The largest financial aid program in America is the Pell Grant program, which gives low-income students funds for higher education. Representative Denny Rehberg of Montana recently compared this program to welfare, stating that Pell Grant recipients are likely to move from Pell Grants to food stamps.

Ben Baker, director of Student Financial Services, disagreed with Rehberg’s remarks.

“Occasionally, yes, students will not finish their degrees, and they do not have to repay that money, but students are much more limited with job choices when they do not have a college degree,” Baker said. He believes that the federal Pell Grant program is the government’s way of helping American students better themselves.

“A student could work hard through high school, receive a Pell Grant, go to college, maybe become a doctor and move back to his home in rural America to provide services for the underprivileged in his community,” Baker said.

Baker said that Pell Grants are, many times, the only way students are able to afford to attend college.

“There are requirements that students must meet to receive Pell Grants,” Baker said.

Students cannot go to school using Pell Grant money unless they are passing classes. There is a GPA requirement for each classification, and students receiving Pell Grant money must pass 75 percent of all classes attempted in order to receive grant money the following year.

Anna Brasher, a junior majoring in French, supports Pell Grants, but believes that more requirements should be met before one is eligible for a Pell Grant.

“A graduation requirement, at least, should be there,” Brasher said. She said that students should not be able to go to college with taxpayers’ money, fail classes and never have to pay the government back.

UNA freshman Alex Hollis agreed that there should be more requirements to receive a Pell Grant.

“Someone shouldn’t be allowed to receive a Pell Grant if he or she is just going to waste that money,” she said. “I know there are GPA requirements, but I think they should be raised. The grants need to go to people who are serious about getting their degree and bettering themselves.”

Hollis said that grants, like other social programs, can be taken advantage of, and more requirements to receive Pell Grants would cut down on misuse of funds.