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While the wave of the state's budget cuts have left many departments and services all but washed up, one of the gravest consequences has been the complete devastation of the Outstanding Scholars Recruitment Program. The program used to offer New Jersey's top students anywhere between $2,000 to full tuition to attend Rutgers based upon class rank and combined mathematical and verbal SAT scores. In prior years, the awards were drawn up on the admissions Web site in a graph that showed students exactly what criteria they needed in hard figures. Students scoring above a 1500 and ranking the top 5 percent of their class were given full tuition; the scale descends from there with additional awards for students scoring a 1300 and ranking in the top 10 percent of their class and above. As it stands for the applying class of 2007, the average award will probably be enough to cover a portion of next year's tuition hike. As announced by Rutgers July 14: "The new state budget eliminates the Outstanding Scholars program for incoming first-year students. It has not been determined if Rutgers will be able to continue the program for additional incoming classes given the severity of the current reductions in state funding." Nearly any college student can tell you money is a major factor when making the decision about where to attend - very few have the luxury of simply choosing a school without thinking about tuition, student loans and graduating with debt. These scholarships, which many students currently enrolled have, serve as major financial relief in addition to a purely academic award. Moreover, scholarships are meant to recognize exceptional students and show their commitment to academic study is a highly valued one to the University. Evidently, the slashing of this program as a result of the state's cuts will not allow Rutgers to recognize these students as it has before. Students who have exceptional academic records and achievements now have very little to expect from Rutgers besides an acceptance letter. The loss of these scholarships will undoubtedly contribute to the exodus of college-bound New Jersey high school students to out-of-state colleges and universities. New Jersey currently ranks first in the nation for the most students leaving their home state to attend college. With the current standing of the University's lack of scholarship availability, even more New Jersey students will be looking past their state's borders for higher education. One of the major advantages Rutgers held was the combination of affordable in-state tuition coupled academic scholarship - not to mention countless academic programs that rank among the top in the nation. While some students just want to get away from mom and dad and out of New Jersey, Rutgers still struggles with its safety school stigma. Furthermore, many out-of-state colleges, especially large state schools like the universities of Delaware, Michigan, and Pennsylvania will be able to offer scholarships that put costs at nearly the same level as Rutgers. In some cases, as in a couple of the schools in the State University of New York system, it could be even cheaper for a student to attend there as an out-of-state student, than to attend Rutgers in-state with the current lack of scholarships. A quick trip to the football field would even better illustrate the effects of the loss of the Outstanding Scholars Recruitment Program. Rutgers football, which, in light of the budget cuts saw their funding increase by 10 percent, relies on getting the best football players by aggressively recruiting outstanding athletes and offering them athletic scholarships. This is their way of saying we want you here so badly that you won't have to pay a dime in tuition to come and play football at Rutgers. If this scholarship money were not included, Rutgers football would be nowhere near their current top 25 ranking, as players would commit to other schools. Regardless of your position on commercialized athletics, it is absurd that real students with a deep academic commitment to scholarly pursuits and study will be without scholarship, when other students have their tuition paid for because they complete the new offensive receiver package. How does the academic institution of Rutgers expect to recruit the best scholars in New Jersey without adequate scholarship? Gov. Jon S. Corzine addressed the Rutgers Football team Saturday Sept. 9 after its victory against Illinois, his alma mater. According to Brian Leonard's quote in The Star-Ledger that following Sunday, Corzine mentioned to the team "that he just loves Rutgers." Of course he isn't stopping by at midnight to see computer labs that were once open 24 hours a day close, nor should applying students expect an apology letter from him saying that had you applied last year, you might have had a lot more scholarship offered - or even had the chance to come here for free. It is much easier to shake hands with those who are unaffected by the state's cuts than to face the visible scars that it has left on the university's future.
Jeff Kessler is a Rutgers College junior majoring in philosophy and English. His column "Around the U." runs on alternate Wednesdays.
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