Brown University Mulls Aid Increase (The Providence Journal)

"Brown University is the latest elite institution to consider expanding financial aid to help more middle-income families afford steep college costs, which total more than $48,000 a year for Brown undergraduates," The Providence Journal reports. "’We are not against making college more affordable for everyone, but we want to keep the agenda focused on low-income families and the working poor,’ said Draeger. ‘At the federal level, we are dealing with very limited resources, and every dollar that is taken out of need-based aid and into merit-based is a dollar we take away from needy students. And these are the individuals where financial barriers can make or break an opportunity for them to go to college.’ A few wealthy universities offering more aid to their students does not address the deeper issue of college remaining unaffordable for the majority of students who attend state universities, career schools and community colleges, said Draeger."

You can read the complete January 25, 2008 Providence Journal article on-line.