14 December 1993 Lincoln Students' Hardship Fund Enhanced after Review

A move from rigidly meeting criteria of eligibility to a system where the emphasis is on students arguing their own cases for help, is one of the main modifications to Lincoln University's Student Hardship Fund introduced after a review of the existing scheme.

Criteria such as reduced ability to earn, special circumstances, and other hardship, will remain, with applicants having to meet at least one of them, but the process will not be as mechanistic as in the past when genuinely needy cases sometimes "fell through the cracks".

At its December meeting (held 14 Dec.) Lincoln University Council endorsed a number of recommendations designed to make what the Hardship Fund Review Report described as an "effective scheme" even more effective.

The fund does not exist to alleviate hardships faced by the general student body, rather it is focused on trying to alleviate the extreme hardship of a small number of enrolled students when faced with unusual or unexpected circumstances.

Allocations will be equivalent to a reduction of $500, $375, $250, or $125 of a student's assessed tuition fee per semester.

Another recommendation endorsed by the Council was for increased publicity about the availability of the fund. Past criticism suggested that many students were unaware of the potential help open to them. Ways of achieving wider awareness will include greater publicity at Orientation time, notices in campus publications, and reminding all academic staff about the scheme so they can advise students who approach them for information.

The review felt that the level of funding in 1993 was adequate but for 1994 the University will increase the total funding from $105,000 to $130,000.

The review rejected arguments that the hardship fund should be run as a trust or be funded externally, rather it opted for funding from the University's operational budget. It was felt that this approach provided greater flexibility in that it could be readily adjusted to changes in student numbers, government educational policy and national economic conditions. However the University has not precluded the investigation of alternative sources of supplementary funding.

Out-going Student President Gary Reese felt the funding mechanism had not been fully addressed by the review committee and Council accepted his suggestion that it be further reviewed early in 1994.

Ian Collins, Journalist, Lincoln University, Canterbury, Lincoln University.