That's Boss: Bruce to Address BC Frosh

Boston.com: Bruce Springsteen "is slated to address Boston College’s Class of 2024 during the institution’s annual “First Year Academic Convocation” in Conte Forum. The event has been a formative experience for students at the college since its inception in 2004, giving an opportunity for freshmen to hear from award-winning authors as they begin their undergraduate years ... First-year students will receive an e-copy of Springsteen’s memoir this summer and “a reflection guide that will help them to examine the themes raised in Born to Run — family dynamics, personal relationships, addressing adversity, and setting and fulfilling aspirations – and how they might intersect with their own lives,” college officials said." "Though the convocation marks Springsteen’s first and only official visit to the school, he is no stranger to the college. Evan Springsteen, his son with wife Patti Scialfa, is a 2012 Boston College graduate, and the couple has been active in helping the school provide undergraduate scholarships in past years. Most recently, in November, the music icon played a set in Asbury Park, New Jersey to benefit financial aid services at the esteemed institution." First Year Experience Director Ali Bane comments: “For the Class of 2024, Born to Run is a wonderful introduction to the lifelong process of discernment that is so central to the philosophy of student formation at Boston College. Springsteen’s memoir includes countless examples of him paying close attention to his life experiences, reflecting upon their meaning, and living in a way that translates this meaning into action to create a better world."

Update on Emergency Financial Aid

US News: "For students across the country still waiting on emergency financial aid grants, the delay may be a result of colleges waiting on the funds to arrive or still formulating a process for determining each student's eligibility, need and award amount. Kim Cook, executive director of the National College Attainment Network, says many schools still don't have a policy for how to distribute the money, noting that as of late April, only about half of the eligible colleges and universities had started the application process to receive the federal funds." "Many colleges are prioritizing students who have already completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. For those who have not already filed a FAFSA and need emergency financial aid, colleges may require students to file the form to ensure they are eligible ... Iowa State University, for example, notes on its website that students must have filed the 2019-2020 FAFSA to be eligible for the emergency federal aid, and that those who have not done so may file it by June 28 to gain eligibility." "Colleges can approach the distribution of emergency funds either by pre-identifying students who are eligible without any action on the part of students, or by asking that students submit requests or applications for the funds ... Some colleges will give a set amount to each eligible student based on the number of credits he or she is taking or based on family income, while others will review each student's expenses and provide a commensurate amount, experts say ... Thus far, colleges are distributing money via direct deposit when possible, or check when necessary."

Prestigious Universities Flex Their Offers

The Washington Post: "The imperative to fill seats is urgent for almost all colleges during the economic downturn. But for public universities, it is especially vital to secure out-of-state students because they typically pay higher tuition rates. Hundreds of colleges and universities have pushed back decision deadlines to June 1. Some prestigious schools that held to May 1 nevertheless gave more time to those who asked. Greg W. Roberts, dean of admissions at the University of Virginia, said the school gave about 100 extensions. Roberts said U-Va. is on track to fill its incoming class of about 3,750 students, with its usual mix of about two-thirds from Virginia and one third from elsewhere. But he is keeping close watch on international enrollment, which is vulnerable to pandemic travel restrictions, and the university began to make offers from its wait list in April, somewhat earlier than usual." "Undergraduate tuition varies at U-Va. depending on academic fields. But a Virginian enrolling next fall in the College of Arts & Sciences who did not receive financial aid would be charged about $14,000, not counting fees, room and board. An out-of-state student would be charged about $48,000. Multiplied times thousands of students, the out-of-state rate yields tens of millions of dollars in revenue, for U-Va. and many other public universities." "That is critical for those schools in an era when state appropriations fund a smaller share of their operating budgets. The economic crisis caused by the pandemic could also squeeze state funding. And international enrollment, another key source of revenue, could plummet. Students from China and other countries pay the out-of-state rate at public universities and form a large share of the student body — sometimes 10 percent or more."