<p>No one should be "obligated" to pay university if they dont like it, but the school, BY LAW, is obligated to help students.</p>
<p>the main thing is: cornell has the money to fund for every student's tution. yes, some work more hours than others to pay for school, but just because your sons worked 30+ hours a week in high school does not mean that they wil be able to work 30+ hours a week in college, and manage to get a high enough gpa to get a good enough job to pay $80,000 in loans. i can speak for many of us here when i say that we do not hope to get things without hard work. but there is money that is available, so it should be given to students that work hard to get into cornell. you say that we are entitled to our own opinions, and that you are not judging us, but you are: "spenging time applying for appeals when they should be applying for jobs". i say live and let live, but do not come on this website and tell us that we are not as hardworking as your sons...as i said before, you have no idea what any of us go through everyday, even if our interests are "singing,dancing,playing video games and watching tv". And if you are so against getting a "free ride", then why did you even apply for aid? </p>
<p>So lets get back to the original topic...the appeal process...because all of these posts make me very angry at many different sources...</p>
<p>scorpio It is unfortunate that you feel you are so entitled.Read your own personal profile you state that your interests are"singing,dancing,playing video games and watching t.V You also seem proud to say "no more working for me,time to relax and graduate". Well I guess someboby has to work so you can play video games.</p>
<p>What is the point of this comment? Once again, you fail to make sense.</p>
<p>
[quote]
No one should be "obligated" to pay university if they dont like it, but the school, BY LAW, is obligated to help students.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>What part of the regulations you cited actually imply that a university is obligated to help students by law. You cited the Code of Federal Regulations section relating to the administration of the Perkins Loan program, among other things. I'm quite confused by your statement, as it is completely unsupported by the regs you cited.</p>
<p>
[quote]
the main thing is: cornell has the money to fund for every student's tution.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Oh, really? And you base that belief on what? Perhaps on Cornell's endowment, which, on a per student basis, is much smaller than each of the other ivy league schools, as well as other similar universities? If so, then who are you to decide how Cornell should spend the money earned on its endowment?</p>
<p>This is an exerpt from a Cornell publication:</p>
<p>
[quote]
In 2005, Cornell's endowment ranked 17th by total size but fell to 47th on a per-student basis, even when annual support from New York State was included. In other words, Cornell does more with less money than most of its peers.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Also, from that same publication:</p>
<p>
[quote]
There is no question that some universities have amassed large endowments. Cornell's remains comparatively modest, especially when its annual income is considered against the university's budget needs. Right now, endowment provides less than one dollar out of every 10 that Cornell spends each year. Ideally, it would do much more. The cost of delivering a Cornell education and performing world-leading research will continue to grow faster than inflation, and we must find dependable sources of new funding to keep pace. It is unrealistic to expect substantial increases in state and federal dollars during lean budget times. Raising tuition hurts those who can afford it least and, in turn, increases the demand for university-provided financial aid. The best way to guarantee Cornell's long-term financial health, to sustain its academic and cultural excellence, and to honor its historic commitment to "Any person…any study" is to grow the endowment.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>In addition, an interesting answer from "Ask Uncle Ezra":</p>
<p>
[quote]
Dear Uncle Ezra,
How is the endowment allocated among the departments in a school? </p>
<pre><code> Following the money
</code></pre>
<p>Dear Curious,
I forwarded your question to Mike Whalen, Director of Financial Planning (<a href="mailto:MLW4@Cornell.edu">MLW4@Cornell.edu</a>; 255-9329); who replies:
"Cornell's endowment is not a monolith to be simply allocated to schools and departments. Instead, it is a collection of thousands of funds, over 80 percent of which are gifts that have specific uses. For example, there are endowments that provide financial aid to undergraduates only in the School of Hotel Administration, endowments that support faculty only in the Department of Chemistry, and endowments that pay for the upkeep of gardens only in the Plantations. There are also endowments that are more general in their restrictions -- limited to financial aid, for example, but available to all undergraduates. One might say that the use of each of these restricted endowments was 'allocated' by its donor when each gift was made. These limitations, once established, persist. These restricted endowments are not uniformly distributed among schools and departments, just as donor interest is not uniformly distributed.
"A little less than 20 percent of the endowment is actually unrestricted in use. Income from these funds flows into several large, general purpose budgets for the Ithaca Campus and the Medical College (in NYC). In these budgets, unrestricted endowment income is pooled with tuition, gifts, indirect cost recovery from grants, and other revenues and used primarily to pay faculty salaries, building upkeep, insurance, etc. These pooled funds (including a share of the unrestricted endowment) are then allocated to schools and departments. The allocations are based on the teaching loads and academic programs of each entity. Due to the fixed nature of many of
these costs, there is not a significant year-to-year reallocation of resources. To recap, the use of most of the endowment is determined by donors; a small portion of the endowment supports general operations of all departments."
Thanks, Mike!
Uncle Ezra
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Any more questions about how Cornell might have the money to fund every student's tuition? emilyanne, if these posts make you angry, then I would suggest you take a deep breath and try to broaden your understanding of the situation. There is only so much money to go around, so Cornell, like most universities, has to allocate it where it is most needed. Something in your financial aid forms must have indicated to the financial aid office that you should receive $XX next year in a combination of grants, work study, loans, parental contribution and student contribution, and so your award was granted as stated. If your circumstances have changed from the financial statements and other information that was provided, then by all means, appeal. If nothing has changed and you simply feel that you are deserving of more money, appeal, but recognize that the financial aid office has already examined your situation and made a determination. Believe me, I really do appreciate how tough it can be to make the costs of education work for you, but I still do not believe that anyone is entitled to a completely full ride. In fact, while in retrospect, attending Cornell was the very best decision that I ever made, Cornell was not my first choice (or my second or third) when I applied to college, but because I applied to a contract college it worked out to be the only choice among my acceptances that was affordable for me. That's the way life goes, and obviously, it worked out absolutely for the best for me. Hopefully, it will also work out well for you too.</p>
<p>In my opinion, however, everyone who receives financial aid should have work study, expected summer earnings and some amount of loans as a component of their financial aid package. </p>
<p>Yes, you are entitled to your opinion, but when the factual basis for that opinion is faulty, please don't be upset if someone tries to set forth the correct facts.</p>
<p>okay, so i was wrong about them having enough money to pay for everyone's tuition (I will admit that i am qute the exagerator (sorry on the spelling!!))...but, my circumstances have changed, like i have said multiple times, and i am just not looking for more money.
I completley agree that there should be work study and summer earnings, but i guess my problem is that there are people who are being way too judgmental and not honest about their own opinions. yes, not everyone deserves a fully ride, but yes, everyone wants one. i understand that there is not enough money for everyone to get a full ride, but i think that some people should, and i am not one of them. so i am done with this situation, as nothing is getting accomplished with all of us bickering with each other. i wish everyone good luck with the financial aid process and appeal (if it applies) and hope that everyone will have a great summer (working hard, i'm sure :) ) and an even better fall at Cornell. I am very excited to go to Cornell, and love the school and almost everything about it. It has been my first choice for a long time and i am really happy that i am finally going to be able to go there (even if I will have $120,00 in loans by the time I graduate).
So, good luck everyone...go big red!</p>