Thursday, May 18, 2006

Well, @%$^*&!

Yeah, remember how MTSU lost my form? Well, now something worse has happened: My financial aid is lost, too.

Yes, I'm aware I'm supposed to get a letter. I didn't.

When I registered for summer classes, the system said I was on financial aid probation for the summer. No big, right? Just pass my summer classes, which is easy because I'm all about some summer class.

Then I got online today and noticed an e-mail stating my loan had finally been sent to the school (OK, the word "finally" was added by yours truly). I signed on to PipelineMT and checked my account, which still didn't show the money. Thinking it was odd, I decided to check my holds.

FINANCIAL AID SUSPENSION SUMMER 2006

WTF?! When did this little change occur? Why wasn't I notified? And, more importantly, HOW THE FUCK AM I GOING TO PAY FOR SCHOOL?!

I've sent an angry e-mail to the financial aid powers that be, and I plan to go there after my test tomorrow, but here's probably how it's going to go down (please, hold all cries of joy until I've left and returned with a weapon):

1) They'll realize it's a misunderstanding. Seriously, why was I allowed to apply for aid if I didn't qualify? I really hope that appeal deadline hasn't passed - they're supposed to send you that information when they send you the letter that says you've lost your aid. I'm also not to keen on appealing, as getting all those medical records AGAIN will cost me another $50 or so.

2) I'll have to drop out of school for a while, possibly permanently. I'll work at Starbucks until I'm 35, at which point I'll probably put a bullet in my head, because I'll end up in a loveless marriage with absolutely nothing, and I'm sure by then my family will have deteriorated to nothing.

So that's it. I'd cry but I'm in the business lab and don't feel like drawing attention to myself. I've also quit going to therapy (I'm too poor for that), and I'm not going to the shrink, and that little colposcopy thing is seeming more and more like a bad idea...

Send liquor. It's going to be a long few days.

5 comments:

grandefille said...

Remind them that accepting student aid into their accounts while knowing said student is ineligible for said aid is what got them into BIG trouble a few years ago and that they should resolve it post-haste.

Did they send the notice to your post office box? Do they have a dated copy of the original notice?

And no, they can't require you to present medical records again that you've already presented. They should be in your file; if they've lost them, they should pay for the replacement copies.

It's time to get tough with them, hon. Good luck.

Wendy said...

They didn't send it. I just got an e-mail response saying I'll get it in a few days. WTF good does that do me?!

grandefille said...

It doesn't do a dang thing, and they appear to have violated their own rules, effective since 1999:

II. Completion Rate

B. Suspension. Students whose completion rate is less than 50% of the credit hours attempted, or those previously placed on probation whose completion rate does not improve by the next review, [italics mine] will be suspended from eligibility for federal grants, loans and federal work-study employment. Students may still be eligible for emergency short-term loans and other university funds.

...

V. Notification/Appeals

B. Probation. Students placed on financial aid probation will be sent a letter from the Financial Aid Office notifying them of their financial aid status and the expected requirements. Each student will be allowed at least one probationary period during the course of his or her enrollment.

C. Suspension. Students suspended from financial aid will receive a letter from the Financial Aid Office along with a Satisfactory Progress Appeal form. Students will be allowed to appeal their suspension if they can provide documentation of extenuating circumstances beyond their control that significantly contributed to their academic performance. Examples would include the death of an immediate family member, an extended medical illness and/or a disability. Provisions may also be made for students who have been approved to participate in the academic Fresh Start Program or have military credits that cannot be counted toward a degree. Any other circumstance not listed above must be sufficiently documented and be approved by a Financial Aid administrator and the Director of Financial Aid.

---------

You weren't notified in a timely manner of the suspension. The suspension went through before the proper review time for the probation. And they've accepted money into their accounts on your behalf and are refusing you access to it without the proper authority.

Go to http://financialaid.web.mtsu.edu/sap.htm and print out the whole thing and take it with you.

Good luck, sweetie.

Wendy said...

I already went up there. Apparently, this suspension didn't take place until May 16, which was one day AFTER the summer session started. So I'm pretty much screwed into paying for that first class regardless I think. Apparently I'll get the letter in a few days. Yeah. Really handy, isn't it? Also, the loan doesn't show up on my account, but I did get an e-mail stating it's been sent to the school. Sigh.

grandefille said...

Oh, hon. I'm sorry.

But like I said:

* you weren't notified in a timely manner of the suspension;
* the suspension went through before the proper review time for the probation; and
* they've accepted money into their accounts on your behalf and are refusing you access to it without the proper authority.

Essentially, they rejected your app after they approved it and the money was en route, which they can't do. (How did it get processed so fast if they "lost" your paperwork and you had to reapply this week, yet the suspension was effective 5/16? There are little flashing flags that come up when they try to process that stuff, so it should have said something when they told you to "resubmit." Seriously.)

That plus your medical issues are most excellent grounds for a successful appeal, I'd say. I'd also check with the SGA Emergency Loan Fund if you need something to get by until this is straightened out. They're good about that, and it won't be due until the first of August.

Keep us posted if you feel like it. And we're all sending good wishes for a little peace and quiet -- and non-stressful news -- for you for a change.