No food stamps for students!!!

sunnyjohn · Jun 3, 2005

Wait until student loans have been established, until a better job is obtained, until one's lifestyle is appropriate for spending less that one makes, so as to save a bit for a difficult month.
I understand that it is extremely difficult to work while in school. I know because I've been doing it for a while. But unless I work, I will not eat.

If we all waited -until student loans have been established, until a better job is obtained, until one's lifestyle is appropriate for spending less that one makes, so as to save a bit for a difficult month -until situations in our lives were ideal, very little would get done.

Many people "wait" and wake up 20 years later with lots of regrets.

I certainly don't disagree with you on one thing, If you can work AND go to school.

Keep petitioning so they will loosen up more loan/grant money to help for those who can't work and attend school.

Help the parent and you help the child. Educate the parent and you educate the child.

tonicareer · Jun 3, 2005

Indiana is a poverty state. School has no work study program because they do not allow you to work while in the program. WIA is for ages 16 to 21 - which she isn't. Jobs here pay minimum wage, parttime no benefits. Indiana has very few LPN programs to choose from - and they have no waiting lists. Very competitive to get into. They told her she can't work while in the program - other programs are not admitting students due to competition for space - she has applied. Other schools are more than 200 miles away - she would have to move. She will have to borrow tons of money and use charge cards to pay food and rent beyond that. If we only want rich folks to go to school - then there will be a real shortage of nurses. The school accepts 32 students and has 2 teachers. No financial aid office. That is the way things are in poverty type areas. It is these types of schools or nothing - that is what is available here. Yes it is accredited. Yes she has loans available for tuition - but needs more for living expenses. No the hospital will not give her a scholarship - she is over the age limit for them. She could continue to live as she is forever or go into debt big time and get herself out of this situation. Why not help students get an education - by helping them buy food? No problem with immigrants getting food stamps - they haven't paid taxes - but they will cut hers? Makes no sense.

If we all waited -until student loans have been established, until a better job is obtained, until one's lifestyle is appropriate for spending less that one makes, so as to save a bit for a difficult month -until situations in our lives were ideal, very little would get done.
Many people "wait" and wake up 20 years later with lots of regrets.
I certainly don't disagree with you on one thing, If you can work AND go to school.
Keep petitioning so they will loosen up more loan/grant money to help for those who can't work and attend school.
Help the parent and you help the child. Educate the parent and you educate the child.

YoungWiseWoman · Jun 3, 2005

i hate to make this thread political, but just gotta add my two cents........
if our government starts giving food stamps to all students who are unable to work, imagine how many people would abuse the system. in order to get assistance, i agree that one should be required to work a certain amount of hours per week. why should the government support people who are not attempting to support themselves? i understand that nursing school prepares one for a better future, but if you can't afford to eat while going to school, maybe school can wait.
i am struggling myself. i'm 22, married, with a mortgage and bills just like everyone else, and if i was unable to feed my family, i would definitely choose work over school. gotta pay the bills. i'm not against government assistance totally, but i do agree that one should help support themselves before they expect the government to pitch in.

ok you have a point about people abusing the system, but the system gets abused already. that is something that is going to happen regardless of who gets help. and who said no one was attempting to support themselves??? i support myself plenty with the thousands of students that i, i, i am going to have to payback. in my situation, the lady told me i would have to be pregnant, so....that means if i get pregnant or have kids already i would not be "required" to work, but because i am trying to further my education and not have kids out of wedlock i don't qualify??? that is bass-akwards:stone when i did have a 40-hr a week job that i hated i was helping the government to support others and there was not a problem. but now that i want some of that money back, i have to work more or have a kid to get help....huh??? no sense to me

sunnyjohn · Jun 3, 2005

That is very silly a social worker telling you to get pregnant to get aid.

If a working parent had reached an education loan maximum and is in need of assistance to fed a family and finish school, they should get it. It keep their kids from becoming a public charge later in life.

Our system is broke. It needs to be fixed.

HopefulRN2006 · Jun 3, 2005

That is very silly a social worker telling you to get pregnant to get aid.
If a working parent had reached an education loan maximum and is in need of assistance to fed a family and finish school, they should get it. It keep their kids from becoming a public charge later in life.
Our system is broke. It needs to be fixed.

I agree. Even if you have kids, the state (at least here in Mn) still do NOT acknowledge college, and you do have to work. I have 4 kids under age 9, and my dh works 90 hours a week to get us thru this. If I was single, I would have to drop college and work, for I could not go to school, work, and raise 4 kids alone.

nursingismydream · Jun 3, 2005

I live in Mich. and have three children. I go to school full-time and work part-time. My dh is possibly going to lose his job in July because of plant shutdown. Honestly, I am scared. I know he will get unemployment (which is no where near his normal pay) and we have planned for it, just in case it does happen. But even with that and my income (which is only part-time), I am afraid we won't get any help. He is a very hard worker and has been with this plant for 11 years. So, yes, while there are some that abuse the system, there are also those who need it. I would quit school, if it meant making the bills. But that shouldn't have to be a choice for people like dh and I who have never asked for help of any kind. There were times we had no money in the past, and still managed. But that was with one baby andhardly any bills. Now we have three and a house payment, along with the other things. This is why I went back to school. (Other then the need to fullfill a dream). So my family wouldn't have to struggle like this. I was praying for two more years for his job to hold out. By that time I would have my RN, and at least a decent income. Still praying....maybe we can get lucky and they will find a way to stay openned.

nursingismydream · Jun 3, 2005

Oh and I have applied for financial aid. Didn't qualify because we made too much money. Student loans are an option, I know, and I will exhaust that avenue if I have to.

sunnyjohn · Jun 3, 2005

¥es and they say our social services system isn't broken!

