University of Virginia Library

Shannon Asks Senate
For Federal Funding

By TOM SAUNDERS

University President Edgar
F. Shannon Jr. last week
requested a Congressional
appropriation of $3.6 billion to
fund college and student aid
programs for the current fiscal
year.

In testimony before the
Senate Appropriations
Committee of the U.S. Labor
and Health, Education and
Welfare Departments, Mr.
Shannon said the funds are
necessary to finance "the new
programs authorized by the
Education Amendments of
1972" and to compensate for
rising costs of ongoing
programs.

Testifies For Associations

He testified as vice chairman
of the American Council on
Education (ACE) and on
behalf of seven other higher
education associations.

The largest single allocation
in the proposed budget is the
$1 billion designated to
support the newly created
Basic Opportunity Grants.
These grants would give
students $1400 a year minus
expected family contributions,
according to a bulletin released
by the ACE.

Funds Needed

In his testimony Mr.
Shannon cautioned against the
under-funding of this program,
warning that "the result would
be an expenditure of funds
that would have little impact in
relieving need."

"This is so," he said,
"because with every needy
student entitled to something,
there could be required an
award of tens of thousands of
grants of as little as $50 or
$100."

The remainder of the $3.6
billion proposal would be
allocated to existing higher
education programs and
"start-up costs" of newly
authorized programs.

Several senators on the
appropriations committee who
heard President Shannon's
testimony are reportedly in the
process of drafting an
amendment that would carry
out the proposals of the higher
education associations. The
amendment will be tacked
on to a supplemental
appropriations bill for various
federal departments.