What I Wish More Faculty Knew about Financial Aid & The Role You Can Play to Help Protect It • Jared Dowd (Assistant Professor, Counseling, Grant Campus)

As a financial aid counselor at a community college, I have the privilege to have students really open up to me about what is going on with them and their families. This unique glimpse occurs as I am meeting with these individuals to discuss their aid, why they are dropping courses, or how their financial circumstances have changed. Each semester many students are met with an array of challenges outside of the classroom. Too many of these go without intervention or communication in order for students to receive the support they need from either their professors or counselors. These barriers to success usually lurk in silence until the student and their family are forced to deal with the consequences of their life circumstances: health issues, financial problems, mental health concerns, child care challenges, deaths in the family. These are a few samples of the harsh realities our students endure that can interfere with their academics. 

Money is a very important piece to the puzzle for many students in continuing their education. However, if students drop courses or their grades dip below a certain point, they might be blocked from their financial aid and think that they cannot continue on, which exacerbates our retention issue.

In most of these situations, classroom faculty are the first line of defense to support the students who fall through the cracks each semester. This additional attention to detail is critical to help make sure that the college is more just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive. We must all look at our students from a holistic perspective to help serve them both in and out of our classrooms.

Since this is one of my specialties at the college, here are some key points to highlight the role you can play to help students protect their aid and successfully obtain a degree from SCCC. 

1. If You See Something, Say Something

As a fellow faculty member, I have noticed sometimes just reaching out and letting the student know that you notice a change in performance and/or behavior can make a world of difference. This intervention can lead to a higher retention rate and greater possibility of student success. Our role is vital in connecting students to the various resources available on campus. This subtle gesture could lead to a student connecting with our Mental Health and Wellness Services or give them the additional support they need via our tutoring and academic support centers.

Use of the Academic Alert system allows students to know where they stand in their courses. It also is an opportunity for open dialogue for concerns or congratulations. Feedback can promote social awareness and a sense of responsibility. In some cases, it can lead to enhanced self-confidence among the students. This is also an opportunity to show excelling students the vast scholarship opportunities available to them for both continuing and graduating students via SCCC scholarships. 

2. Start the Semester Off by Informing and Warning

When initially connecting with your class and reviewing the course policies regarding grading and attendance, be sure to reference students who have financial aid. Being cognizant of the fact that a student’s performance, grades, and decisions can have repercussions for their financial aid opens up conversations. This mere mention can lead to a conversation that can happen during office hours, where a student may feel more comfortable having such discussions with you. This is also a great time to plant a seed regarding the scholarship opportunities available to our students, as academic performance qualifies our student body for hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. 

3. Send Students to Us in Financial Aid Office

Always encourage students to come to see us in the Financial Aid offices. This is especially true if they approach you with questions and you are unsure of how to respond. If you hear a student talking about not being able to stay at the college or say they are not sure if they can come back next semester, please send them our way so we can assist. Everyone needs a little support from time to time. The college’s Student Resource page is filled with both internal and external ways of supporting our students in need. 

Financial aid can be complicated. There is no way around that for someone who is not familiar with the process. We know that many students, especially our non-traditional and first-generation college populations, may not have anyone to assist them with their financial aid. Our role is to help guide them through the process. Often there is more financial aid available to students than one may realize. For example, in 2019, after years of activism led by undocumented youth, New York State finally passed the Dream Act, which gives undocumented students access to state financial aid. 

Our campus offices are listed on the right side of the college Financial Aid page, and please encourage students to register for our Financial Aid 101 and 102 workshops which have dates ranging throughout the entire semester.

4. Familiarize yourself with the Satisfactory Academic Progress Chart (SAP)

Faculty are often approached by students with questions about how their grades will affect their financial aid. This can be frustrating for both faculty and students because the answer is often, “it depends.” For example, in the case of a student who is a veteran, it is better for them to receive an F than a W. For other students it is generally wiser to advise them to withdraw and receive a W because as it has a lesser impact on their GPA.

The federal requirements for financial aid are made clear on the satisfactory academic progress (SAP) chart, so this important for faculty to be aware of. For instance, a first-semester student might take on 15 credits in September only to realize that off-campus obligations are complicating their lives to the point where they fear they are failing two of their classes. The student may come to you and ask your advice: Is it better to stick it out in all five classes and risk a lower grade in all of them? Or is it better to withdraw from the two to avoid an F at all costs? Since their federal aid is predicated on them passing at least 10 credits with a GPA of 1.6 or higher, you would want to discourage them from dropping the two classes, which would leave them with only 9 credit hours.

The loss of financial aid is one of the main reasons why some students leave SCCC, so knowing some of these basics can extremely beneficial for our most vulnerable students.

5. Encourage Student Participation in Study Hour & Tutoring Services/Writing Centers

The Grant & Eastern Campuses have been hosting a Study Hour program for students, and we would like to see this program grow. Study Hour began as a program for students on academic probation or in developmental courses, and has continued to expand semester after semester. Study Hour provides mentoring and additional academic and/or other supports to students as they progress through their classes. You can learn a bit more about Study Hour in this video created by Professor Bill O'Connell at Grant. 

Study Hour itself is a kind of JEDI strategy, as it provides all students an additional means of support to help them succeed.

From a financial aid perspective, I participate in Study Hour by meeting one-on-one with students to ease concerns and normalize their obstacles. This early intervention model gives students a chance to regain their financial aid through the appeal process which can allow them to get aid back. My goal is to inspire hope and give them a realistic perspective in terms of when their financial aid may be reinstated for the students who have currently lost it.

These conversations are useful because they typically start with the money concerns, but then as a counselor I’m able to point students to all of the other great student support services we have at the college. So whether students enroll in Study Hour or whether you actively promote our academic tutoring centers, writing centers (at Ammerman, Eastern, and Grant), and libraries, etc., please do all you can to help all of our students succeed at SCCC.

You never know the impact of what a small observation or conversation can do for one of our students. What may seem like part of your job or a quick interaction in a hallway can have a tremendous impact on someone. Their success stories become ours. I look forward to making more of those happen along with you. Stay thriving.