Good news! We managed to bully UI into reinstating scholarships
And everything else you need to know about this whole debacle
After backlash from alumni and students alike, UI has officially reversed actions cutting five scholarships from the 2017-18 school year.
This breath of relief only applies to students already receiving legacy scholarships, as this scholarship will no longer be available to new students starting in 2018.
As you already know, UI decided to cut scholarship funding after the Iowa Senate pulled nearly $118 million from the 2016-17 school year budget, forcing the university to “consider every expenditure.”
Cutting the scholarships was projected to save the school nearly $4 million dollars annually, but even so, UI caught immediate backlash from students, parents, and alumni alike.
After learning about the scholarships being discontinued, two students took matters into their own hands, seeking legal action on behalf of the nearly 3,000 student affected.
Benjamin Muller of Des Moines, IA was the first to file a legal suit after UI pulled $1,500 in scholarships. The suit, on behalf of the nearly 3,000 students losing funding, claim that UI violated the 5th and 14th Constitutional Amendments, taking back money which it was not legally obligated to do.
The second suit coming from Jeremy Pokorney, also of Des Moines, is suing on grounds that UI “breached its contractual duties” when revoking the scholarships.
In a news release Wednesday, President Harreld claimed, “Over the past few days, we heard from many families who were unaware that these were renewable scholarships reliant on state support,” going on to explain that though these scholarships are not need based, it’s understood that they went into consideration when it came to choosing schools and budgeting on students parts, going on to say, “I want to thank the students and parents who contacted me and shared their concerns. The University of Iowa takes its relationship with students and alumni very seriously and wants to honor the awards previously made to those currently receiving these awards.”