After summer job slump, students seek financial help
At Dal, number of students applying for need-based awards increased by 62 per cent
Swinimer said the school’s president has said he will make up any kind of shortfall in their endowment for scholarships and bursaries.
“We have been told that we will be able to spend as we have in our past year.”
There is also an in-course bursary program that will begin in September where Swinimer said she is expecting to see what the real effect of lack of summer employment or parental assistance will be on student finances.
“I certainly have chatted with a few students who have run into those situations, and we’ll have to look at that individually and try and do what we can to come alongside and assist.”
Ryerson University in Toronto made the decision to allocate $800,000 in its 2009-10 budget to ensure money for students on bursaries would continue to flow. Ryerson president Sheldon Levy said a proposal is being taken to the school’s board to further increase bursaries by $500,000.
The university has also received a $1-million gift from The Birchall Family Foundation specifically to establish student bursaries.
The bursaries, designated for 75 first-year students this September, include 50 valued at $2,500 each, 25 at $5,000, and will be renewable for four years.
“My bet is that every university and college that’s out there is trying to do their best for their students,” said Levy.
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