Situations like the one Nursingismydream's and her husband are facing are exactly what loan money and aid should be there for.

She WANTS to go to school to be a nurse and support her family. She has taken the steps to prove that....

And I'll bet you money her husband who has never asked for a handout has education dreams of his own!

SCmomof3, RN · Jun 3, 2005

Indiana is a poverty state. School has no work study program because they do not allow you to work while in the program. WIA is for ages 16 to 21 - which she isn't. Jobs here pay minimum wage, parttime no benefits. Indiana has very few LPN programs to choose from - and they have no waiting lists. Very competitive to get into. They told her she can't work while in the program - other programs are not admitting students due to competition for space - she has applied. Other schools are more than 200 miles away - she would have to move. She will have to borrow tons of money and use charge cards to pay food and rent beyond that. If we only want rich folks to go to school - then there will be a real shortage of nurses. The school accepts 32 students and has 2 teachers. No financial aid office. That is the way things are in poverty type areas. It is these types of schools or nothing - that is what is available here. Yes it is accredited. Yes she has loans available for tuition - but needs more for living expenses. No the hospital will not give her a scholarship - she is over the age limit for them. She could continue to live as she is forever or go into debt big time and get herself out of this situation. Why not help students get an education - by helping them buy food? No problem with immigrants getting food stamps - they haven't paid taxes - but they will cut hers? Makes no sense.

The WIA program is NOT for ages 16-21. I am 31 and in the program. JobCorps is for 16-21 - totally different program but also thru the DOL. Just wanted to make sure you have accurate information because it really is a wonderful FEDERAL program. The state cannot regulate it like they want to. Here is the link for the WIA program in your state, OP: http://www.in.gov/dwd/workforce_serv/wia/

Looks like several posters in this thread could benefit from it. PLEASE LOOK INTO IT PEOPLE!!

ITA that the system needs to be fixed though. :rolleyes: There are definitely problems.

RainDreamer, BSN, RN · Jun 3, 2005

Additionally, what is wrong with immigrants being able to eat? So many people come to this country with nothing but the clothes on their back.

Nothing is wrong with helping the immigrants, and I don't think the OP was stating that there is anything wrong with helping them, just that if the government helps them out, why can't they help their own?

If my parents wouldn't have co-signed for a personal loan for me, then I wouldn't have been able to go to school. I filled out my FAFSA. I was straight out of high school and wasn't making enough money to be able to afford my own place, therefore I was living with my parents. When I got my award letter it said my expected family contribution was $15,000. Um, what?!?! Since they went by my parents' income, that was what they were telling me we could afford, and there's no way my parents could have paid that much for my tuition. Therefore I got NO assistance. I applied for personal loans and my parents co-signed. If they hadn't co-signed, then I wouldn't have been able to get the loans, and then I wouldn't have gone to school.

In theory it'd be great if we could all fill out our FAFSA and get a bunch of aid, when in reality that's not always the case ..... some of us get none.

It's a bad cycle. We can't make good money because we don't have a college education. We can't get a college education because we don't have the money to afford it. How do we get the money to afford it?

I feel everyone's frustration here. The government is willing to help those that are pregnant and have kids, that are hardly making any money and barely scraping by (which is totally fine, they need that help, and that's fine), BUT they won't help the college students that can't work because we're going to school to try and make a better life for ourselves? Yeah that makes sense :rolleyes:

RainDreamer, BSN, RN · Jun 3, 2005

If our government starts giving food stamps to all students who are unable to work, imagine how many people would abuse the system.

Just look at how many people abuse the system now. I'd rather have a college student that's trying to make a better future for themselves abusing the system than people that get pregnant over and over just so they can remain on assistance.

abmsam · Jun 4, 2005

I'm in total agreement that our system is broken. There are many parts of it that don't make one bit of sense. I also do not qualify for many types of financial grants, etc, just because I own a home. The fact is, I owe more and make less than many people who get those grants, but because I own a house that I'll pay toward for thirty years, I am not eligible for help. Seems silly....

Listen, I know how hard life is when you are a nursing student. I go to work at 0400 Monday thru Friday, just so that I can get a few hours of work in before going to class. I never claimed that "only rich people should be able to go to college." That's ridiculous. I simply believe that I must sacrifice to get ahead. Life sucks right now, because I'm broke. But in a year or two, I'll be finished sacrificing, and my eye is on the prize.

We could debate for weeks about which parts of the system work, and which parts are "Back-asswards." I'm sure there are many interesting and valid opinions regarding this topic. And the fact that the rules are different for every state makes this topic even more interesting and debateable.

Thanks for an interesting thread!