Many people say that college is not for everyone. This may be true for those who are intellectually inapt for a college level curriculum. However, lack of money to afford tuition fees and educational materials should not be a reason to exclude a higher-level education from a person who otherwise could receive a great degree.
Financial aid is given to those who cannot afford to pay for their tuition and books. It is meant for those who want an education, but cannot afford the high costs. There are grants that will pay for tuition but not books. There are also grants that will pay an amount that will cover both the tuition charge and any other material needed. There are even grants that will pay for tuition, books, and a little extra to help with the cost of living.
Such state grants available are the Board of Governors Fee Waver, Cal Grants A, B, and C, The Extended Opportunity Program and Services Grant, CARE, The Bureau of Indian Affairs Grant (BIA). There are also scholarships, and State Work-Study. Some federal grants include: The Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplementary Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), the Federal work-study (FWS), Federal Direct Loan, Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), the Federal work-study (FWS), and Federal Direct Loan (www.fafsa.com, 2001).
To obtain these grants one must go through a series of steps before being accepted for financial aid. One must be a student of a college institution. Next one must complete the application for Federal Student Aid or (FAFSA) and mail it to the correct address, it is also possible to do this over the Internet on the (FAFSA) web site, www.FAFSA.com. The third step is to submit the scholarship application and turn it in no later then the specified date. The fourth step is to complete and submit a verification worksheet that provides all income information. All W-2 forms must be attached to the application (SCCCD application, 2001).
One tuition grant widely used is the Board of Governors Fee Waiver, otherwise known as a (BOG). If eligible for this grant, a student can have all their tuition fees waived. However, if needed, a student may fill out another form to see if they are eligible for more financial assistance. This application consists of a series of questions that ask about marital status and if the applicant is a dependent or if he or she depends on another for financial assistance. There is no fixed amount for a financial aide check. The government looks at how many dependents the applicant has and how much income they make. From this information an amount is set. If the applicant makes over a certain amount of income, their application may be denied (BOG application, 2001).
Ten students, who are currently enrolled at Fresno City, were asked the following questions: How do you feel about the service provided by the Fresno City Financial Aide office? Do you think a fare amount of money is given to those who deserve the assistance? Are the efforts to distribute the financial aide checks fast and efficient’should the cut off point for income be raised so more people can receive assistance?
All the ten people felt financial assistance should be given to those who qualify, however seven of those interviewed stated that we should have more offices and clerks to help the applicants. Orlando Medina said, When I went to apply for assistance I had to wait for three and half hours only to be told that I didnt have sufficient information to submit the application that same day. They should have someone going down the line telling people what they need ahead of time (student survey. 2001).
Paty Silva agreed with this comment, If they had clerks helping you while you waited, they could weed out those who arent ready to submit their form. However when I finally reached the clerks I found them to be very nice and helpful (student survey, 2001). Most of those who complained about the slow process agreed that it was necessary for the clerks to take their time with the applicants to make sure all the processing is correct, but they all felt that more clerks would extremely help the situation.
Eight of the ten students interviewed have received financial aide in the past. They all agreed that the rate in which the checks are delivered is not quick enough. Annie Enriquez explains, I had to borrow money from my neighbor in order to pay for my books. This year the total money amount came out to 347 dollars. If my friend wouldnt have lent me the money, I dont know how I would have paid for all my materials (student survey, 2001). Some students didnt mind the wait, but did not like the long lines that started at one side of campus and ended near the other.
Jeremy Innocencio said he had no problem with the service provided by the financial aide office on campus but he feels that the cut off deadline is set too low which forces him to pay most of his books himself because his parents couldnt afford the fees (student survey, 2001). Nuvia Rodriguez, the other student interviewed that doesnt receive financial assistance, didnt mind the cut off rate, however she doesnt understand why she had to include her parents income on her application. Im twenty three and Ive been living away from my parents for three years now. I have to work a full time job in order to pay for my apartment and car bills on top of all my school fees (student survey, 2001).
The rules given by the SCCCD financial aide office states that any applicant under the age of twenty-five must include their parents income regardless of their living address. This rule applies to anyone who has not reached his or her twenty-fifth birth date and has a living parent. The only way to get out of this rule is if the applicant is an orphan of the court or has a marital status. This rule affects many students who live on their own but do not reside with their parents. Nuvia Rodriguez is greatly affected by this rule because she is estranged from her parents and receives no financial assistance from them (California Student Aide Commission, 2001).
The group as whole believed there are some defects in the financial aide system, as to whom should receive what, but the majority of the money given to students is well spent because the qualification for financial assistance start with the lower economic students then works to those who could probably attend school with out the aide.
Nancy Rivera explains, The important thing is to help those who would not be able to attend college without the aide, as long as you get them covered you are providing a service that is greatly appreciated. With the money given by the government we may save many bright minds that would otherwise go to waste (student survey, 2001).
