Paladin

Issue date: 9/4/08 Section: Opinion

Media Credit: Kallayan Thuch [Click to enlarge]

Financial aid disbursements always have been sent to me on time. Even with the LBCC debit card that many students had issues with, the disbursements still swiftly made it into my always-hungry Higher One account.

This time, however, my Higher One account remained as empty as a Darfur child the day after the cash would be sent. Thinking that it must have been a technical issue, I thought I'd wait it out a bit before harassing the Financial Aid office.

After finally checking my financial aid status, it turns out my FAFSA never was processed. I was told it would arrive the following Monday and was given a temporary book grant to compensate. Two weeks went by, both full of the same promises made by the financial aid office to deposit money on Mondays.

After pestering the financial aid office yet again, it turns out another careless mistake was made. My FAFSA was reviewed and accepted. The only error remaining since I checked my status the first time was a Financial Aid worker forgetting to change the status to "accepted."

Sometimes being patient really doesn't pay off. For an important issue like Financial aid, any little issue at all should be looked into. It doesn't matter how trivial the issue may be. The seemingly dinky issue could escalate into weeks of frustration and drooling behind glass at people eating at the Viking Food Court.

The Financial aid staff is almost always a different person each time a student pesters them, so it is not a good idea to assume that the financial aid office will guarantee a student's disbursement. It may be the financial aid worker's job but it is actually up to you to keep track of your own Financial Aid status. I've experienced, as have other students that Financial Aid isn't going to eradicate any issues on their own. They certainly aren't going to notify you if any problems arise.

The Financial Aid Office has to be informed the instant a student thinks something is wrong with his or her account. Otherwise, the reality of being a pauper will slam into your face out of nowhere, like it did to me.

Being patient is great for the most part. When it comes to serious issues however, patience should be used in extreme moderation. Try not to abuse the financial aid staff too much now.

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