These days, it seems Southeastern has nothing better to do than cut budgets and take students’ money. Recently, they have begun their quest to take even more money from their students, though for argument’s sake, we will refer to it as the “proposed fee increases” that will be voted on in the present week. As a reporter, I am very conscious of this fact; in the past couple of weeks, I have witnessed Southeastern further its agenda by targeting student finances on a more personal level.
Every student at Southeastern knows the costs of taking one wrong step on campus, usually in the form of a hold on your LEONet account. A mere two months into my first semester of college, I checked out my first (and last) book from the Reserve Department in Sims and was charged a $25 overdue fee to my LEONet, though I had returned the book on time. The hold was finally removed after a few attempts on my behalf; the book was found in its correct spot on the shelf, and their only explanation for this was to blame me for not pointing out the inside cover of my book to the front desk.
Lesson learned: returning books into the return slot does not suffice at Sims.
When I came back from winter break, I was required to get a new parking decal to accommodate my changed housing situation. After visiting the parking office, it was made very clear that my old one had to be turned in to be able to pay the two dollar replacement fee, as opposed to the $30 new decal charge. Following clear instructions, I removed my decal that weekend and returned to the office to have it replaced. Again, Southeastern was quick to respond, as I returned to my car with a $50 ticket for no decal. It goes without saying that my appeal process was a hassle, to say the least. A few weeks and multiple emails of inquiry later, I was reimbursed for the misunderstanding.
As it had gotten close to that time again, when Southeastern strikes, I received a letter in the mail a few weeks ago to congratulate me for a small scholarship I was awarded from the university. The financial aid came as a pleasant surprise to me; I still do not know the stipulations of the award. Working with a two week deadline, I managed to get the necessary scholarship information turned in to scholarship services before heading home that Friday afternoon.
Fifteen minutes before offices closed that day, I received a phone call from scholarship services. When entering my newly awarded scholarship into my account, they found out that I had been receiving refund payments every semester for being over awarded. This was a problem. According to the rules of the TOPS program, a student was not allowed to be over awarded if that person was being aided with TOPS money. Because of this, I was not only losing my scholarship, but also told that I would have to pay my refund back.
This charge threatened to interfere with my registration, as I am an honors student with a registration appointment Monday morning at 8 a.m. I was told that I may or may not be able to enroll before the next query put a hold on my account, and there was nothing I could do about it. Offices were closed for the weekend.
To further the detriment, it was explained that my Southeastern president’s scholarship would be permanently reduced to prevent my ever receiving money back again. The university has done a fine job in making sure I leave this school with nothing.
My family and I have shoveled loads of income into the hands of the state. But, as responsible adults, we were chided for our high income and instantly denied any grants or other financial aid from FAFSA. However, after making sufficient scores on the ACT and in high school and applying for over 20 different scholarships, I managed to earn enough money in scholarships to pay for Southeastern on my own.
Yet, it seems as though I am being punished for being a good student. With this reduction in my president’s scholarship, Southeastern has now found a way to not only keep their money, but also to take the money from my third party scholarships, all of which were fairly earned by myself.
I’m sure many who read this will think of someone they know who has cheated on his or her Federal Student Aid to earn pell grants and loans. I know you know one. Everyone does. Even one of our state representatives admitted to the blatant corruption of the Federal Student AID system. Some of these students earn enough through grants and university scholarships, alone, to be refunded. I can bet that they aren’t being hounded for their refund checks.
And why would they be, when the money can be taken from honor students, instead?
Academic excellence is obviously not a high priority for the Southeastern administration. As a TOPS honors student receiving the highest president’s scholarship, I am reaping the same benefits as those who barely meet the minimum requirements for SLU acceptance. I am forced to give up my hard earned money to fund what? Southeastern provides me with science professors who can’t speak English and French instructors who can’t speak French. And what’s worse, the proposed fee increase will raise students’ costs, not to fund higher education, but to keep the athletics program in tact.
Kudos to this school. What once was a med school savings has now turned into a debt I will have to earn back through my summer job. I met with my financial counselor (yes, we have one of those) to clarify my financial situation. The only help she could provide was to blame the mistake on scholarship services and direct me to accounts payable, who would help me set up a payment plan. My being over awarded didn’t even entitle me to a student loan.
With this newfound knowledge, I plan to contact my third party scholarships and ask that they give my remaining award to the alternate, if not directly to me. If my scholarships cannot be used towards my education, they would be of better use in another’s hands; another university’s hands. Hopefully, then the donor’s intention to assist the education of a promising student will be met, rather than fall into the black hole of higher education.