My friend came to me angry today at Obama saying that he is

[rainy]

responsible for her son not getting aid from Radford for an environmental engineering program that he WAS eligible for financial assistance because Obama changed the rules and now the rules are that only the lowest of income students are eligible. She says it all changed because of Obama. Said he just wants to help the poor black kids. I don't believe it of course but she was all angry and in MY face. So I calmly told her how sorry I was that that happened to her son. Now I want to find out the truth and set her straight in a nice way. I already emailed financial aid at the school and I know I shouldn't care but I think it's important to set people straight in a nice way so that they don't spread the hate and ignorance.

[hobbit709]

1. People who rant like that don't care about the facts

[revolution breeze]

2. Wow, why would she be in your face?

I would keep that friend at a distance. She sounds a bit unstable. I know there have been no changes to my daughter's financial aid, but she is one of those poor black kids your friend was talking about.

[NNN0LHI]

3. Someone who got in my face would be off my list of friends

[Warren Stupidity]

4. "he just wants to help the poor black kids." 'nuf said

The changes increase the pell grant and remove the banks as middlemen in loans, and simplify the paperwork. Your 'friend' is confused. There is nothing in any of these changes that restricts aid to african american children. Obviously your 'friend' is under the mistaken belief that all poor people are black, except of course for the mexicans, who are also likely stealing her financial aid from her kid. I'm sure False Noise is involved in this somehow.


"The new program would kick in on July 1st. Any student that takes out a federal student loan will be making the deal directly with the US government instead of private financial institution. It will help lower monthly payments for low-income individuals and payments for graduate students and parents that take out PLUS loans. There will be an increase in Pell grants that will begin next school year.

Pell Grants will increase because of the savings not spent to the middle man. The increase is modest but in the 2010-2011 academic year it will be increased to $5,550 which last school year it was $5,350. The new number will stay the same for the next 5 years and then it will be adjusted to reflect inflation.

In addition to this, there are lower payments for graduates that have low-income. This begins in for loans made after July 1st, 2014 and if they are having financial difficulties paying back the loan they can have their loan payments capped at 10 percent of their discretionary income. The current program caps payments at 15 percent of their discretionary income."
http://www.digitalnewsreport.com/2010/03/30-direct-loan-program-is-new-student-aid-initiative-that-obama-will-sign-today/3636

Better cheaper loans. Increased Pell grants. Simplified process. Yeah - I see what your friend means about 'black kids'.

[sinkingfeeling]

5. If the kid was eligible for financial assistance, then he's still eligible unless he came into money

or gained some type of asset. That's all eligibility considers.

[sweetloukillbot]

19. There could actually be some hiccups to the process right now...

I'm having to jump thru some hoops for summer session because of the new law - my school was not part of the Federal direct loan program, and won't be switched over to the program for summer aid, but will start the conversion process in July. Therefore, in order to get aid for the summer session I have to complete my spring coursework by June 18 and must start my summer classes by June 13 I had to get myself a few weeks ahead of schedule on my online open-entry classes to make sure I made the deadline.

Maybe that's what the problem is...

[Warren Stupidity]

21. that only affect white kids? wtf?

[sweetloukillbot]

22. No, but Teabaggers could see that as Obama's fault... n/t

[Walk away]

6. I don't know the specific answer to your question but...

I thought financial aid was always tied to income. They use your taxes to determine if you are eligible. There are the new rules for Stafford loans from the government but I don't believe income is a factor and they haven't changed in any substantial way except the banking middle man has been cut out of the equation.

Had he received some indication from the college that he had qualified for aid and then it was taken away? It would seem to me that, no matter how big a sacrifice sending your kids to college, you would get that poor kids need aid in order to attend.

Maybe she isn't very bright and is just parroting the usual republican/libertarian.racist shit she hears on TV.

[rainy]

17. I think that is it. If I had thought quicker I would have challenged

her but she was obviously angry and i was not sure what she was talking about.

[HughMoran]

7. Sounds like a bullshit rant to me

The fact that she said "he just wants to help the poor black kids" is enough for me to kick a person to the gutter - that's racist talk.

[DevonRex]

12. Yep - racist to the core. And she'll spread her racism regardless of the facts.

OP shouldn't bother with that one.

[ingac70]

8. If he's not eligible now....

he was never eligible in the first place.

[blondeatlast]

9. Precisely. nt

[Altoid_Cyclist]

10. Don't you know by now that President Obama is responsible for every bad thing that happens?

I heard that from the local baggers so it must be true!

Not that I need to, but :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

Seriously, there are some deranged people who probably do think that the planet was perfect until the shrub slinked out of office.

[Dappleganger]

11. I graduated from RU...did your friend go through the financial aid office?

You know her son probably could piece together other kinds of aid in its place. Also, I can't believe he's trying to get an engineering degree from RU when VA Tech is just down the road (and probably has a lot more aid programs available).

BTW, if your 'friend' got into your face about that she's not really your friend...she's a fake friend out of convenience. None of my friends would do something like that, ever.

Ask your friend if her son has an aversion to working his way through college, too.

