Needy Students Are Coming From All Income Brackets

摘要

Tuition, room and board at oberlinrncollege cost $50,000 a year. And the cost to educate a student is way beyond that. Education is an expensive enterprise.rnFolks are coming in and saying, "We've saved for a long time. We had a plan as an extended family for paying our portion of the child's education costs, and we've just been devastated by the decline in the markets or losses in savings. My son or daughter has been working for 18 years to attend college. How do we tell this kid who's done stellar work that because the economy tanked at the end of 2008, he can't pursue his educational dreams?" Some people cry. Some people are very angry.rnMost of the appeals are pretty legitimate. It's pretty emotion-filled. And for the staff, that's a challenge to deal with on a day-in, day-out basis, when you hear of people losing jobs, losing homes. It takes its toll.rnOne family-father worked in the financial sector, mother was a lawyer, and both were downsized. They said, "We never would have been an aid appli-rncant. We understood that because of our means, this is something we would have to pay for." Now they have no income-some savings, but that's dwindling-and they're saying, "How do we not provide this education for our child?"