Understaffed financial aid office and procrastinating students create catastrophe as the school year approaches.
By: Jesse Hofford
– Opinions Editor –
A couple weeks before the beginning of each new semester, new and returning students alike flock to the Financial Aid office to take care of the paperwork involved in the financial aid process. Within hours of the doors opening, the line of students stretches back to what seems like Cahokia.
Why? The Financial Aid office is, in my opinion, horribly under staffed and the majority of students that need to complete their paperwork seem to wait until the last minute. These two factors create a huge problem and an even bigger line.
What if the administration was to hire temporary employees, much like retail stores do for the holidays?
These “seasonal” Financial Aid clerks could help move lines along faster. Even just hiring four or five extra staff members would double the current workforce thus cutting the wait time in half. Or since the school is trying to cut costs in our tough economy, why not bring in advisers from one of the smaller or less crowded campuses, such as STLCC-Forest Park or STLCC-Wildwood?
Have college officials considered combining the Financial Aid office and the Advising office to form a one-stop-shop?
Right now students are forced to take a number at the Financial Aid office, sit down and wait for their number to be called. After they have all their student requirements cleared they have to go upstairs, take another number and wait again, only to have an adviser up in the Advising Department sign a paper and send them right back down to Financial Aid. If the two departments were combined, it would save a lot of headache for students and probably for the advisers as well.
Has the department thought about revamping the whole procedure? Students who have registered for classes ought to be divided up into groups in order of last name and each week, that group of students would be required to come and complete the process. Should the student not be able to complete the process at that time, he or she can make an appointment so their classes aren’t dropped at a later date.
The college uses a mass email system to inform students of upcoming events, so why not use this same system to notify each group of students of when to report to Financial Aid?
At the same time, students can do their part to make sure they have as many of their ducks in a row as possible. They should have completed every piece of grant or loan paperwork possible before heading for the Financial Aid office. They also need to make sure any outstanding debt from another institution is paid off and any transcripts needed are sent in to admissions and are on file.
I know first hand what being disorganized can do. I spent nearly half a semester jumping through many unnecessary hoops and taking a lot of extra steps to get things straightened out. This time was different, I took care of everything well before the new semester started and let me tell you, it saved a lot of headache.
If students can start the financial aid process as soon as possible ahead of their next semester then all they really need to do in financial aid is sign a couple dotted lines and viola, they’re ready. Organization helps.
Reducing the obscene line in front of the Financial Aid office is going to take some work from both sides. The administration could hire a couple more advisers to reduce the adviser to student ratio or, to save money, create a new and more efficient way of handling this procedure and students should take care of as much as possible before setting foot in the office.
If students and faculty can work together, then taking care of the financial side of college won’t be such a pain in the neck for either party. Until that happens, all I can say is thank God for Angry Birds.