[DevonRex]

15. My teabagger sisters have never even done something this bad in person.

Sure, they send hateful emails all over the universe. But in person? Never.

[Iggo]

13. Fucking Obama hates your friend's kid...always has. (n/t)

[DevonRex]

14. You won't get an answer about your friend unless you know all her financial details.

I'm assuming she'll never give you those details. And unless her income somehow doubled recently, she's just spouting bullshit anyway.

[rainy]

20. I emailed her and asked for more details. Here's her answer

"okay, let me try to explain this to you. Alex received a National Science Foundation grant which is federally funded to Radford University. When the grant was updated and changed for 2010-2011 school year, there was an addendum where income was involved. According for our current FAFSA report, Alex doesn't qualify beacuse of our total earned income. So basically, a family that makes less money will get the scholarship award now. Make sense?? "

Bitchy huh?

I probably wont reply.

[Warren Stupidity]

23. so, as I said upstream, your former friend is a racist asshole.

I can understand her misplaced bitterness right up to "only helps black kids". Then it becomes time to say goodbye to racist idiots.

My kids never qualified for FAFSA based aid. I could view that as me getting screwed, as 'da blacks' getting all the benefits, or as me and my family being lucky enough in this fucked up society of ours to be so well off we don't qualify for any need based financial aid. I chose the last option. Those tuition bills sure are frightening though.

[rainy]

24. You are right. She is a colleague and it looks like she is a racist.

I guess I won't be socializing with her much in the future. Her true nature is showing.

[DevonRex]

25. Ah. Thanks for the update. nt

[Walk away]

26. You might also explain that ,statistically, students with single mothers regardless of race.....

are the most likely to receive financial aid. Does she think this is because the President was raised by a single mother or could it be that these children are more likely to be below the poverty level.

I am sure in a world run by Democrats that big business would be funding all higher education. If she would stop voting for republicans and start being active for financial aid politically....things might get better.

[sinkingfeeling]

31. Found some interesting information for your friend. I searched the NSF site for 'Radford' and

found 8 hits. The most probable one seems to be NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-TEM).
If that's what she's talking about (and the latest reward to Radford was for 20 scholarships) then she should take heed:


"Please be advised that the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) includes revised guidelines to implement the mentoring provisions of the America COMPETES Act (ACA) (Pub. L. No. 110-69, Aug. 9, 2007.)"



Obama wasn't the President in 2007.


http://www.nsf.gov/funding/funding_results.jsp?
nsfOrgs=allorg&pubStatus=ALL&queryText=Radford+University&searchFunding=on&searchAwards=on&Submit.x=26&Submit.y=13

[rainy]

36. An ha, good work thanks for researching..

[MilesColtrane]

32. I'd write back:

"You should be glad that you and your boy are now off of a government welfare program, and can stand on your own two feet like the proud, white family you are."

If that goes straight over her head, so be it.

[eShirl]

33. lol

[gmoney]

16. Well, tell her to tell her son to quit being a "moocher" and get a job

He should pull himself up by his bootstraps, get three or four minimum wage jobs, if he can find them, and earn the money to go to school, while somehow covering his living expenses. Or join the Army.

That's what McCain and the repukes would have every student do -- the ones whose families won't pay the bill for them, or who can't get football scholarships.

[rainy]

18. Ha ha best answer yet. nt

[sinkingfeeling]

30. Sounds like he had the grant for this year and lost it for 2010-2011. Sour grapes.

[rainy]

37. That's it. He lost it. But I think he can continue in the same path he'll just

have to pay for it.

[Raineyb]

27. Looks like your so-called friend has no problem with people getting government help

so long as they're white which makes her a racist bitch in my not so humble opinion. And as they're basing it on income there's nothing to say that her son "lost" the scholarship to a black kid (such language being rather presumptuous as one must have something to lose it and it doesn't look as though he had it to lose in the first place but I digress.) since another white kid may have gotten that money but why let something like logic get in the way of a perfectly good racist rant.

People like that annoy the crap out of me.

[BuelahWitch]

28. Tell your friend that a middle aged WHITE woman in KS

got the best aid package ever after President Obama took office. Since I didn't lie about my age or race on the FAFSA form, there's no way I can be taken for a poor, black kid (the only thing we have in common is POOR).

[one_voice]

29. Didn't you get the memo..

Obama hates white people. Just wait you'll see, the whitey tape (by Michelle Obama) is on it's way. :crazy:
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just in case :sarcasm:

[WinkyDink]

34. I fail to see the problem with "only the lowest of income students" getting the $$. Sorry.

[a la izquierda]

35. "he just wants to help the poor black kids."...code

this is racist code, fyi. my mom said the exact same thing to me about Kerry in 2004. she couldn't understand how her white daughter could support democrats.

your friend is a lost cause. sorry.

[rainy]

38. Yep, she must watch too much fox. I've heard that before.

[Lilyeye]

39. It's good that you're seeking out info

but it sounds like your friend wouldn't even accept the facts. Esp when she would make such a ridiculous right wing nut type of comment.