Local universities reach out to students whose families are economy's victims - Kavita Kumar, ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

The financial aid director at Washington University has been given a broad mandate — and the commitment of university resources to back it up — to ensure that no student drops out of school because a parent was laid off or has suffered crippling financial losses. "What I've been told is to do whatever it takes to make sure our current students don't leave the university due to financial reasons," said Bill Witbrodt. "That is really something."