Infuriated and need feedback.

[Eirene]

hello everyone!

my college has set up a new "financial aid" policy within our college. the new policy applies out student loans/grants to the college bookstore. 15 days after the quarter begins, the "left-over" money is mailed to us. this makes it impossible for an average working family to purchase books elsewhere, let alone pay for basic necessities like daycare and gas to attend class and clinicals. is this a normal policy for financial aid at your colleges? i've called 4 different community colleges in my area and it is not their policy. i'm curious to know how it is in different areas.

if you have the time, please give me feedback on my letter of dispute that i mailed to the president and the pr director.

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[color=#993399]to whom it may concern,

i am making a formal complaint with the new financial aid procedures coming into effect for the 2007-2008 school year. i'm contacting you first before taking this to the federal student aid department.

i believe students need an explanation why this "new process" of financial aid disbursement isn't illegal. the website mis 500 project at mtcputting you online, not in line is a misleading document. this website/document (removed, if you'd like the link, please im me) [color=#993399]is intended to make us, as students believe that the fafsa law change mandates that there is a disbursement delay, but it does not.

for **** college to withhold the students' financial aid for two-weeks is illegal. *** will not be paying students interest that *** makes on that money while it is in the college account, nor will you reimburse us for the interest accrued on the loans to the students for those two weeks. the policy is clearly illegal.

most of the students at *** are non-traditional students. we have families. we work hard. by "establishing a credit" at the bookstore is forcing us to purchase books from the company with whom you have a contract with is unethical and perhaps even illegal. as a nursing student, i can buy my textbooks used, online for 60-75% cheaper than i can purchase them at your bookstore. unfortunately, myself, as well as other students, need our financial aid in order to purchase the books elsewhere. we cannot wait two weeks after the quarter begins to purchase them from another source. this leaves us no choice but to purchase them from your bookstore, in which you make a profit from. i enrolled at *** because of the remarkably high reputation of the nursing program. i have always felt empowered with knowledge that *** instructors have given me. it's unfortunate that i have to question ***'s business ethics regarding these procedures.

i need to know the process of how to get my financial aid refund at the right time, not fifteen days after the quarter begins. again, i would like to resolve this within the college before taking my complaint to the federal student aid department.

i look forward to your response. along with this email, i will be sending out a certified letter for your copy.

[color=#993399]~~~~~~~~~~~~

[color=#993399]thank you in advance to any suggestions or feedback, whether you agree or disagree with my stance.

[color=#993399]

[color=#993399]dani

[LPN0608]

I didn't get my loans back until 3 months after school started and it was another month after that when I got my pell money back. To top things off the financial aid office made a mistake and it was April before I got most of my loans from first semester!!! The director of financial aid said that students should set aside money before they apply. HA! I would have if I'd known my financial aid was not ok(they sent me an award letter before school started saying it was complete). Good luck!!!

[NurseFaren2B]

At my school the fall semester starts mid Aug. and the checks aren't mailed until the end of Sept. I wish we got them 15 days after the semester start.

[MikeyJ, RN]

Did you end up sending that letter? The one issue I had with the letter is that you were stating that their actions were "illegal". As someone who works with the law,I wouldn't recommend putting that in the letter, especially considering you cannot back up that claim.

It is obviously their legal right because most schools do that. Every school I have attended withhold your money for a few weeks until after classes have started to refund your money.

What I recommend doing is toward the middle of each semester, figure out what your books will cost for the following semester and take out a small private educational loan, such as CitiAssist, SallieMae, etc. and that money will be given to you almost immediately. Thus you will then have some spare cash to spend on books the following semester. :)

[LaneRN]

The community college where I go issues pell checks the day after class starts i do not know about loans though I go to school in north carolina

[sister--*]

I have two kids in CC's and one in a full University. One CC does it like that while the other CC and the full University do not.

One thing that bothers me about the CC's more than anything else is that they DO NOT list the ISBN book numbers. You actually have to go to the school's book stores a week or two before classes begin and look these #s up on your own. The University, however, lists the required class books with ISBN's on their web site. It sure makes it a snap to shop on line for the necessary books.

One semester I saved over 1/2 using the net compared to the campus book stores USED prices! All but one book arrived in time for classes! AMAZING!

BTW, the savings was nearly $600/semester. Not chump change in my situation!

Perhaps this may be the way to go. Good luck!

[Eirene, ASN, RN]

wow! thanks for all of the feedback.

i actually modified my letter and took out the "illegals" and used "unethical". i even started a petition, i've already gotten 130 signatures so far, even from students from other educational programs within our college.

unfortunately, i doubt anything will change their decision. i sure i hope make someone involved the decision making process feel bad and question the ethics themselves.

as far as books, i ordered my summer books from amazon today. not a dime of mine will go to that student bookstore, darn it.

only 4 more quarter to go! again, thanks so much for your responses.

