ANTHONY CHERGOSKY, THANKS VERY MUCH.
>> IN EDUCATION NEWS, THE UW BOARD OF REGENTS THIS
WEEK-APPROVED A TUITION HIKE THAT AVERAGES NEARLY $400 MORE
PER YEAR. FOR MANY COLLEGE-BOUND STUDENTS,
PART OF PLANNING FOR COSTS INCLUDES FILLING OUT THE FREE
APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL STUDENT AID, OR FAFSA.
IT'S A NECESSARY STEP TO SEE WHAT THEIR FINANCIAL AID PACKAGE
LOOKS LIKE AND WHETHER OR WHERE THEY CAN ENROLL, BUT THIS YEAR,
THE FAFSA PROCESS IS A MESS FOR STUDENTS AND COLLEGES.
A NEW STREAMLINED FORM FROM THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
CAME OUT MONTHS LATE, WAS DIFFICULT OR IMPOSSIBLE TO
ACCESS, AND THEN WAS FILLED WITH GLITCHES SO BAD, FINANCIAL AID
OFFICES AT COLLEGES CAN'T EVEN MOVE AID AWARDS ALONG.
IN WISCONSIN, MORE THAN 126,000 STUDENTS FILLED OUT THE FAFSA
LAST YEAR AND WERE AWARDED FINANCIAL AID.
FOR A LOOK INSIDE THE MESS HAPPENING THIS YEAR, WE TURN TO
KATIE WEISENBURGER, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF FEDERAL AWARDS OF
THE UW-MADISON OFFICE OF STUDENT FINANCIAL AID.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. >> QUITE THE SETUP.
I CAN'T EVEN BELIEVE YOU HAVE TIME TO BE HERE, BECAUSE I
UNDERSTAND THAT PEOPLE LIKE YOURSELVES ARE WORKING NIGHTS
AND WEEKENDS JUST TRYING TO DEAL WITH THIS.
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN YOUR OFFICE?
>> ABSOLUTELY. THINGS ARE CHANGING EVERY DAY.
SO WE ARE OFTEN ON PHONECALLS FIRST THING IN THE MORNING, LAST
THING AT NIGHT, SENDING MESSAGES TO EACH OTHER, MAKING DECISIONS
BASED ON THE CURRENT INFORMATION.
BEEN ON WEBINARS EVERY DAY WITH FEDERAL STUDENT AID, TRYING TO
UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING AND WHAT WE CAN AND CANNOT DO.
>> SO HOW DELAYED ARE FINANCIAL AID AWARDS THIS YEAR?
>> THEY'RE EXTREMELY DELAYED. FOR AN EXAMPLE, AT UW-MADISON,
WE TYPICALLY HAVE AID OFFERS OUT FOR OUR NEW STUDENTS IN JANUARY,
AND IT'S APRIL AND WE'RE -- WE ARE GETTING CLOSER BUT WE'RE NOT
QUITE THERE YET. >> HOW MANY UW-MADISON
APPLICANTS ARE AFFECTED? >> ALL OF OUR UW-MADISON
APPLICANTS ARE AFFECTED, OR I SHOULD CLARIFY, ANYBODY WHO IS
APPLYING FOR FINANCIAL AID. >> ARE THERE CONCERNS THAT
STUDENTS WILL END UP NOT ATTENDING BECAUSE OF THIS?
>> CERTAINLY, THERE ARE CONCERNS.
CERTAINLY ACROSS THE STATE AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
>> WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF THE PROBLEMS THAT PEOPLE ARE
EXPERIENCING WITH THIS FAFSA FORM?
