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Fellow graduate students,

The conference committee that will ultimately decide on funding levels
for graduate grants will meet this week.  If this issue is of concern to
you, please read further and make a call or two.  You can call for free on
the Student Aid hotline at 1-800-574-4AID.  The recorded message is old,
but don't let that stop you.  Wait, and it will transfer you to the
capitol switchboard.

Tim Benner, Treasurer
United Government of Graduate Students

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NAGPS ACTION ALERT
Friday, September 11, 1998

                  CALL CONGRESS ON MONDAY TO SAVE $55
               MILLION IN GRADUATE GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS!

You can help save $55 million in grants and fellowships by making phone
calls and sending faxes to Congress on MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14th. Members of
a House-Senate Conference Committee will meet next week to determine the
final form of the Higher Education Act for the next five years. While the
House version of the bill provides for only one grant program, the Senate
version provides for four programs, with $55 million in additional
funding!!!

Read further for background on the grant and fellowship programs, contact
information for members of the Conference Committee, and talking points
you can use in your calls and faxes on MONDAY.  Set up a phone bank at
your GSA, send out this message to your fellow students, and get those fax
machines humming!!! NAGPS needs your help to save millions of dollars in
student aid!

BACKGROUND: 

The Higher Education Act (HEA) is the the major piece of legislation that
governs most of the nation's federal involvement in higher education.
Every five years, the Higher Education Act goes through a process of
Reauthorization, where amendments are made to the existing bill to
establish, modify, or eliminate programs contained in the bill. Each
program is also given a funding level which represents the maximum amount
Congress can provide in funding during each the next five budget years. Of
concern to graduate and professional students is the existence and funding
of the following four grant or fellowship programs:

JAVITS FELLOWSHIPS: The ONLY remaining federal grant program for students
in the arts, social sciences and the humanities. Competition for Javits
grants is fierce, with fewer than 1 in 30 applicants receiving awards.
Senate: Funds at $30 million a year. House: Recommends ELIMINATING Javits. 

FACULTY DEVELOPMENT FELLOWSHIPS: Fellowships awarded to encourage women
and minorities under-represented in a variety of disciplines on our
nation's college and university faculties to pursue university-level
teaching. Senate: Funds at $30 million a year. House: No funding for this
program. 
       
THURGOOD MARSHALL LEGAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM: This program is
designed to encourage students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds
to pursue careers in law by providing a series of summer workshops and
intense undergraduate mentoring. Senate: Funds at $5 million a year.
House: No funding for this program. 

GAANN: The GAANN (Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need)  program
funds students in "areas of national need" which are defined by the
Secretary of Education. Generally, this program funds students in such
areas as biology, chemistry, engineering and computer science. Senate:
Funds at $30 million a year. House: Funds at $40 million a year. (NAGPS
supports the House funding level)

Both the House and Senate have passed their proposed amendments to the
Higher Education Act, and a Conference Committee is now meeting to settle
differences between the two bills so that a single "conference bill" can
be sent to the President for signature into law. NAGPS supports
Congressional efforts to provide the maximum possible funding level for
each of these four important graduate grant and fellowship programs. For
Javits, Faculty Development, and the Thurgood Mashall programs, we urge
conferees to adopt the Senate version of the bill, and for GAANN, we urge
conferees to adopt the House version of the bill.

CONTACT INFORMATION: 

If you can't reach these offices using the direct lines, call the House
Operator at 202-225-3121 or the Senate Operator at 202-224-3121 and ask to
be transferred to the office of your choice.  
                CALL OR FAX AS MANY AS YOU CAN!!!

                                   PHONE            FAX 
Senators:                       
    Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)        202-224-5521    202-224-2852
    Michael DeWine (R-OH)       202-224-2315    202-224-6519
    Michael Enzi (R-WY)         202-224-3424    202-228-0359
    Bill Frist (R-TN)           202-224-3344    202-228-1264 
    Jim Jeffords (R-VT)         202-224-5141    202-228-0338
    Mitch McConnell (R-KY)      202-224-2541    202-224-2499   
    Patty Murray (D-WA)         202-224-2621    202-224-0238
    John Warner (R-VA)          202-224-2023    202-224-6295

Representatives: 
    William Goodling (R-PA)     202-225-5836    202-226-1000
    Dale Kildee (D-MI)          202-225-3611    202-225-6393
    Howard "Buck" McKeon (R-CA) 202-225-1956    202-226-0683
    Thomas Petri (R-WI)         202-225-2476    202-225-2356

TALKING POINTS FOR CALLS AND FAXES: 

- Several decades ago, 80% of federal funding for higher education was
grant based and 20% was loan based. Today, the percentages are reversed
and student debt is skyrocketing. Urge Congress to help end student debt
by funding grant programs for our nation's most talented students.

- To remain successful in an ever-competitive world, America must continue
to produce quality master's and doctoral students. No other G-7 nation
allows its best and brightest students to graduate upon a sea of debt.

- Debt is overwhelming for graduate students. Master's degree candidates
in 1992-1993 graduated with an average principal owed of $12,870; in
1995-1996, master's candidates owed an average principal of $19,245, a 50%
increase in just four years.

- The Congressional Budget Office is projecting a federal budget surplus
in excess of $1 TRILLION dollars over the next ten years. The federal
government CAN and SHOULD provide better funding for higher education.

- Full funding for all four graduate grant programs would total just $105
million a year in a federal budget of over $1.7 trillion dollars; graduate
grant funding is affordable.

- Several decades ago, the federal government provided grants for over
60,000 graduate students. Today, that number has fallen below 10,000.
Congress CAN and MUST reverse this decline by funding these four programs.

If you can only make one call, contact Representative "Buck" McKeon at
202-225-1956 or Representative William Goodling at 202-225-5836. Your
support is vital to any hope we have to keep these programs in the final
Higher Education Act.

           CALL CONGRESS ON MONDAY!!!  SAVE GRADUATE GRANTS!!!


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