PRESS RELEASE
Date: March 30, 2009
Contact: Heather Gilchrist
Phone: 419-627-8345
Email: hgilchrist@tri-state.edu
OBC MAKES TRIPTO THE HILL
Sheffield Village, OH: On March 12, 2009, students and staff from both the Sheffield Village and Sandusky campuses of Ohio Business College participated in a rally at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus. Students from all over the State united to voice their concern over House Bill 1 which restructures the availability of the Ohio College Opportunity Grant (OCOG) and proposes to limit the amount of funding for students attending proprietary two year colleges.
The rally was organized by the Ohio Association of Career Colleges and Schools (OACCS). OACCS is opposed to Ohio House Bill 1 because it divides the OCOG funding into “block grants” based upon college type. Currently, OCOG provides financial assistance to all students based on financial need and regardless of whether the college is a state university, community college or a career college. The proposed “block grants” structure will cut funds available to students attending career colleges by 44% in the 2010-2011 fiscal year budget.
During the trip to the Statehouse, several hundred students from across Ohio visited with their state legislators and attended a hearing of the House of Representatives’ subcommittee on higher education to listen to OACCS members testify about the negative impact House Bill 1 will make in the lives of career college students. According to OACCS “approximately 85% of proprietary school graduates find jobs in their field of study within 90 days of graduation and graduate students at 2.5 times greater than Ohio’s community colleges.” Cutting funding may discourage some students from pursuing their educational goals and ultimately their career goals.
More information on House Bill 1 is available online at www.saveocog.com. Additional details about OACCS can be found at www.ohiocareercolleges.org.