The Point of the Whole Story: The head of financial services is who FAFSA goes through to determine how much aid a student should receive. The financial head decided to NOT approve her for LIVING EXPENSES. This is not about scholarships or pity money or any BS like that, the stupid lady didn't account for living expenses, the same expenses she had the previous semester!!!! Nothing in her situation changed and suddendly, unbeknownst to her, the head of the department decides that she doesn't need that much. She has in writing all of her previous semester's info and how much she was approved for as well as this years incorrect amount.
UPDATE: She has already spoken to the assistant Dean (the head Dean refused to see her). I'll give details on that convo after work.
Okay, this story is about my girlfriend of almost 3 years now. We both live in Charlotte and she attends Johnson and Wales University. She was given almost a free ride to this school because of her 3.9 unweighted GPA in high school and since she is technically an "independent" student (meaning she has no means of obtaining financial support from anyone in her family). He father has been dead since she was an infant and her mother is a convicted drug felon who is spending the next 7 years in jail. She grew up with her aunt and uncle who have never had much money. Her aunt is disable and her uncle works full time at a factory job that barely puts food on the table.
Also, for reference, Johnson and Wales doesnt have semesters, it has trimesters. Her first trimester was the 3rd semester of the last academic year.
Now to the main part.
Johnson and Wales approved her for federal loans their 3rd trimester, her first trimesters there, that totaled over $3000 in refund for that one trimester. $2200 of it went to her housing for the school and $800 was given in a refund check. That's fine and dandy and all, and there was nothing wrong with that semester (aside from them issuing her refund the day before school ended for the year) financially. Well, she was getting set up for school this year and asked what she need to do for her financial aid stuff. They told her just to fill out a form stating her situation has not changed since last semester. She asked them if moving off campus would make a difference, they told her no, as long as she is a full-time student, which she is. She also confirmed the amount she was to be getting back on multiple occasions, for a couple of them I was witness to them telling her that she was to get back $3000 each trimester in a refund for living expenses, books, food, etc, totaling $9000 for the year.
Yesterday she walked down to the financial aid office to get an idea of when her refund check would be given out to her (she needs the money to get her wisdom teeth pulled). She called me immediately after, crying, explaining that she didn't know what happened, but the school didn't approve her federal loans for the same amount as last year. Keep in mind that the head of the financial office at the school is the one who approves student's federal aid amounts. The head of financial aid didn't approve her for any living expenses. None at all. Her refund paid for her books and now she is left with NOTHING.
She called the head of the financial department, spoke with her for an hour, trying to figure out why she wasn't approved for more money on her federal loans and why she was told she was going to get back $3000 each trimester when she isn't. I was in the car with her while she was talking to the lady and I could hear the lady screaming at my girlfriend:
Lady: "So what, you want me to write you a check for $9000, is that it?"
GF: "No, I just want to figure out why I was told differently, I'm not asking for any money, I just wanna know why..."
Lady: "I'm sorry I can't give you any money, you can't just call in here expecting me to hand out charity."
GF: "I'm not asking for money, I just wanna know why it was decided that I don't get enough money to live on"
Lady: "I'm not calling you a liar or anything, but I just don't believe that someone in this office would tell you that you were getting that much back.
**Keep in mind the people promised her the refund check from the 3rd trimester of last year by the 6th week of school and it got there on the 11th week**
**MORE TO COME SOON, I HAVE TO LEAVE FOR WORK!**
Point of all this is: she needs a lawyer and CANNOT afford one by any means. If she can't get her wisdom teeth pulled and goes day after day of agony with pain in here mouth, there is no way she or I can afford to hire a lawyer. We need a lawyer to either
A - Get her released from the school without have to pay back all of their "scholarships" (which amounts to $21,000)
or
B - Force them to give her the federal financial aid loans she was supposed to get and *IF POSSIBLE* punitive damages which I will explain more about when I can finish the rest of the story.
PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARE NOT THE IMPORTANT PART SO STOP COMMENTING ON IT! SHE NEEDS MONEY TO LIVE ON AND CANNOT AFFORD A $21,000 BILL FOR TUITION! PERIOD!
