- 303 Haggar College Center
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN 46556
(574) 284-4579 - Director of Media Relations
Gwen O'Brien
gobrien@saintmarys.edu
Press Release
Need Grows for Need-Based Financial Aid; Students Ask Legislators for Support
Contact:
Gwen O’Brien
Director of Media Relations
Saint Mary's College
(574) 284-4579 (desk)
(574) 286-4977 (cell)
Feb. 17, 2009 (Notre Dame, Ind.)– The tough economy affects countless Americans, including college students trying to afford tuition. There is fierce competition for financial aid, part-time jobs are harder to come by and some families can’t help out due to problems like unemployment or an inability to attain loans. That’s why 250 students from 20 of Indiana’s independent universities and colleges, including Saint Mary’s College, will go to the State House on Tuesday, Feb. 24 to make personal calls on their hometown legislators.
A contingent of Saint Mary’s students from Indiana will be among the students thanking legislators for their commitment to SSACI funding (need-based aid from the State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana). The students will also ask lawmakers for their continued support for the funding. Sarah Kletka ’12 of Granger, Ind. is one of the students making the trip. She is a nursing major who works two jobs trying to cover the costs of books, tuition and living.
“Without state aid like SSACI, my dream to attend an excellent nursing school like that at Saint Mary’s could never have come true. The funding provided by the state covers nearly a quarter of my tuition,” Kletka said. “I am glad that my high school counselors told me to apply to where I wanted to go, not where I could afford to go. I could never have afforded Saint Mary's on my own, but with the generosity of Saint Mary's, financial aid, state funding, and numerous scholarships, I am here.”
“Many of our students receive this important grant, and without it might have not been able to attend a small private college,” said Karen Johnson, vice president for student affairs. “The liberal arts education these women are getting at Saint Mary’s will allow them, as graduates, to be flexible and change with the times. The current state of the economy shows us that being a versatile worker could make you more valuable to your employer.”
This gathering of students from Indiana’s independent campuses is coordinated by Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI). The event will begin at 11 a.m. in the auditorium of the Indiana History Center at 450 W. Ohio Street where several legislators are expected to address the students before they go to the State House to meet with their hometown legislators on an individual basis.
About Independent Colleges of Indiana: Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI) is a nonprofit corporation that represents the state’s 31 nonprofit, accredited, undergraduate degree-granting institutions of higher education. ICI member institutions enroll more than 83,000 students (approximately 23 percent of all students statewide) and annually produce 34 percent of all bachelor’s degrees in Indiana. For more information about ICI, click here.
About Saint Mary’s College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, women’s institution offering bachelor’s degrees in more than 30 major areas of study. The College has six nationally accredited academic programs: social work, art, music, teacher education, chemistry and nursing. Saint Mary's College ranks among the nation's top liberal arts colleges in U.S. News & World Report's 2009 annual survey. Founded in 1844, Saint Mary’s is a pioneer in the education of women, and is sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Cross.
