Monday, May 18, 2009
Graduation...
Normally the economy or social issues dominate this space, but I put this blog together to discuss financial aid, and it's been a long time since I've examined the topic. I had a difficult session this morning, and I admit I'm fairly strident (to the point I'm considered unsympathetic) in how I apply the rules. There is some flexibility built into the system, and with the proper paperwork, this student could have benefited from the various programs available.
The key phrase is "proper paperwork" or "proof." People claim all sorts of situations, and I generally don't believe them. It isn't up to me anyway, since the Dept. of Education is fairly clear about what will or will not suffice. The student and family did not meet the threshold in this case, and I was called an asshole for being a "stickler." Yep, I am! I'm paid to be! Oh well. I nearly lost my cool, and it ended in a row. We almost had a scrum. With the bad economy I predict we'll have many more of these interactions, and in other news I predict water will be wet.
That's not what is on my mind today though. It's almost graduation, and a couple of the students with whom I've been friendly will be leaving. Every year this happens, but this one is deeper than normal. Part of it will be the departure of a German student I've gotten to know, and despite our friendship, I wonder if we'll keep in touch. Other colleges have a tradition of keeping their students in the fold, but community colleges are not know for such habits. I'm not sure you could include sarcastic financial aid counelors in the former camp anyway. I've been on the other end as well, and I could have kept in contact with some of my teachers, but without that class connection it felt weird. I'm sure I hurt their feelings, and expect a similar fate for myself.
I'm not paid to meet people, obviously. This is a good thing since, I don't like most of the people I meet at this job anyway. I am paid to help them, surly though I might be. Even being friendly has it's disadavntages, since I give out government money for a living, and what little flexibility exists in the system is ripe for abuse. This explains my snarling visage, although I'm really a mushy little kitty at heart. The only group to regularly pierce the armor is older single moms. They have it the toughest that I've seen. Their resources are limited; they often get no help from the fathers, and they are coming back to school after extended periods away. I bend over backwards for them, and rightfully so. American society is dead in the water without them.
Whether it's a single mom in her mid-30's trying to make it on her own for the first ime in years, or some 18 year old merely satisfying her parents, or one of my vets home from Iraq and a little lost in the civilian world, the college is a means to an end, not an end to itself. All the students are in motion, running toward the skills and knowledge that will take them to the next phase of their life and hopefully success. I, on the other hand, stand still. It's been almost 10 years since I began working in financial aid, and I never expected to be in this field for so long. Time got away from me, and I guess I'm feeling the tiniest bit of regret and how I've spent my life. Helping others go to college is not a bad way to make a living, but I never get to hear the end of the story. That, for me, is the most difficult part of the job. If I have invest my effort, I want to know the end result.
So here I sit, having just awarded a mom in her 30's. Will she succeed? I'll never know. I'm a way stop in the course of their lives. I can only hope I'm an effective and helpful one.
The key phrase is "proper paperwork" or "proof." People claim all sorts of situations, and I generally don't believe them. It isn't up to me anyway, since the Dept. of Education is fairly clear about what will or will not suffice. The student and family did not meet the threshold in this case, and I was called an asshole for being a "stickler." Yep, I am! I'm paid to be! Oh well. I nearly lost my cool, and it ended in a row. We almost had a scrum. With the bad economy I predict we'll have many more of these interactions, and in other news I predict water will be wet.
That's not what is on my mind today though. It's almost graduation, and a couple of the students with whom I've been friendly will be leaving. Every year this happens, but this one is deeper than normal. Part of it will be the departure of a German student I've gotten to know, and despite our friendship, I wonder if we'll keep in touch. Other colleges have a tradition of keeping their students in the fold, but community colleges are not know for such habits. I'm not sure you could include sarcastic financial aid counelors in the former camp anyway. I've been on the other end as well, and I could have kept in contact with some of my teachers, but without that class connection it felt weird. I'm sure I hurt their feelings, and expect a similar fate for myself.
I'm not paid to meet people, obviously. This is a good thing since, I don't like most of the people I meet at this job anyway. I am paid to help them, surly though I might be. Even being friendly has it's disadavntages, since I give out government money for a living, and what little flexibility exists in the system is ripe for abuse. This explains my snarling visage, although I'm really a mushy little kitty at heart. The only group to regularly pierce the armor is older single moms. They have it the toughest that I've seen. Their resources are limited; they often get no help from the fathers, and they are coming back to school after extended periods away. I bend over backwards for them, and rightfully so. American society is dead in the water without them.
Whether it's a single mom in her mid-30's trying to make it on her own for the first ime in years, or some 18 year old merely satisfying her parents, or one of my vets home from Iraq and a little lost in the civilian world, the college is a means to an end, not an end to itself. All the students are in motion, running toward the skills and knowledge that will take them to the next phase of their life and hopefully success. I, on the other hand, stand still. It's been almost 10 years since I began working in financial aid, and I never expected to be in this field for so long. Time got away from me, and I guess I'm feeling the tiniest bit of regret and how I've spent my life. Helping others go to college is not a bad way to make a living, but I never get to hear the end of the story. That, for me, is the most difficult part of the job. If I have invest my effort, I want to know the end result.
So here I sit, having just awarded a mom in her 30's. Will she succeed? I'll never know. I'm a way stop in the course of their lives. I can only hope I'm an effective and helpful one.
