Non-issue feature: Money
This week we discussed issues that should be non-issues. Money is one of them.
By Steven Ruggles
When applying for scholarships, financial need is a non-issue. Scholarships should be based on a student’s academic ability, not on their inability to support themselves financially.
When an organization makes financial need a requirement in a scholarship they are, in effect, providing a disincentive to becoming financially responsible. I would argue that students who can prove that they are responsible with money should receive benefits.
What we see is quite the opposite. Scholarships that factor in financial need are rewarding students who have proven their lack of strategy in long term budgeting. A query: When deciding which of two companies to invest in, which one gets your money? The one that clearly displays profitability or the one that is in dire straits? You can put your money where you want; I’m investing in the sure thing.
The obvious objection to my stance is to bring up the case of the student who could not save any money because their family needed any and all income to meet their current needs. Fair enough. These students (providing they are capable academically) should absolutely be provided with options like student loans but it should also be noted that these students are rare. The issue is that a student with a 3.9 GPA and all the volunteer experience in the world is penalized for not being broke. What if society worked like this on a larger scale? That is, what if those who were not doing well as a result of lack of effort were given unearned rewards. Where does that leave the intellectuals and the truly productive members of society?
Essentially the argument is that those students who excel need to stand up and fight to eliminate financial need as criteria for scholarships. Not because those with financial need are always less deserving, but because requiring financial need is encouraging irresponsibility. If today’s students are to lead in the future they need to be rewarded not for their vices, but their virtues.
