In The News: Student Jack Kashork and President Passerini Support ...

The Spokesman-Review newspaper in Spokane featured Gonzaga student Jack Kashork ('26) and President Katia Passerini in a story about efforts by independent colleges and universities to convince the Washington legislature to reinstate funding to the Washington College Grant program designed for helping low- and middle-income students afford college.

The Washington College Grant and College Bound Scholarship programs both took significant cuts in last year's legislative session, and Gonzaga is working with fellow independent schools and the Independent Colleges of Washington organization to lobby lawmakers to make those programs whole again.

Kashork told Spokesman reporter Mitchell Roland that he "can't count the number of friends" who relied on the programs to help fund their educations.

"And whose educations are made possible by those two financial aid programs," Kashork said in the Spokesman story. "And those programs enabled them to choose a university that aligned with their values."

Passerini noted that the cuts most affect the students who need such financial aid the most.

"It's a disproportionate impact on students' choice, and also the students who are the most vulnerable," Passerini said in the story.

You can read the full story at the link below.