If you can help or know of someone who CAN, please PM me and I will give you my contact info so that we can speak directly.
Thanks to everyone for reading this and thanks for any advice you have.
UPDATE: She has already spoken to the assistant Dean (the head Dean refused to see her). I'll give details on that convo after work.
Okay, this story is about my girlfriend of almost 3 years now. We both live in Charlotte and she attends Johnson and Wales University. She was given almost a free ride to this school because of her 3.9 unweighted GPA in high school and since she is technically an "independent" student (meaning she has no means of obtaining financial support from anyone in her family). He father has been dead since she was an infant and her mother is a convicted drug felon who is spending the next 7 years in jail. She grew up with her aunt and uncle who have never had much money. Her aunt is disable and her uncle works full time at a factory job that barely puts food on the table.
Also, for reference, Johnson and Wales doesnt have semesters, it has trimesters. Her first trimester was the 3rd semester of the last academic year.
Now to the main part.
Johnson and Wales approved her for federal loans their 3rd trimester, her first trimesters there, that totaled over $3000 in refund for that one trimester. $2200 of it went to her housing for the school and $800 was given in a refund check. That's fine and dandy and all, and there was nothing wrong with that semester (aside from them issuing her refund the day before school ended for the year) financially. Well, she was getting set up for school this year and asked what she need to do for her financial aid stuff. They told her just to fill out a form stating her situation has not changed since last semester. She asked them if moving off campus would make a difference, they told her no, as long as she is a full-time student, which she is. She also confirmed the amount she was to be getting back on multiple occasions, for a couple of them I was witness to them telling her that she was to get back $3000 each trimester in a refund for living expenses, books, food, etc, totaling $9000 for the year.
Yesterday she walked down to the financial aid office to get an idea of when her refund check would be given out to her (she needs the money to get her wisdom teeth pulled). She called me immediately after, crying, explaining that she didn't know what happened, but the school didn't approve her federal loans for the same amount as last year. Keep in mind that the head of the financial office at the school is the one who approves student's federal aid amounts. The head of financial aid didn't approve her for any living expenses. None at all. Her refund paid for her books and now she is left with NOTHING.
She called the head of the financial department, spoke with her for an hour, trying to figure out why she wasn't approved for more money on her federal loans and why she was told she was going to get back $3000 each trimester when she isn't. I was in the car with her while she was talking to the lady and I could hear the lady screaming at my girlfriend:
Lady: "So what, you want me to write you a check for $9000, is that it?"
GF: "No, I just want to figure out why I was told differently, I'm not asking for any money, I just wanna know why..."
Lady: "I'm sorry I can't give you any money, you can't just call in here expecting me to hand out charity."
GF: "I'm not asking for money, I just wanna know why it was decided that I don't get enough money to live on"
Lady: "I'm not calling you a liar or anything, but I just don't believe that someone in this office would tell you that you were getting that much back.
**Keep in mind the people promised her the refund check from the 3rd trimester of last year by the 6th week of school and it got there on the 11th week**
**MORE TO COME SOON, I HAVE TO LEAVE FOR WORK!**
Point of all this is: she needs a lawyer and CANNOT afford one by any means. If she can't get her wisdom teeth pulled and goes day after day of agony with pain in here mouth, there is no way she or I can afford to hire a lawyer. We need a lawyer to either
A - Get her released from the school without have to pay back all of their "scholarships" (which amounts to $21,000)
or
B - Force them to give her the federal financial aid loans she was supposed to get and *IF POSSIBLE* punitive damages which I will explain more about when I can finish the rest of the story.
PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARE NOT THE IMPORTANT PART SO STOP COMMENTING ON IT! SHE NEEDS MONEY TO LIVE ON AND CANNOT AFFORD A $21,000 BILL FOR TUITION! PERIOD!
If you can help or know of someone who CAN, please PM me and I will give you my contact info so that we can speak directly.
Thanks to everyone for reading this and thanks for any advice you have.