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It doesn’t matter the place college students plan to go to varsity within the fall —Adams State College monetary assist officers say they may assist.
That’s the message the four-year Alamosa college needs to unfold after a troublesome college-going season marred by technical glitches with the brand new Free Utility for Federal Pupil Help.
As a result of they know college students in extra than simply the San Luis Valley have struggled, directors on the faculty had the thought to host weekly in-person Friday workplace hours to advise on the FAFSA, in addition to on-line webinars on Friday and Saturday to assist college students and households anyplace troubleshoot points with the shape. The providers will lengthen by the summer season.
Households can contact the Adams State Monetary Help workplace by calling 719-587-7306 or emailing onestop@adams.edu. The college’s workplace hours are from 9 a.m. to three p.m. on Fridays.
Webinars happen 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. MT Fridays and Saturdays and will be accessed by visiting adams.edu and clicking on the FAFSA Fridays emblem.
“We need to put them comfortable concerning the course of. We need to assist all people,” stated Zelda Vinson, interim monetary assist director. “We need to be sure that a pupil, if you wish to go to highschool — irrespective of if it’s a college, a university, or a commerce faculty — you ought to be afforded that chance.”
The FAFSA opens the doorways for monetary assist and scholarships to assist college students pay for school. However the rollout of the brand new, so-called Higher FAFSA kind has triggered issues this 12 months.
Whereas the shape usually opens in October, its launch was delayed till the top of December. Households and college students then confronted technical glitches that stored them from finishing the shape. Whereas lots of the glitches have been mounted, the issues have meant that many college students and households are filling out the FAFSA later than ordinary. Colleges throughout the nation prolonged their enrollment deadlines, and regional universities corresponding to Adams State proceed to enroll college students all through the summer season
Jeff Gallegos, an administrative assistant at Adams State who helps households with monetary assist, stated that whereas the FAFSA kind asks fewer questions, it nonetheless poses challenges. It’s particularly troublesome for fogeys and college students whose first language isn’t English. Gallegos additionally sees households fear about together with tax data, which the shape requires for college kids to be thought-about for federal grant cash. Or they don’t know easy methods to reply sure questions appropriately.
“While you take a look at these questions, they’ve plenty of jargon in them,” he stated.
Adams State leaders’ thought to open up assist providers to anybody who needs to go to varsity got here from figuring out that fewer college students would possibly present up within the fall as a result of FAFSA points. Vinson stated college students from the Alamosa space already face large challenges getting to varsity as a result of many are from low-income backgrounds or are the primary to go to varsity of their household.
The varsity additionally has a historical past of doing any such work for its group, Vinson stated.
“A whole lot of the households domestically, they drive to Alamosa to cease by and see us to do their FAFSA, although their youngsters have been perhaps going to go to a college in Denver or they have been going to go to highschool out of state,” she stated.
Vinson stated employees have been on board with opening up assist to all households and college students as a result of it’s the best factor to do.
The providers additionally present households that Adams State is a welcoming college, and Vinson hopes they unfold the phrase.
However Vinson and Gallegos stated it’s not all about recruiting households.
“If we may also help these college students, no matter what faculty they’re going by and so long as they’re getting educated, I feel that’s the main focus,” Gallegos stated. “I don’t notably care the place the scholars are going to highschool. We simply need to guarantee that they’ve the assets that they want after they get to their faculty with out getting kicked round.”
Jason Gonzales is a reporter masking increased training and the Colorado legislature. Chalkbeat Colorado companions with Open Campus on increased training protection. Contact Jason at jgonzales@chalkbeat.org.
