Students will now have input on the state-wide financial aid process after three student seats were added to the Commission on Financial Aid Consolidation and modernization Thursday. This is the first time students will be represented on the commission.
AB 144, authored by state Rep. Joan Ballweg, R-Markeson, created the new seats. The seats will be filled by three students from the Higher Education Aid Board, the state agency that manages the financial aid system. The Colleges and Universities Committee passed the measure unanimously.
The United Council, a statewide student organization focused on student governance, supports the decision.
""We are excited there will actually be student input on this commission,"" United Council Government Relations Director Analiese Eicher said. ""[It is] a huge victory for students especially when it concerns financial aid.""
The commission examines financial aid for part and full-time students who attend Wisconsin universities and colleges and reports the recommendations to HEAB.
The details of the degree tp which students will have the capacity to change the current process of financial aid are still unclear.
