Funding prospects vague in election's wake

Pounding disco music, spicy cocktail weenies, and free-flowing beer made a festive atmosphere at Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro's (D-3) Election Day victory party at The Bash on College Street. DeLauro had reason to celebrate: President Bill Clinton, LAW '73, and many Connecticut Democrats pounded their Republican opponents. Off to the side, DeLauro's warning about Republican attacks on universities cut through the BeeGees. "They tried the last time to cut $10 billion from the student loan program," she said. "I think they'll try to do it again."

This year more than ever, higher education was a significant campaign issue. The New York Times' election coverage highlighted college education. Clinton promised more aid to families of college students, while Republican candidate Bob Dole proposed restrictions on tuition costs and elimination of the Department of Education.

The federal government is involved in post-secondary education through both direct federal programs and behind-the-scenes funding. Yalies who have applied for financial aid know the daunting paperwork required by the Department of Education. A subtler instance of the government connection lies in those famous Yale professors whose work is supported by federal grant money.

How the government allocates funds in these years of budget trimming depends upon the fiscal tenor of Congress and the president. Clinton's re-election and continued Republican control of both the House and Senate signify at least two more years of divided government and partisan compromise when it comes to education.

At the state level, Connecticut voters returned a Democratic majority to the State Senate, while the State House remained in Democratic hands. Despite the fact that Governor John Rowland is a Republican, the division between the legislature and the governor's mansion doesn't threaten support for higher education. "I haven't seen any major differences between the governor and the legislature over education," State Representative Bill Dyson (D-94) said.

Political decisions at the highest level can have an impact on many disparate elements of Yale, from undergraduate financial aid to the specialized scientific and historical research which occurs out of the public eye.

The student loan program about which DeLauro expressed concern--the Federal Stafford and Perkins Loans--is one of the primary sources of financial aid for universities. When combined with the Federal Pell Grant and Supplemental Educational Opportunities Grant, they comprise a major source of aid for overburdened families of college students. Republican budget-cutters target such grants and loans regularly, yet with a Democratic president keeping an eye on the middle class, Congress could be kept in check.

To counter Congressional attacks on financial aid, President Clinton pledged to expand relief by offering a $10,000 income tax deduction for all families with children in college and a $1,500 tax cut modeled after the successful Georgia HOPE scholarships. With these financial incentives, Clinton aims to make 14 years of education the American standard, instead of 12.

In the aftermath of the election, these programs' chances look bleak, and maintaining grants and loans at current levels may be hard. According to Charles Borden, ES '97, president of the Yale College Democrats, Congress will be loathe to endorse Clinton's programs. "I think they'll either be scaled back or put to the side for the time being," he said.

Richard Shaw, dean of Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid, agreed. He felt that although Clinton's planned tax cuts would ease the burden on the middle class, they would be difficult to pass in their entirety. Yet the past two years have brought the President and Congress to an equilibrium over federal aid programs. The 104th Congress did not strictly follow the past decade's trend of sharply reducing federal financial aid monies. The cutbacks were there, but they weren't nearly as severe as expected.

"Good, thoughtful discussion on the importance of these kinds of programs seem to have fallen on sympathetic ears," Shaw said. "We in fact had a relatively successful outcome considering what some of the Draconian positions were in the early part of the [104th] Congress."

Federal work-study programs such as the infant AmeriCorps may have survived last term, but now they face the peril of budget slashing. Without a clear mandate on education, Clinton has not devoted much time towards defending his previous campaign's educational agenda, and many Democrats such as DeLauro fear that these young programs may be abandoned. "I only hope [AmeriCorps] continues, because it's a great program. But truthfully, last time around, the Republicans tried to eliminate the AmeriCorps program," DeLauro said.

The Connecticut state government is divided along partisan lines but has fewer problems compromising over their financial aid programs, which are provided to both state residents and out-of-state students attending school in Connecticut. According to State Representative Cameron Staples (D-96), two existing state grants to public and private university students are regularly funded budget items that will most likely continue at their current combined level of $17.6 million. "We haven't been funding them very well," Staples said. "[But] I expect you'll see more sensitivity to educational funding in this term than in the last term," due to the increased margin of Democrats over Republicans in both houses of the legislature.

Yale scholars join undergrads in their growing uncertainty about crucial federal funding for research. Particularly in the sciences, a large portion of Yale's budget comes from federal grants. According to Deputy Provost for Science and Technology Pierre Hohenberg, of Yale's $950 million 1994-1995 budget, $258 million came from outside grants and contracts. Hohenberg said that grant money for the sciences has not been cut precipitously. "In the face of major cuts in other areas of government funding, basic science has been spared," he said.

Dieter Söll, professor of molecular biophysics and biochemistry, agreed, but mentioned the budgetary scrutiny arising from the past two years of divided government. "Since the budget deficit is now being addressed seriously, each piece of research is looked at more closely," he said.

Undoubtedly, this close examination will continue with the Republican Congress, meaning that Congress may exert more influence in the direction of research. Söll cited breast cancer research, which received an infusion of funds two years ago. As a result, many researchers who are only marginally connected to that field began shifting the focus of their laboratories and applying for the breast cancer grants.

While the sciences frequently survive budget cutting relatively unscathed, funding for the arts and humanities has been hit hard by budget cuts. Yale College Dean Richard Brodhead, BR '68, GRD '71, does not find this surprising: "The same climate that can lead to a meltdown of the arts can create a boost of funding for the sciences."

Gordon Turnbull is managing editor of the Yale Boswell Editions, a historical project which has received significant funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). While Turnbull's project has been fortunate, he said that "The NEH told some foundations around the country `Don't bother reapplying.'"

Humanities funding is already much less than the sciences, and could be reduced still further. Turnbull said, "We look forward to moving into the next century with the NEH. That's what we hope will happen.... Of course the amounts of money involved in funding the humanities pales in comparison to the money that moves in science."

The cultural community in New Haven suffers alongside the University. Cindy Kissin, executive director of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, fears the worst from the newly elected Congress. According to Kissin, the National Endowment for the Arts is the Symphony's only national source of support, and that funding has decreased from $100,000 10 years ago, to just $8,600 last year. "All across the board, people received less money," she said.

Brodhead offered a grim assessment of the current funding situation: "Trying to maintain a balanced budget creates a situation of forcing the government to make reductions in areas of least political interest." The 104th Congress took a pragmatic path in determining appropriations, and the 105th Congress will likely continueto assign financial aid to areas of low political interest. President Clinton will temper Congress' conservative forays, but his ambitious financial aid programs may never be passed.

With tuition costs fast outpacing inflation, campuses are divided between the super-rich who can afford them and the super-poor who get free rides; the stranded middle class is feeling the crunch. With increased academic competition and grant money steadily drying up, many fear that American academia may be losing its edge. Ultimately, the fate of higher education in the United States will depend on the willingness of its leaders to reaffirm a commitment to opportunity and excellence in its universities.