Senator Jon Corzine (D, NJ) recently received the "Friend of Students Award" from the U.S. Students Association. The award is due in large part to Sen. Corzine's work to block changes to financial aid calculations.
Sen. Corzine was honored by the award, saying "It means a lot to be honored by the students who put a human face on the cuts proposed by the administration. Access to higher education is really access to the American dream."
An effort to block the changes, led by Sen. Corzine, succeeded and the changes will be postponed for one year. The block will expire in September.
"At a time when tuition is rising at public and private universities around the nation, we need to be expanding financial aid, not taking it away from talented, hardworking kids," said Corzine of the changes.
The changes, proposed last year by the Department of Education, would change the formula for calculating the expected family contribution, or EFC. In most cases, the changes would negatively affect a student's EFC, leaving him or her with less financial aid and support. According to DOE estimates, 84,000 students would have lost their Pell Grants with the revised formula.
At a recent speech given at Rider University, Sen. Corzine urged students to become more involved in the political process. In reference to the upcoming presidential election, he told students that "this is as important an election as there has been in your lifetime," and emphasized the need for student involvement in a "national debate" about the important issues facing the nation.