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Group bridging aid gaps

The Student Government Association Senate is trying to clarify the often-obscure financial aid process by connecting to students on a personal level, an advisory committee chair said.

Undergraduate At-Large Sen. Alejandro Capetillo, who chairs the Scholarships and Financial Aid Advisory Committee, said even though the committee has had only two meetings so far, he’s pleased with the way things are going.

"We’re not experts, we aren’t consultants, but we can help in the areas where we interface," Capetillo said.

Last semester, the SGA Senate said it would create a scholarships and financial aid advisory committee run by faculty, staff and students to evaluate policies and procedures and notify students of any changes.

The committee was formed after student complaints concerning financial aid delays after the University switched to PeopleSoft 8.9 for student registration in Spring 2007. Students complained of not receiving their financial aid on time and of being dropped from classes for lack of payment, The Daily Cougar reported in September.

The committee consists of Vice Chairman Joey Stelly; SGA Senators Aleah Al-Sad and Van Hua; Staff Council members Sharon Gates, Sherry Howard and Ann McFarland and Faculty Senators Michael Newman, Beth Olson and Lloyd Pate.

Although the committee is still in the process of gathering information, Capetillo said the Senate is focused on improving communication between students and the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid and customer service. He also said the committee plans to start a Facebook group for students to use as a two-way line of communication. The group would be used to get information to the students and to get feedback, he said.

"We want to emphasize the fact that we exist and get student input," Capetillo said.

Capetillo said the committee, which meets every other Tuesday, plans to form a list of recommendations to give to the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid to further help improve communication and customer service.

Capetillo said the committee is in the process of planning another town hall for students and faculty to give feedback or express any concerns.

Biology junior Seemab Jamil said she had problems with the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid last semester when the office wouldn’t recognize one of her scholarships.

"It’s excellent that there’s a committee now," Jamil said. "Communication was a big problem last semester. All the (financial aid) people I talked to never really knew what they were talking about."

Capetillo said the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid is very open about the committee and that the administration realizes there is a lot to be done. The overall opinion of the committee is good, he said.

"I think it’s a win-win situation," Capetillo said.

Interim Director of Scholarships and Financial Aid Sal Loria said the committee will be a contributing factor when it comes to correcting issues with communication.

The committee said it will also focus on individual students’ unique issues, but for now they are looking for patterns in the system, he said.

"We’re trying to stay focused on global issues," Loria said.

Stelly did not return multiple calls for comment from The Daily Cougar.

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