2008 Woodie Awards
FSU needs to do better
Matthew Wynne
Issue date: 3/12/08 Section: Opinion
I have been at FSU for three years now and things have got to change. FSU's new promotional motto: "At FSU, It's All About U," has not fully lived up to this statement at all!
As a student in the Honors Program it is a deep concern to me that future Broncos will not be able to receive full ride honors scholarships through the university anymore. The Honors Program was truly the only scholarship that "covered it all" for many students and helped students get their foot in the door. Now it seems that the option is not available with the new changes implemented in the name of the "Academic Excellence Program." As a student, I feel that the University needs to offer full-ride scholarships for students who exemplify "Academic Excellence" throughout their High School career. Fayetteville State has very few full-ride scholarships available for its students. FSU has recently only established the FSU Scholarship and Chancellor's Scholarship that will be offered next year but they are only partial scholarships and not all students who enter into this university qualify for Pell Grants that would hopefully cover the rest of their college expenses.
Through my experiences and encounters with students, serving as a SGA member for over 3 years now, I have discovered one of the major issues with students attending this university has been, and seems to always be, financial aid. A lot of students have become discouraged because they cannot afford to pay all of their college expenses and are thus forced to only receive loans that will eventually lead them to debt, drop out, or join the military. I feel that FSU needs to start offering more "diverse scholarships" to students in the various departments like other Universities. I believe the University should allocate funds to scholarships for specific departments. Especially the current high-need career areas in society like: Education, Nursing, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and other areas of study.
I also believe the scholarship programs should incorporate student leadership building, career development, and moral support for students. We need to utilize more resources surrounding us like local businesses, local schools, and the overall community. If the student clubs, organizations, academic departments, and business departments would collaborate more, FSU could be competitive with other Universities and be at the top of its game.
As a student in the Honors Program it is a deep concern to me that future Broncos will not be able to receive full ride honors scholarships through the university anymore. The Honors Program was truly the only scholarship that "covered it all" for many students and helped students get their foot in the door. Now it seems that the option is not available with the new changes implemented in the name of the "Academic Excellence Program." As a student, I feel that the University needs to offer full-ride scholarships for students who exemplify "Academic Excellence" throughout their High School career. Fayetteville State has very few full-ride scholarships available for its students. FSU has recently only established the FSU Scholarship and Chancellor's Scholarship that will be offered next year but they are only partial scholarships and not all students who enter into this university qualify for Pell Grants that would hopefully cover the rest of their college expenses.
Through my experiences and encounters with students, serving as a SGA member for over 3 years now, I have discovered one of the major issues with students attending this university has been, and seems to always be, financial aid. A lot of students have become discouraged because they cannot afford to pay all of their college expenses and are thus forced to only receive loans that will eventually lead them to debt, drop out, or join the military. I feel that FSU needs to start offering more "diverse scholarships" to students in the various departments like other Universities. I believe the University should allocate funds to scholarships for specific departments. Especially the current high-need career areas in society like: Education, Nursing, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and other areas of study.
I also believe the scholarship programs should incorporate student leadership building, career development, and moral support for students. We need to utilize more resources surrounding us like local businesses, local schools, and the overall community. If the student clubs, organizations, academic departments, and business departments would collaborate more, FSU could be competitive with other Universities and be at the top of its game.
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