By Anna Galaktionov
The Effective Access to Student Education (EASE) voucher, responsible for the financial aid of over 13,000 students at independent colleges and universities in Florida, is at risk of being cancelled by the Florida legislature.
Over 50 percent of Barry’s students benefit from the EASE voucher.
If the bill is passed, students at Barry and students from more than half of the 34 Florida independent colleges and universities will lose eligibility for the EASE grant in the 2021-2022 academic year.
If the voucher is eliminated, a large portion of students will not be able to continue their education at Barry or at any independent school.
As the Office of the President stated in its email to all Barry students, “we simply cannot allow these students to have their funding halted and be denied the right to higher education at Barry University or any other independent college in Florida.”
The Florida Legislature sought to terminate the EASE voucher for the 2020-2021 academic year during a session in the Florida House on February 12, 2020, but it was halted thanks to student activists speaking out and protesting.
The Buccaneer covered the student protests and session results in an April 21, 2020 article called “The Successful Fight Against EASE Grant Alterations.”
If you’d like to take action against the voucher’s elimination, complete this short form, which will automatically submit an email to all members of the Florida Legislature who represent your district, urging them to keep the EASE voucher.
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