As you know, both state and federal student financial aid programs have undergone cuts, been the subjects of deficit reduction, and some have even been slated for elimination such as the Perkins loan program. As a student or parent, it is your right to have your voice heard by your elected officials that, "Balancing the state and federal budgets on the backs of students and parents is wrong."
Oftentimes, elected officials do not hear one way or the other from their constituents and they will vote "yea" or "nay" on a financial aid issue not knowing the financial hardship it may unduly pose to you and your family. Believe it or not, as few as 10 letters from constituents on a particular issue can have a huge impact on how they cast their vote. So, it is more important than ever to have your voice heard and your viewpoints represented.
Listed below are links to your federal and Connecticut state representatives. Contacting them is as easy as linking to their web site and sending them an email. This will take no more than 10 minutes of your time. Writing your representatives is very important and we encourage you to exercise your rights as citizens to have your voice heard.
State of Connecticut (CICS Grant Program)
All Representatives
Federal Government (Pell Grant, SEOG, Work-study, Perkins loan Stafford loan, PLUS loan)
House of Representatives
Senators
As an institution we meet with and write our representatives on a regular basis, but hearing from students and parents has a far greater impact. We encourage you to take some time and contact your elected officials and ask them to "Stop cutting your financial aid programs."