College legislation meets opposition

By: Erin Yang

Posted: 2/14/08

The White House has objected to certain provisions of a new bill that aims to make higher education "more accessible, affordable and accountable" to middle class and low-income students.

The White House released a Statement of Administration Policy on Feb. 6, which affirmed its attitudes toward the College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2007.

The House of Representatives, by a bipartisan vote of 354 to 58, passed the bill on Feb. 7.

"We hope that the Bush administration will join our efforts to make college more affordable and accessible for all qualified students," said Rachel Racusen, spokeswoman for the House Education and Labor Committee (HELC).

Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the HELC, sponsored the bill.

The administration objected to amendments that would affect the Department of Education's authority to evaluate accreditations and to oversee the integrity of student loans, claiming to be "strongly opposed."

Additionally, the administration believed the Act might prioritize, or possibly restrict, eligibility "to institutions or groups defined by racial or ethnic criteria."

The creation of many new federal programs that are "duplicative" and "poorly targeted" was opposed as well.

The new bill will hold colleges and universities, both public and private, responsible for rampant tuition increases and for reducing costs.

"Despite a considerable federal investment, colleges and universities have continued to push tuition upward," Rep. Howard McKeon, senior Republican on the HELC, said. "We're empowering consumers with meaningful information about college costs and holding institutions and states accountable for keeping higher education affordable."

Despite the White House's strong objections to the bill, the HELC remains optimistic.

"This bill has strong support and enthusiasm from members of Congress from both sides of the aisle, the higher education community and, most importantly, students," Racusen said.

But not all members of the higher education community are entirely supportive of the bill.

Adam Falk, dean of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, said whether "to attend colleges that are cheaper or more expensive ... that's a choice [the consumers] should make in the marketplace and not one that should be imposed by the government."

An amendment to the bill would have colleges with the fastest tuition increases over a three-year period either meet government-set benchmarks or explain the inflated cost.

"This is unwarranted, excessive and unnecessary interference in the management of individual schools," said Dennis O'Shea, director of communications at Hopkins.

Many public institutions are concerned that the bill would establish a "higher-education price index," and if their tuition grew faster than the index, that school would be placed on a watch list.

"[It is] a disputed part of the bill ... [but] it is intended to put a stop to rising tuition prices," Racusen said.

Public universities' ability to maintain moderate tuition increases depends heavily on adequate state funding.

Hopkins does support a provision in the bill that would increase the ceiling on Pell Grants from $4,310 to $9,000 and allow students to receive funds year-round.

"That's good for students and the University is very pleased," O'Shea said.

"I am confident that this bill will help ensure that every qualified student has the opportunity to get an affordable, world-class college education," Miller said.

The Act primarily addresses rising college tuition, focusing on complex financial aid processes, the transparency of the costs and qualities of student loan organizations, and educational funding by state governments.

The Act amends and reauthorizes the previous Higher Education Act of 1965.

The HELC approved it unanimously on Nov. 15, 2007.

In July of last year, the Senate passed a similar bill. The House and the Senate will conference on the legislation. The bill must be signed by the president before it becomes law.