OUR VIEWS Consensus Opinion

" This is an issue of fairness. All programs and all HOPE scholars should be equal, " said Rep. Bill Hembree in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, regarding a bill Georgia ' s House of Representatives passed Tuesday. The bill would prohibit incoming students from receiving HOPE benefits beyond 127 semester credit hours for an undergraduate degree. The bill is intended to prevent HOPE from paying for dual degree bachelor/master ' s programs. However, as a matter of " fairness, " the legislature should take into account that many undergraduate degree programs at Tech require more than 127 hours.

While changes have to be made to the HOPE program to make it sustainable for the coming years, it is unfair to punish students who take on a program of greater difficulty by not funding all of their tuition and fees. It would be a shame if the legislation had the unintended effect of dissuading students from studying the sciences and engineering. Currently there is an understood one-semester " grace period " for students to receive funding even if they have reached the maximum number of credit hours. In order to make " all HOPE scholars equal, " we urge legislators to write the " grace period " into the law, and make specific provisions that address undergraduate degrees that require more hours.