Case in Point
Going
broke to borrow
Some
say our financial aid system is not making the grade
By Elizabeth Leffall
The Collegian
Students have busted their pocket
books, piggy banks and purses to pay for miscellaneous college fees in
fear of being disenrolled.
Does our financial aid system see students as financially well off, able
to come up with $1,400 for tuition and registration at the drop of the
hat? Are students going broke to borrow money they will have to pay back
when graduating?
Case in point. A couple of weeks ago, just like many
students trying to make sure their fees will be paid on time, I called
the financial aid office to check on the status of my Stafford loan.
After waiting on the phone for two hours, a man, identifying himself as
a student representative, advised me that my application had not been
reviewed.
He then advised me to use a credit card, go to a bank and take out a loan
or borrow money from someone in order to pay my fees by the deadline.
I was told that if my application was approved, the money would be credited
back to me.
Surprised by his suggestion, I asked him the most obvious question.
“If students could afford to use their credit cards and take out
loans, why then, would they need financial aid?” There was no response
at first, just a sigh and a chuckle.
“Well, I guess you’ll just have to wait and see,” he
said.
After that experience I walked around campus asking students to share
their experiences with me. Many students gave similar accounts to my own,
so I decided to look into the way financial aid is disbursed on campus.
Maria Hernandez, director of financial aid, said students who were still
waiting to be determined and are considered eligible are allowed a fee
deferment.
“Only when a student is found ineligible are they asked to pay for
fees using a credit card,” Hernandez said.
If financial aid decisions are appealed, Hernandez said manual deferments
could be granted.
So in my case, the student representative I spoke with had no information
to verify my eligibility and gave out incorrect information.
When asked about the long waits in line and the inadequate phone system,
Hernandez said the office was doing the best that it could to meet the
needs of most students.
“We send notifications out by the middle of June,” Hernandez
said. “We usually have quite a few students who don’t appeal
or wait until the last minute.”
Case in point: Senior music major Matthew Smith said
he has received financial aid for the last three years, but decided to
take fewer classes and pay his own fees this semester because of problems
getting his aid on time.
“Two of those three years my financial aid was either late or really
hard to get.” Smith said. “I don’t know what happens
during the fall semester, most of my problems with the system was usually
during that time.”
Smith said he had friends that were denied because of a hold.
“I don’t think the people in financial aid understand that
you can’t register because of a hold and that you need money to
clear that hold,” Smith said. “They come across as if students
have money to cover expenses while they are waiting for their money.”
Case in point: Choua Xiong, an art major said she almost
dropped out last semester because her financial aid was delayed.
“I turned in my information on time and still had to come up with
the money,” Xiong said. “My sister was not so lucky. She dropped
out of school. She missed a deadline because she was out of town. By the
time she returned home and checked her e-mail, the deadline had passed.”
With the state allocating almost $2 million for additional financial aid
in 2006, students should be concerned that even though more money is available,
it may not reach them in time.
If our current system on campus can update their phone lines, how they
route calls to the infamous 2182 extension, publish turnaround times and
answer 70% of the voice messages left by students daily, Fresno State
students might have a fighting chance.
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