University of Virginia Library

Sad State Of Affairs

The sad state of affairs of the Financial Aid
Department has recently come to my
attention.

The primary fault of this department is
that it does not allocate a sufficient amount of
money to each student who applies. Whereas
financial aid is given to a large number of
students, this aid is, if not minuscule, at least
small, as compared to the educational
expenses that the student must meet. The
people who I am mainly concerned with are
those requiring complete or substantial
financial aid. If they are unable to win a
scholarship and still desire an education, the
maximum amount they can receive in loans is
$1,300 (a combination of ND Student Loans
and the University Long-Term loans.) More
can be obtained through the work-study
program, which is too time consuming, and in
my opinion, underpaid.

The Educational Opportunity Grant which
matched dollar-for-dollar with the NDSL loan
was recently cancelled for those entering
students whose parents earn over $6,000 per
year. My primary contention is that with the
cancellation of this source of money, the
financial loans at any institution of higher
learning should be easier to obtain and more
encompassing.

Not only is the amount insufficient to
allow a needy person to obtain a higher
education, but the financial aid office itself is
very unaccommodating and inefficient. Budgets
carefully prepared by students showing
exactly what is needed are not always utilized
as they should be. Complaints about working
conditions have been ignored. The height of
inefficiency was exhibited when the department
misinformed a student about the
availability of the Educational Grant which
has been abolished.

Financial Aid department - catch up to
the times. More students require a higher
education which is progressively more expensive.
Give students who are not bestowed with
a large amount of money their right to attend
this university. And be more accommodating to
the students who are applying for loans. Do
not force them to work long hours during the
week for a slight monthly sum while they are
simultaneously attending school on a full-time
basis, which is a full time occupation in itself.