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I am a married, working mother who also happens to be a full-time student at Brenau University. I take issue with the views expressed by Thomas Reiter in his recent letter to the editor.
His insinuation that students should attend public schools rather than private schools is narrow-minded and uninformed. He makes the assumption that students who attend private institutions are doing so only because they think they will receive a better education than at a public school. This is not necessarily the case.
I was well aware of the cost of Brenau University when I applied. However, I, like many other students, work full time and have a family to take care of. I have found Brenau to be the only institution, public or private, that caters to people in my situation, and the small amount of money that I receive from the Georgia Tuition Grant helps to make it possible for me to buy most of my books for each semester.
Attending a private school does not mean that a person is automatically capable of paying for the education it provides. I have attended public universities with disastrous results. While Gainesville State College offers evening and weekend classes, in my experience, it did not have the staff to support the programs. Classes were nearly impossible to get into or offered only one time a year in times that were not conducive to working and going to school. Because of the lack of ability to provide the coursework that I needed in a timely fashion, I chose to seek other options.
Brenau's Evening and Weekend College perfectly suits my needs and the needs of many others I know that cannot necessarily afford the tuition. Most of us will graduate with substantial loans that will take years to pay back. But the alternative was to either not go back to school so that I can provide a better living for my family or continue spinning my wheels at a college that could not provide what I needed.
Furthermore, I pay my taxes just like everyone else but I am unable to benefit from the public university system so I find it unfair and a bit hypocritical for people to complain about the small amount I receive for the tuition grant. I am thankful for the little bit of grant money that I do receive, however small it may be.
I know that I, along with many others would not be able to attend school if it weren't for this grant money, and I certainly hope that it is not completely cut from the budget.
Sarah Chapman Jackson
Gainesville