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How the 'SOS' scholarship fund saved the day for CSUEB students this fall

  • October 6, 2011 5:50am

The “Save Our Students” Scholarship Fund was created in near-record time this summer, after two alumnae heard about last-minute tuition fee increases for college students all over California.

Because of $650 million state budget cuts to the CSU system, CSUEB had to raise tuition fees by approximately $196 per quarter for full-time undergraduate students, as Interim President Leroy Morishita explained in a letter to the University community in July.

With backing from Luanne Roticci ’87 and Liza Jane MacNaughton ’90, the University put out the call in September to donors and to students — and both responded quickly. The first “SOS” scholarships were awarded to 24 undergrads just before the start of the fall quarter. Since the initial announcement, more donations have come in and the Office of Financial Aid expects to be able to grant more scholarships with the extra funds.

Most of the scholarships were between $500 and $1500 — enough to cover the unexpected increased costs for the academic year for students who suddenly found their carefully balanced budgets weren’t quite enough.

But there were more than 150 applicants, all of whom need help to stay enrolled at CSUEB. And there’s still time to help — any donations received before Wednesday, Oct. 12 can be distributed to applicants before their next installment payment is due. (You can make a gift right now through the University's secure online giving site.)

As anyone who received a scholarship knows, every little bit helps. We will be sharing stories from students who have been “saved” on the Inside CSUEB News Blog in the next few weeks to showcase the many faces of financial aid at Cal State East Bay.

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