Announcements/20100722155317

While this is primarily a notification for all Hampshire students who will be living off campus (& at home) next semester I hope the rest of you take a moment to read this as well. Hampshire college- after sending me a financial aid package in June- one which met my financial needs for the semester, sent yesterday a notification that they would be slashing my financial aid package by 20 percent. Their reasoning? Because I live off campus, with my parents, my financial needs are less urgent than those of other students. And I was informed that other students with similar living situations would experience the same kind of reductions to their financial aid packages.

Now you might think this makes a great deal of sense. With Hampshire trying to tighten its belt, in a precarious economic climate why not take money from those students who save so much money on living expenses by living at home?

Look, I can't say anything with any certainty about the financial resources of those Hampshire students living off campus- but for myself living at home is all that makes attending Hampshire economically feasible. And I can’t imagine that most Hampshire students living at home do so because they want to miss out on any of the rich plethora of on-campus activities Hampshire has to offer. Neither I nor my parents could afford what effectively comes down to paying rent on two separate residences. I am very lucky that my parents live near enough to bus routes that allow me to get to my classes without too much difficulty. And while I may not pay Hampshire room and board, nor pay a traditional rent monthly to a landlord- I pay for all of my school supplies, and clothing; and contribute a sizable amount towards my family’s living expenses out of the money I earn with work-study.

I understand that the economic situation has placed certain demands on Hampshire to tighten its belt, budget wise. But I have to protest the idea of penalizing students, whose only crime is that their families live close enough to Hampshire for them to save a little money on living expenses. For many of those students, I fear, that a 20 percent reduction will mean having to leave Hampshire- or taking out sizable loans. Ironically enough the 20 percent reduction amounts to approximately $10,000- a little under the cost of room and board at Hampshire college. So it seems that if return in the fall, I will be paying room and board to Hampshire after all- whether I live on campus or off.