Oregon State University - Beaver Yearbook (Corvallis, OR)

Page 23 text:

WIND FINANCIAL AID PROGRAMS AFFECT OSU STUDENTS IN MANY WAYS HAT WAS ONE OF the largest worries you had at college? Well, if you were anything like the “aver- age” student, it would have been money. Money. The ominous word that kept most on their toes, wondering if next term would be seen. For some, the financial worries were not experienced. This rare breed of student received some kind of financial aid for school. It seemed that most students, when confronted with the question of financial aid, weren’t able to receive any. Most felt they had been cheated or that someone higher up had chosen recipients at random, not considering a students actual need. “This year I didn't receive any type of financial aid. I’m living from month to month on just the three jobs I’m working at, remarked a student who wished to remain anonymous. “No grants, no scholarships, no nothing. It doesn’t seem all that fair because I know people who are getting money, my money, back from the school.” The number of programs which helped students with financial problems at Oregon State University exceeded what most students thought. One thing that most, if not all. advisors found was that students who were eligible for financial aid did not receive any because they just did not file for the correct program. “One of the things that we’re doing is changing the financial forms to help us get a better idea of who the needy students are, as compared to those who don’t need the aid as much,” said Dr. Keith McCreight, director of the Financial Aid Office at Oregon State University. “We want to be assured that the funds go to eligible students. The key to the eligibility process is the 1040 tax form.” he said. Although students may not have noticed the changes in the forms for determining financial need, and may have therefore filled them out incorrectly. There were some major revisions in the processing of those papers. As some may have noticed, earlier in the school year the Financial Aid Office mysteriously closed their doors and did not answer the phones to anyone. It was not until the afternoon came that signs of life appeared. The transferring of records and files to a new color-coded system was being done. With this new system, McCreight said, the processing of future files and records could be done more quickly and with greater ease. So what could a student do to get some kind of help? Well, for one thing there were all sorts of loans and work-study programs available. As many knew, however, that still was not enough. “On the average, about 30 percent of all applications are verified.” said McCreight. “Students need to supply us with appropriate documentation proving that what they replied was true. This must be done to receive Pell Grants and other forms of aid,” said McCreight. One thing that may have also helped was being, by definition, an independent student. “The independent student definition is defined by Congress.” he said. With monetary cuts to education due to the -ramm-Rudman Bill, students saw their chances jf getting help dwindling away. Scholarships, grants and loans were available to students ever,' year, and every year some went unclaimed because eligible students just did not file for them. With all the problems of getting any type of financial aid. statistics showed that college, students borrowed $10.1 billion in 1986, received $9.7 billion in grants and earned $662 million on subsidized campus jobs. In all, students received a total of $20.5 billion in aid from state and local governments and the institution themselves. The problem, as we all probably knew, was one spanning the entire country. Taking inflation into account, the pool of student aid shrunk by 6.1 percent from 1979 to 1986. Chris Simon, a sophomore in history’, claimed that the system at Oregon State University was not quite as effective as it could have been. “I’m paying this college over $1,100 whereas one of my friends is getting about that much back from the university. I may as well just write my check to him and save the school one more problem. Basically the school is just paying him our money to go to school,” he said. The unidentified student summed up his experience by saying, “We go to college to try and become smarter. We give all our money to the school. Does this sound smart? I think they (the university) have got a good thing going and they know it. They probably laugh themselves into a frenzy all the way to the bank.” □ by Ron Hunt FINANCIAL AID • 19

Page 22 text:

MICHAEL DOWLESS It's a difficult job and Keith McCreight, Student Financial Aid Director, is the man to do it MICHAEL DOWLESS One of the lucky one . Michelle Ducharme. a sophomore in liberal arts, picks up her Guaranteed Student Loan at the beginning of the term. The Financial Aid Application Is one most students dread to fill out. knowing that more than likely they will be putting in a lot of work for nothing in return. The backroom files of the Financial Aid office tell a story of their own, that being that more students receive financial aid than is normally believed. MICHAEL DOWLESS 18 • FINANCIAL Ain CREC NAPOLI

Page 24 text:

Ths OSU Telefund brings many people from around campus, such as Eric Larson, to call for FUNding. The Corvallis Public Library had wonderful cooper ation with volunteer Sonia Suobiron. Teresa Schmidt volunteers her Friday afternoons to spend time with Erica Gammage at the Handicapped Clinic. 20 DEBBIE WEATHERS I 20 • VOLUNTEERING AROUND TOWN