National Council of Jewish Women Greater Detroit Section NY Jewish Schools Abuse Education Aid Will be kicking up Its heels at a Washington (JTA) — About two dozen Jewish schools in the New York area came under fire on Capitol Hill this week, as a congressional subcommittee investigated allegations that the schools abused a federal educational grant program. The colleges and yeshivas, many of them Chasidic, stand accused of abuses in- cluding listing people not enrolled in the schools as applicants for federal Pell grants. In addition to the sub- committee investigation, the Education Department notified the schools last week that their ongoing par- ticipation in the Pell grant program was in question be- cause of eligibility re- quirements. Earlier, the department levied fines on some of the schools, which include yeshivas and colleges with Judaic studies programs. Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga., chairman of the Committee on Governmental Affairs' subcommittee on investiga- tions, convened hearings to look into the allegations. The hearings were to be the first in a series dealing with allegations of fraud and abuse in the Pell grant pro- gram. They were also called to look into how carefully the Education Department oversees the program. C:UNTE ESTEN HET: Y'all come and bring your friends!! At last week's hearing, Mr. Tickets must be paid in advance. For reservations and further info. call: (313) 258-6000 Xi" ektte Oa dila Ynn FREE Car Phones* FREE Sunroofs* FREE Spring Clean-ups * Restrictions apply. See dealer for details. AUDEITE CADILLAC, 7100 ORCHARD LK. RD. Bill Nadler SALES & LEASING 851-7200 Big Things Are Happening At S111-11[11A1 liLOOMFIF:1,1) I'IAZA • TELEGRAPH & Breast self-examination — LEARN. Call us. iv ANIERICAN CANCER SOCIETY' Nunn announced that a sub- committee investigation had made a number of "disturbing" findings among the yeshivot in ques- tion. The investigation found that many yeshivot listed their tuition costs at ar- tificially high levels so that students could qualify for more aid, paid students a stipend simply to attend classes and disbursed Pell grants to unenrolled students. Yeshivot were also found to have paid "brokers" who provided the schools with students eligible for aid and falsified and forged docu- ments to receive federal fun- ding. Mr. Nunn also questioned whether the federal aid pro- gram, which is supposed to help students obtain a bachelor's degree or specific vocational training, should apply to yeshivot, which admit that they are non- vocational and focus instead on religious studies. The Jewish community was shaken over the in- vestigation's focus on Jewish schools, a concern that the subcommittee addressed. There was no singling out" of any religious group for this investigation, said subcommittee member William Cohen, R- Maine. "I don't care what the af- filiation of the institution is," Mr. Cohen said, adding that as long as the institu- tion is receiving federal money it should be in- vestigated. But officials at Jewish re- ligious-school organizations expressed concern this week that Jewish schools were be- ing targeted. Bernard Fryshman, the executive vice president of the Association of Advanced Sam Nunn: In charge of the hearings. Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools, said in an interview that his schools have "not had any problems at all." But the allegations against the approximately two dozen yeshivot have "inevitably" had a spillover effect onto other Jewish schools, he said, noting that the issue was "very serious for us. It hurts innocent peo- ple." According to Sen. Claiborne Pell, D-R.I., the Pell grant program has awarded almost $64 billion in grants since it began more than 20 years ago. The subcommittee's in- vestigation was sup- plemented by an investiga- tion by the congressional General Accounting Office. Witnesses at the hearing included Mr. Pell and Richard Stiener, director of the GAO's Office of Special Investigations. El