Tags:
| Updated: 10/06/2012 9:46 am |
Published: 10/05/2012 10:39 pm |
Dozens of students gathered outside Arkansas Baptist College today demanding their financial aid refund checks that never came.
"They still keep telling me to wait but - we've been waiting and we ain't got no money yet," said Freshman Sharvonia Nelson.
Nelson is waiting on about $1,000 to pay for groceries and rent.
"After paying for books and everything, that helps a lot but they're still not giving us our money," said Nelson.
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Billy Owens says the college doesn't have the money to give students.
He blames a new software system for glitches in the financial aid application process delaying the school from getting the applications to the federal government.
Until the government has the completed applications, students will continue to wait on their refunds.
"We're actually giving our students an advance so that they will have money to take care of emergencies," said Owens.
Owens is now manually writing checks to hundreds of students giving them advances from the college's general fund to help them get through another week.
"It's less money than they were scheduled to receive but it's enough money to tide them over for the next weekend," said Owens.
"I just hope I get my money soon," said Nelson. "Otherwise I'm going to have to leave the school."
"Our students are number one," said Owens. "They've had enough traumatic things go on in their lives this week and we're not trying to add to it."
Owens believes all the major glitches in the new system are now fixed but knows this crowd will still have to wait for their money at least one more week.
Almost 90% of the student body at Arkansas Baptist relies on financial aid and the refunds that come with it to help them pay for school.
