How the Month Long Shutdown is Affecting Students at Meramec:
OLIVER PULCHER ONLINE EDITOR
As of Jan. 22, 2019, the United States entered the 30 day mark of the government shutdown, which started this past December, just before Christmas. While it has since been re-opened, the government shutdown began over whether funding for the building of a wall across the Mexican border would be added to the federal budget. Dr. John Messmer, a professor of political science at Meramec, said, “The border wall is one specific part of one bill, while the budget itself is not one bill but rather a multitude of bills with six or seven appropriations which have not been passed nor funded. We are currently hearing about how money can not be appropriated due to the shutdown.” Millions of people are affected, he said. “Of course, there are the people who are not getting paid, but beyond them there are the Americans who are dependent on the services provided by these jobs. Some employees of some departments are considered essential and money is still coming to them. However, some are considered essential and are still on the job but are not getting paid, which we are not exactly just talking about cashiers at gift shops, but rather FBI agents, airtraffic controllers, and TSA agents in some cases,” said Messmer. It is a broad trickle-down effect, he said. “There is going to be a lot of pain for the people who aren’t getting paid, but also for the people relying on these services who may experience real safety issues. This is the common sense thing if the people who are there to keep us safe, aren’t there.” The effects on the community at STLCC Meramec could be much closer to home. Many Meramec students are federal workers or may know furloughed people. However, many more students deal with the financial aid office in one way or another. So how is the government shutdown affecting students’ ability to get funding for their classes and books this semester? According to Nicole Moore, the head financial aid counselor for Meramec, “The shutdown has not stopped the financial aid processing for STLCC. The financial aid office is still able to process loans and the shutdown has had no effect on federal aid for students. Additionally, the financial aid office has been giving guidance on other tax forms and statements that can be taken in place of other tax forms at the moment,” she said.
