Taxpayers who pay post-secondary education tuition bills may be eligible to claim non-refundable Hope Scholarship Credit when reporting taxes for 1998.
The Hope Scholarship Credit, a proposal made by President Clinton and named after his hometown, does not apply to expenses paid before Jan. 1, 1998, nor can it be claimed for tuition paid in 1997 to cover academic periods in 1998.
Under the provision, up to 100 percent of the first $1,000 and 50 percent of the next $1,000 of tuition can be claimed for tax credit by whoever pays students' tuition.
To claim credit, the student must be enrolled at least part-time in one of the first two years of post-secondary education and in a program leading to a degree or certification. Expenses for graduate-level courses are not eligible.
WGU is a consortium between state universities, including Washington State University, and technology companies that plan to offer college degrees through the Internet.
The consortium's board of trustees includes the governors of Colorado, Utah, Nebraska and Wyoming, plus 10 other members from public universities and companies such as Microsoft and IBM.
WGU spokesperson Jeff Edwards said the pilot program would offer a two-year associate of arts degree and vocational degree in electronics manufacturing. Seventeen universities around the country will take part in the initial program by offering classes online.
The consortium is working on getting more programs accredited, Edwards said. Eventually WGU hopes to offer a variety of associate degrees online.
The protest comes during the "Holiday Season of Conscience," a nationwide campaign against sweatshop labor practices, said members of the UW-Greens, a campus group.
The "Santa's Sweatshop" protest Saturday featured volunteers undergoing sweat-shop-style labor for penny wages with special guest "Mickey Eisner" overseeing the labor.
A video supported by the National Labor Committee, entitled "Mickey Mouse goes to Haiti," was shown, where Haitian Disney workers spoke about their working conditions. Protesters pointed out that Disney CEO Michael Eisner makes $102,000 per hour, compared to seven cents made per hour by children in Disney's Haitian sweatshops.
The National Labor Committee is attempting to solicit one million signatures on a petition that will be presented to President Clinton in an effort to end child labor and sweatshop abuses.
"This petition is circulating all over the country to raise people's awareness about the brand-names who use children in sweatshops," said Kim Banz, a UW-Greens member.
- Compiled by Daily Staff Reporter Megan Exley from the University Wire.
12-10-97
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