Show Students Experience Dilemmas with Financial Aid By Gabrielle Martinez Staff Writer Misplaced checks students failing failing failing fail fail- ing the appeals board and difficulties with the financial aid office has become a growing dilemma for some students at The cashiers cashier's department has been a solution to many students like Nate Nelson who never received a billing statement to show whether hed he'd obtained a tuition waiver for winter quarter I went down to the cashiers cashier's office and they took care of the problem While the cashiers cashier's department has been helpful in locating locating locating ing students student's funds sometimes it does not always solve the problem according to graphics design major Richard He experienced experienced experienced difficulties getting his money reimbursed from fall quarter though hed he'd received a Pell Grant to cover it The incompetent people at the financial aid front desk could not even find where my money was my problems were solved by a different department cashiering who said the money was there but hadn't been released yet said claimed the whole predicament created other problems You wait a week to get your appointment with the financial aid advisor and in the meantime you have all these books you need to pay for Not having your books for the first week or so affects how you doin do doin doin in your classes His suggestions to the financial aid office are to Hire more people who know what they are doing Students who do not meet the certain requirements for their financial financial finan finan- financial cial aid like getting below the required grade point average can be put on probation for financial aid If this happens students are able to tomake tomake tomake make an appeal however even that can cause problems A student who chose to remain anonymous failed the appeals board the first time due to insufficient justification justification jus jus- justification even though he had presented presented presented pre pre- a doctors doctor's note His had dropped below the standard due to a failed a math test because he had problems with his eye It was an emotional run-around run for me the student said While a few students have experienced experienced experienced problems some students like Breanne Vise Wise and Denza Forbes said they have not had any problems with financial aid since attending Gayle Norman Director of Financial Aid encourages students to fill out the opinion cards located at atthe atthe atthe the financial aid front desks People working at the front desk of financial aid can help students who have gen gen- eral questions explained Norman To students who are ha having ing problems problems problems lems with their financial aid she suggests suggests suggests sug sug- to first find out who their advisor advisor advisor sor is and make an appointment If the problem is not then solved see her One main problem Norman says they see time and again is students changing their schedules a lot Norman said they receive an estimated estimated estimated esti esti- mated appeals per quarters and of those about 60 percent pass If the student does not agree with the decision decision decision deci deci- sion of the appeals board they can ask for a review from Norman and her supervisor Director of Student Administration Activities Eric Weber Norman admits there are crunch times at the beginning of every quarter quarter quarter ter when they could use more people She stresses that it is hard to train new people for just the start of every quarter and then train new ones all allover allover allover over again for the next quarter I 0 |