Changes have been made in the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid and to PeopleSoft 8.9 to help prevent the kind of confusion that plagued students at the start of Fall 2007, officials said.
"We have filled vacant positions with experienced staff and trained them to complete certain specific financial aid duties," Interim Director of Scholarships and Financial Sal Loria said.
Some students said too often the financial aid department has given them the run around.
"My issue with (PeopleSoft) is the incorrect directions from customer service," biology graduate student Blake Edwards said.
Edwards said the office has not helped him and that he has not received his financial aid award this spring semester.
"You get transferred from person to person and get no answers," he said.
The Student Government Association Senate coordinated a meeting in late September to give students an opportunity to voice their opinions and problems experienced to University officials.
The switch from Enrollment Services Online to PeopleSoft created a number of difficulties for students last semester, but information gathered in the wake of the confusion has helped improve the system, Executive Director of Organizational Change Management Sandy Frieden said.
"We collected information that came in through multiple call centers and help desks, and also conducted several focus groups to see what problems students were having," Frieden said.
Many students were unaware of payment deadlines and were dropped from their classes because of non-payment. PeopleSoft now has several ways in which it notifies students well in advance of financial due dates, Frieden said.
"We coordinate e-mails, Web announcements and PeopleSoft Student Center announcements, along with a daily report going to all advisors that gives them key deadlines," Frieden said.
A total of $1.82 million has been disbursed to student accounts since September, Loria said. An advisory committee has also been established and meets on a regular basis.
"We have (also) engaged financial-aid consultants to evaluate all procedures and make recommendations for process improvement," Loria said. "All student issues are being addressed by the financial aid staff. All policies and procedures are being evaluated for efficiency and effectiveness."
Additional reporting by Jeremiah Guillory and Nathan Williamson
