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.