[IShallWearPurple]

Good for you, Danibanani. I am sorry to hear that your school is pursuing this policy, as it sounds clearly unethical and manipulative. This makes no sense... once the fed. gov't disburses the cash to you (and the school re-routes it to the bookstore), YOU are paying the interest on money you don't yet have access to. That right there is enough to make me write a letter of protest. I know the fed. money has stipulations that the money be spent on "education-related expenses", but I've never seen a clause indicating that your money must go to Follett, Pearson, or whatever private firm your school is contracted with.

Not only that, but what kind of paternalistic, overbearing, and profiteering system would justify these actions by saying "We don't want you to drop classes". That's great. The school should certainly voice their concerns about this and offer support to students to minimize this occurrence, but they may claim no right to withhold your desperately needed fin-aid funds at a critical time and then say they're HELPING you? Sheesh. Insulting and yes, infuriating as you said in your original post. My hunch is they assume most students are either unaware of their ability to protest this, are afraid to rock the boat, or just don't think they deserve more respectful treatment. Props to you for taking the time and energy to craft a response.

I haven't ever heard of this policy. My school has a system that allows electronic deposit of federal aid money directly to your acct. if you choose to register it. Since I choose the e-transfer, I receive my money a couple of days before the semester even begins, otherwise I would have to stand in line for my paper check on the first day of classes.

Oh, and I haven't ever taken my money, dropped out of school and run off to Tijuana or whatever the school is "afraid" I might do with my bounty. Even if I do receive it 2 days prior to classes beginning. Keep me posted on any response you get. Power to you!

[IShallWearPurple]

Another poster wrote:

"It is obviously their legal right because most schools do that. Every school I have attended withhold your money for a few weeks until after classes have started to refund your money. "

No. Most schools doing something does not make something legal. Note the very recent loan scandal that ended with high-level resignations and prosecutions. Illegal practices were being used at NYU, Colombia, John's Hopkins University, St. John's University, Syracuse University, Fordham University, University of Pennsylvania, and Long Island University to name A FEW. Hardly fly-by-night, shady diploma mills, eh? While this doesn't make the practice the OP describes at his/her community college illegal, many schools practicing it doesn't make it copacetic either.

[LaceyRN]

oh boy... financial aid crisis at my school is the norm. here is how bad it is... we don't even get our money until 6-8 WEEKS AFTER classes begin! My classes started January 20th and I received my financial aid the second week in MARCH!! They withhold the funds for 30 days, then they do attendance "verification" to prove you are still in the classes. Then, the funds get to the school...go to the main office...they DEPOSIT them into their account... then process and print a check from the school for your refund!! CRAZY.

It was so bad that I actually took out a loan I didn't really need in my last semester of pre-req's at the local community college just to put in the bank and use for purchases my first semester of nursing school!

It's really hard to get by when you receive your check after 1/2 the semester is already over. :Crash:

[MuddaMia]

Every college I ever went to held fin aid until after add/drop period.

This is AT LEAST 2 weeks into the semester/qtr. It makes sense b/c otherwise students could collect the $ and then drop the classes.

Was your schools policy to give you the money first day of classes?

[IShallWearPurple]

If a student collects financial aid money, whether the first day of classes or the post-Add/Drop, the student alone is responsible for paying it back. Before loans are disbursed, the entrance counseling materials detail the obligation to immediately repay a particular amount if we drop below full-time status. I have explicit instructions from the direct Stafford loan people to send my money to the Dept. of Education in Atlanta, GA: not to my school.

Maybe someone can clear this up for me. HOW is it the school's business when/how I pay back my student loans? If I default, I do not owe my school money, rather the FEDS are coming knocking on my door for it. What gives with schools involving themselves to the point of withholding funds? As adults, we are capable of accepting responsibility for our thousands upon thousands of dollars in debt. Why do our schools (the recipients of these wads of cash) deem us collectively incompetent to manage our own enrollment and loan repayment responsibilities? I just don't get it. And how cute is the little confused smiley guy?! Totally adorable.

[Natkat, BSN, MSN, RN]

The way I managed this was by paying for my books with a credit card. Then when I was issued my student loan money I paid off the credit card before I acquired any finance charges. It might be risky for some, but if you are disciplined about paying off the credit card as soon as you get the money, it's not a problem.

I was also lucky enough to know someone who was a year ahead of me and she let me share her books with her. We were never in the same unit at the same time, so it worked out fine.

Also, as someone suggested, you can get books from Amazon.com. If you really like taking a risk, I have noticed that most of the required books can be found in the library. It's a pain in the butt to have to go to the library to study all the time, but if you don't have money it's one option to consider.