FINANCIAL AID

Students struggle to receive financial aid

Drop box outside financial aid office Corbin Willmorth | The Communicator

falls instead of WSU because of ment status,” said Keith G.P. Sayles, VP of Student Affairs.

Hopefully this takes some stress away from students and parents knowing that they are not alone in this. Everyone’s needs will eventually be met, it’s just taking a little longer than usual.

For other students like Kiah Gary, it was an easy process. This is probably because she got it in before the late rush of students.

“Financial aid was actually super easy because I went through it with my sister when she did hers, so when I did mine I did my part easily and had my mom do the rest,” Gary said.

She says she completed hers at the beginning of August. If she had done it later, it might not have been so easy.

The financial aid office is asking that everyone remains patient. They are working to make sure students are awarded as soon as possible. Team members are working to complete all aid packaging and will be in touch with students as soon as their package is complete. Student success is the highest priority at SFCC, and

Students worry as the backlog of financial aid others have had trouble deciding what school they should go to. applications grows Many students who planned to attend universities switched to Kalyn Sande the falls last minute due to online The Communicator classes. “I decided to go to the COVID can’t ruin that.

As if the financial aid process COVID and being online. Spendisn’t complicated enough, throw ing all that money at a university in a pandemic and an overflow for online school didn’t seem like of last minute applications and a smart choice,” said student Elise things are bound to get backed up. Moore. It has been a crazy ride for SFCC This played a major factor students and staff. in the financial aid office having

“Financial Aid is seeing a their hands full with the overflow high volume of students who sub- of new students who need late mitted late aid applications in Au- aid. There has been some frustragust and September, and staff are tion because it has been hard to processing in order of We will be communiget into contact with financial receipt,” said Vice cating to all pending aid services via phone, email, President, students in the coming and Zoom. Keith G.P. Sayles in week to provide updates This makes it difficult for an email dated Oc- on their processing and any help to be given, questober 7th, disbursement status. tions to be to SFCC students. Keith G.P. Sayles, VP of answered, and making sure There have been Student Affairs that FAFSA gets completed with many enough time. compli- The office is cations with students receiving also not taking appointments or financial aid for the fall quarter, walk-ins either. Staff are helping and it’s mainly COVID’s fault. It’s students remain in their classes been hard to know what to do while aid disbursement is pendduring this time and there have ing. been many changes to how things “We will be communicatare being done and the decisions ing to all pending students in the being made. Some students have coming week to provide updates chosen to take the year off, while on their processing and disburse-