despite economy, UNH has no plans to change ‘need-blind’ policy

In the current economic climate, schools across the nation are finding it more and more difficult to fulfill the needs of students who simply can’t afford hiking tuition prices. In a recent New York Times article, journalist Kate Zernike wrote that even universities that are considered “need-blind” are searching for ways to admit more students who demonstrate an ability to foot the tuition bill without financial aid packages.

Out of all of the nation’s state institutions, UNH receives the least state funding. And state funding is, in part, where the school’s financial aid budget comes from.

So, with the economy in its worst state in the past 70 years, how was this year’s applicant pool at UNH affected? Not at all, according to director of admissions Rob McGann.

While the admissions office is “cognizant of a student’s financial position,” said McGann, that position is separated entirely from the student’s personal qualifications, the qualities that determine admittance.

“A person with no money has the same opportunity as a person with all the money in the world,” said McGann.

However, UNH’s steep tuition prices sometimes deter even the most qualified students. “We certainly lose some capable students,” said McGann. “I don’t think we do—I know we do.”

Nevertheless, some students, like Becca Lastra, a senior at New Milford High School in Connecticut and a member of UNH’s incoming freshman class, are choosing fit over finance. Despite having received better financial aid packages from other universities, Lastra ultimately chose to attend UNH in the fall.

“My parents told me that wherever I am going to be the happiest, that is where I should go and they will find a way to fund it,” she said.
Others, like Teresa Kolb of Bishop Guertin High School in Nashua, are worried about whether the aid they receive from the institution will be enough.

“I was disappointed to receive only loans when I was hoping to be awarded a scholarship,” said Kolb. “Universities have financial resources that students don’t, and they should share their money with the people that need it.”

McGann said UNH has weathered economic challenges in the past and will maintain an admissions process that accepts students regardless of their ability to foot the bill.

“It is an outgrowth of the university’s core philosophy,” said McGann, “and that’s not going to change anytime soon.”

students protest troop increase in Afghanistan

Students and residents gathered around Central Triangle on Main Street in Durham on April 7 to protest President Barack Obama’s plan to send 21,000 more troops to Afghanistan. The peace vigil was part of a week of local actions organized by the national coalition United for Peace and Justice.

The crowd of protesters held signs and shouted “Don’t escalate, negotiate.” UNH Peace and Justice League, Durham Students for a Democratic Society, and Seacoast Peace Response all participated in the event.

“I know that some people say that Afghanistan is the ‘right war,’ but I do not think we have a blueprint of how to fight a ‘right war,’ if there is such a thing,” said sophomore Derek Price of UNH Peace and Justice League.

Obama hopes to focus U.S. military attention on Afghanistan and Pakistan. He has banked on a reduction of U.S. forces in Iraq as he seeks to add 21,000 troops in Afghanistan.

“This escalation will only prolong the American-led occupation, increasing anti-American sentiment throughout the region, while failing to make America any safer,” said Alex Freid of Durham Students for a Democratic Society.

Price held a sign that read, “Occupation creates enemies not allies.”

“We should be funding human needs, both at home in the U.S. and Afghanistan, such as health care, jobs and education,” said Price. “Most of our foreign aid in Afghanistan goes into military aid, when it should be going into reconstruction projects like schools and hospitals.”
The activists also held vigils in Concord and Nashua throughout the week.