Loss of Federal BEOG Funds Will Not Cut H-R Scholarships

Harvard financial aid officers yesterday predicted that the loss of funds from the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant Program (BEOG) will not affect undergraduate scholarships.

The federal program--which ran out of money last week--supplies some 1000 Harvard students with grants averaging $150 or about 3 per cent of Harvard's total scholarship funds, L. Fred Jewitt '57, dean of admissions, said yesterday.

"This will make scholarship funding harder, but the University will cover its commitment to students even without the BEOG funds," Jewett said.

"We haven't formulated a definite plan yet, but the money involved is not huge in terms of our budget," he said.

BEOG's lack of funds is due to increased higher education enrollment and a tight economy, which have caused more students to apply for financial aid. The program has run a surplus in the past two years.

Funds to compensate for BEOG losses could come from scholarship funds unused when the financial aid books close in June, Anne D. Kleihauer, Harvard's senior financial aid officer said yesterday.

Would Petition Faculty

If no funds are left over, the financial aid office would petition to the Faculty for more money from its unrestricted budget, Kleihauer said. The Faculty now supplies the financial aid office with over a third of its total resources.

"The loss of the BEOG funds would be nothing to laugh about, but I think we'll be all right," Kleihauer said. "We've had success in appealing for extra funds in the past," she said.