Students complain about lags in processing their Financial Aid

Vanessa Torrez’s academic progress has literally come to a stop while she waits for her financial aid check. She is unable to buy much needed textbooks and must depend on friends and their schedules.

Torrez is also very concerned about the amount of her aid.   Last semester information on WebAdvisor had confirmed her check would be over $1,300.  But when her check arrived weeks later, it was substantially lower at $1,041.

A long line of other disgruntled students wrap around the entrance to the Financial Aid office, and they are not there for benediction. They are spending hours, an average of one and two hours each time, just to be told that their financial aid is “pending”, time which some of the students say could be spent completing school work.

Some students say they have wondered how they are supposed to maintain their academic standings when they are unable to purchase the textbooks and supplies needed to succeed in their classes.

According to Sonny Silva, former Interim Financial Aid Director, [Silva resigned this position after the interview] Fresno City College currently has 30,000 FAFSAs on file for 2011-2012. “A high percentage of students here at Fresno City College receive some form of Financial Aid,” Silva said.

Students receiving financial aid get it in a variety of forms ranging from grants, scholarships and loans. Federal Work Studies may be awarded to students to pay for books and other supplies. Many FCC students are still waiting on their Federal Work Study awards.

Left essentially without the quintessential supplies, many FCC students say they are frustrated and unsure of where to turn. Now in the sixth week of school, books are becoming vital to the coursework and the statuses and students’ grades. Most students interviewed for this story said they have not yet received their financial aid checks, although WebAdvisor continues to confirm the approval of their application and the amount of the check. Students are disheartened to find out there is no set date for the arrival of the checks. In some cases, the dates have since passed.

Torrez describes the whole process as “a hassle”. According to the FCC website, students who enrolled in later short term classes or waitlisted in their classes will receive checks that are considerably smaller than what is shown on WebAdvisor.  Payments may increase or decrease depending on how many units the student is enrolled in 10 days prior to the disbursement date of the check.

Darelle Harvey is another discontented student who has waited in the massive financial aid line and telephoned multiple times only to be told that a financial advisor is unavailable and that his check is still pending. Even the Financial Aid website acknowledges that Financial Aid assistants may take up to three business days to call back.

Three days seems too long when a student’s education is at stake, complained many of the students standing in lines. Instructors are making accommodations to help the students who have not acquired the necessary books and or supplies. They are holding copies of the textbook on reserve in the library and some are even scanning pages for Blackboard.

Baldo Velázquez says he has taken advantage of professors’ generosity. Velázquez said that instructors in three or four of his classes have provided the appropriate material on Blackboard, without which he would have fallen behind. Many students say financial aid is worth it when the money arrives, but that the college should do more to ensure that the funds are delivered as close to the beginning of the semester as possible.

Students continue to apply for Financial Aid semester after semester. They may apply as many times as they want. However, students’ eligibility is determined by how many units they have attempted in the past as well as their overall academic standing.