The government shutdown that began last week is already taking a toll on higher education, despite assurances from policy makers that colleges and students would be largely spared in the short term. Research projects have been interrupted, academic meetings have been postponed or canceled, and some students are being urged to put off their educations until the federal-budget impasse ends. Such disruptions will only multiply as the shutdown drags on...
So far, the shutdown has not affected Pell Grants or student loans, the cornerstones of the federal student-aid system. That's because the programs are financed through June, the end of the academic year. But if the government runs out of money, it won't be able to incur any new obligations, even revenue-producing ones (like student loans) or pre-financed ones (like Pell)...
Though the Treasury Department could spend money on any day that revenues exceeded debts, it would have to set spending priorities, and it probably would not put student aid ahead of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and veterans' benefits...
Full story at http://chronicle.com/article/After-One-Week-Federal/142215/
Sail on, O Ship of State:
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