A key campus decision-maker worries that not enough is being done, financially, to help Iowa students who are attending or who want to go to Iowa, Iowa State and U-N-I. Board of Regents member Mary Ellen Becker of Oskaloosa says it’s time to rethink how the universities hand out grants and loans.Becker says it’s great to have out-of-state students if they’re paying their own way, but she worries to many out-of-staters are getting scholarships that would otherwise help Iowa students. Enrollment at the three state-supported universities is down this fall, and some suggest it’s because tuition rates continue to escalate.Becker says tuition policy is limiting access for some Iowa students, and she says the state should change its scholarship policies to ensure Iowa students are a priority. The Board of Regents, which is meeting today in Iowa City, will discuss the student financial aid topic again in February. The presidents of the universities say a change in scholarship policies could hamper efforts to attract minorities to campus and meet the “diversity” goals set by the Board of Regents.
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