TECHNICAL ISSUES. AT THE BEGINNING, THERE WERE
SOME STUDENTS AND FAMILIES WHO COULDN'T COMPLETE THE
APPLICATION AT ALL. MOST OF THOSE TECHNICAL ISSUES
HAVE BEEN RESOLVED, BUT THE BIGGEST ISSUE RIGHT NOW IS THAT
PEOPLE JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO RECEIVE FOR
FINANCIAL AID. SO IT'S REALLY HARD TO MAKE
THOSE DECISIONS ABOUT WHERE THEY'RE GOING TO GO TO SCHOOL,
WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO STUDY WITHOUT HAVING ALL OF THE
INFORMATION. TYPICALLY, WE ARE RECEIVING
FAFSA RECORDS IN OCTOBER AND WE JUST STARTED TO RECEIVE THEM AND
WE HAVE JUST BEEN TOLD THAT AT LEAST 20% MAY NOT BE ACCURATE.
SO NOW WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF
EDUCATION TO REPROCESS THOSE FAFSA RECORDS SO WE CAN HAVE
ACCURATE INFORMATION. >> SO HAS YOUR OFFICE, THEN,
BEEN INUNDATED WITH CONCERNED STUDENTS AND FAMILIES?
>> YES. YES, WE HAVE.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, THERE'S JUST NOT A LOT WE CAN SAY BECAUSE WE
DON'T NECESSARILY KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING AND WHEN IT'S GOING TO
HAPPEN. FAMILIES HAVE BEEN ABSOLUTELY
PATIENT AND UNDERSTANDING, BUT IT'S VERY STRESSFUL,
PARTICULARLY FOR THOSE FAMILIES THAT HAVE -- THIS IS MAYBE THEIR
FIRST TIME APPLYING FOR FINANCIAL AID, SENIORS IN HIGH
SCHOOL TRYING TO MAKE THAT BIG DECISION ABOUT WHERE THEY'RE
GOING TO ATTEND COLLEGE. >> SO WHAT IS YOUR GUIDANCE,
THEN, TO FAMILIES AND BE STUDENTS IN THE MIDST OF THIS IS
THIS. PATIENT.
PLEASE BE KIND. BUT MOSTLY, CHECK YOUR EMAILS,
PARTICULARLY THE STUDENT'S EMAIL.
SO PARENTS OFTEN CHECK THEIR EMAILS, BUT WE WANT THE STUDENT
TO CHECK THEIR EMAILS BECAUSE IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED,
WE WILL EMAIL THAT STUDENT DIRECTLY.
IS TO PAY ATTENTION TO THOSE EMAILS AND THOSE COMMUNICATIONS.
>> SO HOW IS THE ADMISSIONS OFFICE DEALING WITH ALL OF THIS?
BECAUSE THAT'S THE UPSTREAM PROBLEM.
RIGHT? >> SURE, YES, YEAH.
OUR ADMISSIONS TEAM HAS BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE OF OUR FINANCIAL
AID OFFICE, AND THE BIGGEST THING THAT THEY HAVE DONE IS
THEY HAVE MOVED THE DECISION DATE FROM MAY 1st TO MAY
15th, AND A LOT OF OTHER SCHOOLS HAVE DONE THAT ACROSS
WISCONSIN AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
THAT'S THE BIGGEST IMPACT THAT WE'VE DONE FOR OUR STUDENTS
HERE. HAVE IN-PERSON SESSIONS THIS
MONTH TO HELP STUDENTS WITH FAFSA.
>> YES. >> ONE OF THEM HAPPENED TODAY.
>> YEAH. >> IN YOUR TENURE AS A FINANCIAL
AID OFFICER, HOW EXTRAORDINARY IS THIS YEAR?
>> THIS IS THE CRAZIEST YEARS I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY 23 YEARS IN
FINANCIAL AID IN HIGHER EDUCATION.
AND I THINK IN THE LONG RUN, A YEAR FROM NOW, THIS IS GOING TO
BE WONDERFUL BECAUSE MORE PEOPLE WILL HAVE ACCESS TO THE FEDERAL
PELL GRANT, IT'S AN EASIER APPLICATION, JUST BUT RIGHT NOW
THE PROCESS OF IMPLEMENTING IT HAS BEEN A NIGHTMARE.
TO PUT IT FRANKLY. >> TO PUT IT FRANKLY.