To: President Frank, Provost Chouki, The New Mexico State House, The New Mexico State Senate, and Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham
Keep the lottery scholarship accessible to all, especially low-income and underserved students
I support a lottery scholarship bill that is inclusive and does not exclude underserved and low-income students from attaining the college dream.
Why is this important?
Cutting off groups of students is NOT the solution for saving the "cash-strapped" Lottery Scholarship program!
The Lottery Scholarship needs to keep the college dream alive and accessible for our New Mexican students and families, especially for those who are undeserved and come from lower-income communities. Statistics and research clearly demonstrate that vulnerable groups ARE NOT the greatest beneficiaries of the NM Lottery Scholarship Funds.
The public needs to keep in mind that increases in GPA and minimum course requirements place a greater strain on students during a crucial transition period from high school to college. A incoming freshmen who earned a B- (2.67 GPA) average their first semester in college would NOT ATTAIN the Lottery Scholarship if the minimum GPA requirement is increased to a 2.75 GPA.
Increasing course load requirements will also place a significant strain on students who have to work and go to school. Many of our New Mexican students come from economically struggling households. Many of their families CANNOT support them financially and thus they have no alternative but to work. Is it reasonable then to require all students statewide to now take 5 classes instead of 4?
If both GPA and course load requirements are increased, it is expected that we will see up to a 68% FAILURE ATTAINMENT rate for minority students and up to a 75% FAILURE ATTAINMENT rate for students in the lower third income bracket.
Let's support (and not penalize) our New Mexican students and families by sending the message loud and clear to power players that we want to keep higher education accessible. Education is a human right and a necessity if we are striving to improve the economy of our state.
We know that there is a direct correlation between education level and overall quality of life. Keeping the Lottery Scholarship accessible makes good economic sense for the state of New Mexico.
The Lottery Scholarship needs to keep the college dream alive and accessible for our New Mexican students and families, especially for those who are undeserved and come from lower-income communities. Statistics and research clearly demonstrate that vulnerable groups ARE NOT the greatest beneficiaries of the NM Lottery Scholarship Funds.
The public needs to keep in mind that increases in GPA and minimum course requirements place a greater strain on students during a crucial transition period from high school to college. A incoming freshmen who earned a B- (2.67 GPA) average their first semester in college would NOT ATTAIN the Lottery Scholarship if the minimum GPA requirement is increased to a 2.75 GPA.
Increasing course load requirements will also place a significant strain on students who have to work and go to school. Many of our New Mexican students come from economically struggling households. Many of their families CANNOT support them financially and thus they have no alternative but to work. Is it reasonable then to require all students statewide to now take 5 classes instead of 4?
If both GPA and course load requirements are increased, it is expected that we will see up to a 68% FAILURE ATTAINMENT rate for minority students and up to a 75% FAILURE ATTAINMENT rate for students in the lower third income bracket.
Let's support (and not penalize) our New Mexican students and families by sending the message loud and clear to power players that we want to keep higher education accessible. Education is a human right and a necessity if we are striving to improve the economy of our state.
We know that there is a direct correlation between education level and overall quality of life. Keeping the Lottery Scholarship accessible makes good economic sense for the state of New Mexico.