Director of Financial Aid Jim Tilton spoke at Wednesday's general body meeting of the Undergraduate Council of Students about the positive impact of financial aid initiatives introduced by the Corporation in the 2008–09 academic year.
These changes have decreased loans and parental contributions in financial aid packages by filling this need with scholarships, he said.
Tilton cited a jump from 6 percent of students who have no loans in their financial aid package in the 2007–08 academic year to 62 percent in the 2009–10 academic year. The percentage of students whose parents are not required to make any contribution from income rose from 12 percent of students in 2007–08 to 37 percent of students in 2009–10.
Tilton said the University is continually working to provide students with the best resources to meet their needs. "I think one of the things that is very special about Brown is the University continues to make a commitment to financial need," he said. Their goal for next year will be to maintain those initiatives, taking into account that a larger percentage of families may need aid next year because of the recession, he said.
UCS "is an important forum for undergrads to get information about policies that affect them," UCS President Clay Wertheimer '10 told The Herald, adding that Tilton's presentation would increase awareness and allow undergraduates to provide potential feedback and suggestions.
The council also voted 27 to 2 against the Undergraduate Finance Board's proposal to change their constitution. Among the proposed constitutional amendments was a provision that would allow the finance board to appoint their own members to the board, pending UCS approval of their choice.
"All we are asking for is a say in our affairs," said UFB Secretary Tyler Rosenbaum '11, who chaired the UFB committee that drafted the proposal. While many UCS members agreed that collaborative efforts between the two boards needed to increase, they said they did not feel these amendments were the correct means. UCS Campus Life Chair Ben Farber '12 said even though these measures would create collaboration, they would also give the finance board certain "superiority" over UCS.
Several UCS members pointed out that the proposal underscored issues in understanding the oversight responsibilities of each body and encouraged further discussion of each group's role in a different forum.
Wertheimer also brought up the President Ruth Simmons' State of the Brown address, scheduled to be delivered tomorrow. He said the speech will be filmed and made available to undergraduates on the UCS Web site.
