Rumor has it that the Bonner Scholars Program is in danger of being cut, however President Jane Fernandes has confirmed that it is safe.

According to Fernandes, Guilford College’s revenues have been declining and expenses have been increasing over the past few years. Guilford is now suffering a $2 million deficit, and cuts need to be made.

Allegations of possible cuts to the Bonner Program are due to the high expenditure of the program. The institutional financial aid that the college provides for the scholars is around 1.5 million per year. As Guilford continues to raises tuition, the discount rate increases for Bonner Scholars.

“As far as I know now, Bonner Scholars Program isn’t even a possible cut,” said Fernandes. “The Bonners Scholars Program is something for Guilford to afford and continue.”

In 1990 when the Bonner Program started at Guilford College, the Bonner Foundation had given Guilford an endowment of $4 million to run. Because of the agreement between Guilford and the Bonner Foundation, the College made a commitment to cover the full cost for Bonner scholars of attending Guilford, minus FAFSA and other need-based subsidies.

“At present, the Bonner Center runs on less than $20,000, which serves all students campus wide,” said Bonner Center for Community Service and Learning Director James Shields.

The importance of the Bonner Program reaches a diverse populous because of the work it primarily focuses on. With an emphasis on community development and service learning, Bonner seeks to enrich people’s lives.

“The Bonner Program is important to me, because it gives disadvantaged students the opportunity to pursue higher education, and the opportunity to serve in the community in which we reside,” said sophomore Ayellor Karbah.

“When I was a student at Glen Haven, a Bonner Site in the Greensboro community, I looked up to Bonners who would come serve and mentor me,” said first-year Risuin Ksor. “Due to the cultural barrier, I couldn’t communicate (schoolwork-wise) with my parents because of the cultural barrier. If the Bonner was limited in terms of scholars, the younger generation and newcomers would have a limited amount of people to look up to.”

Guilford’s Bonner program encompasses a wide array of service that caters toward building community.

“The foundation for community-building and diversity appreciation surpasses the core values of Guilford College and strives for excellence,” said senior Kunga Denzongpa.