COVER STORY
could start registering for orientation on May 2, but the university will cap those spots to 50 percent until June 1 to allow for additional students to register as they make their decision. “The fact that you don’t need financial aid doesn’t give you a better housing spot and orientation spot,” he said. “It’s just one of those years we’re trying to do everything right that we possibly can and we’re facing occurrences outside of our control that we can’t do anything about.” He admits that June 1 may be untenable, but the university will make decisions as they come. He added: “We were first during COVID-19 to extend the deposit deadline, and the messages of grat- itude and appreciation paid off in a lot of goodwill. Obviously, in this business, you never get ahead by not focusing on students.” CALIFORNIA Blia Yang, executive director of undergraduate admissions at the University of California San Diego, said that at the first FAFSA simplifi- cation announcement, she tried to focus on the positives — that the changes were supposed to make the process easier. “We all really welcomed that,” she recalled.
Yet, like at many other institu- tions, the first round of records they received were problematic, making it clear that turning around financial aid awards likely would take even longer than anticipated. “When the Department of Education does something like it did recently — announcing yet another change, then pulling it back regard- less of the reasoning — it’s not only devastating for our staff, but for fam- ilies,” said Jim Rawlins, associate vice chancellor of enrollment manage- ment at UC San Diego. Since the first announcement, he has been mindful of the university’s most vulnerable families. “We keep having to balance out what’s possible for us, but we’re always going to be mindful of the student first during this process,” he said. “We’re drawing heavily on data put out on the FAFSA website that gives a periodic update on how FAFSA submissions are going at the high school level. I have asked my outreach teams to know which high schools to focus on regarding extra FAFSA workshops, encouragement, and more.” Rawlins said that not all colleges can continue to extend their dead- lines, and that at all schools, it puts undue pressure on financial aid
professionals. He said that families may ultimately feel pressure to with- draw or deposit at more than one school, and admission professionals must work together more than usual. Silvia Marquez, UC San Diego’s executive director of financial aid and scholarships, is on the board of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA). Rawlins said that connec- tion has helped himself and Yang in terms of information and aware- ness. In addition, campuses in the University of California system work closely with one another and bene- fit from system-level colleagues who help coordinate federal relations and other considerations. “While we get information from the Department of Education, we’ve quickly learned that it is not com- pletely reliable,” he added. Yang said, “The conversations that we’re having reminds me of when the pandemic hit. Campuses across the nation worked together and focused on good outcomes for the students and families, even if it was harder for the institutions. We’ve been through difficult times before and I think we will get through this. If we look two to three years in the future, the simpli- fication will come to fruition and be wonderful for families and students.” VIRGINIA Stephanie Dupaul, vice president for enrollment management at the University of Richmond (UR), has been waiting patiently. “It’s been an unexpected adven- ture,” she said. However, she has a tool in her back pocket that not every school uses — the College Scholarship Service (CSS) Profile. The CSS Profile is an online application created by the College Board, which colleges use to award non-federal institutional aid. Dupaul’s team uses the CSS Profile
We don’t want the FAFSA delays to delay
their enrollment or to take away from their celebration of admission. Stephanie Dupaul Vice President for Enrollment Management University of Richmond (VA)
24 • THE JOURNAL OF COLLEGE ADMISSION
Made with FlippingBook Digital Proposal Creator