents scholarships this year received some
assistance. In one case, a student received a larger amount
through the combination of two substitute scholarships than
the amount he previously had received.
John Uhrich, a student living in Farm! louse fraternity, said
lie would not have ken able to attend school this year if he
had not received a substitute grant. His parents arc unable to
help him with his education, he said.
Regent Edward Schwartzkopf has asked that a study of the
lcgcnts scholarships program be made.
Schwartzkopf questioned awarding some of the
scholarships on a geographic basis as now done and then
penalizing the student if he or she is not able to meet high
academic demands at the university.
If the student received the scholarship on a geographic or
academic basis, then the continuation of the scholarship
should be judged on that basis as well, Schwartzkopf said.
It has been announced by NU President D.B. Varncr's
office that the study is expected to be completed before Jan.
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