Presidential candidate looks to link financial aid to occupation

Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney recently discussed the possibility of linking financial aid to students' perspective career choices. "I like the idea of linking the level of support that we're able to provide to young people going to college to the contributions they're going to make to our society," Romney told the AP.

As the former governor of Massachusetts, Romney has made various contributions to support scholarship programs. These scholarships award students with free in-state tuition if they received a high score on the state's standardized exams.

During his time as governor, he began a project to give full tuition to those who served in the National Guard at state universities. If elected President of the United States, Romney plans to end taxes on savings for people who earn $200,000 or less, hoping this will increase the amount of money parents will be able to save on their children's higher education.

Although Romney has made contributions to the education systems in Massachusetts and even has a plan to help households who may need financial aid in the future, some question this potential change.

Senior Andrew Brown said, "I don't see the relevance between a [financial aid] recipient's major with the amount of financial aid he or she deserves."

Junior Alison Tanney also expressed her concerns. "It's stupid," she said. "What happens to people who are on the border line of whether or not they can receive financial aid and they are pre-med, and someone who is a theater major who desperately needs the money? Will the person who is pre-med receive more money because the financial aid panel thinks they will 'contribute' more to society in the future?"

Junior Asher Sarnoff also agreed. "That puts too much pressure and shows favoritism towards certain professions. People shouldn't have to decide there major based on how much they can receive in financial aid, the individual's financial need should come first," said Sarnoff. "To put this into action will be a big mistake."

During a recent speech, Romney said it has yet to be decided as to what specific careers would yield specific amounts of scholarships.

"I like the idea of linking the level of support that we're able to provide to young people going to college to the contributions they're going to make to our society."

Romney has been gathering attention for being the Mormon candidate within the Republican Party. His other competitors are Fred Thompson, John McCain and New York City's former Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Out of the current nine candidates from the Republican party, Romney is in fair standing, winning the Illinois Straw Poll by getting 40 percent of the votes, as well as winning 31 percent of the votes with the Ames Straw Poll in August 2007 (which Giuliani, McCain and Thompson did not attend).

Student voters should diligently pay attention to each candidates respective platforms. Especially if their plans could potentially have a major impact on the state of education. According to the Office of Student Assistance (OSA), approximately 80 percent of the students at the University in NYC receive financial aid. While it is too soon to tell if this plan will ever come to be reality, it is important for students to familiarize themselves with important political issues, which can have a drastic impact on their lives.