Writer tired of financial aid runaround

I've spent the last three summers working at A&M-Commerce, and it gets pretty dead around here. In fact, after three months of relative quiet, it's almost a shock to see the university crowded with students. So when I had questions concerning scholarships for the 2010-2011 school year, I didn't expect to get a response right away.

I contacted an adviser in the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships, who didn't know the answer to my question, and sent me to someone else in the office. I received an e-mail from this individual a week later and I promptly e-mailed her back.

After a week, I e-mailed her again. Then I called her multiple times. She was on vacation, so I waited a few weeks and called her back a few more times. Still nothing.

Finally, two months later, I received a mass e-mail from the individual stating that I had provided an incomplete scholarship package after I'd already turned in all the paperwork I needed to. The e-mail was sent on a Thursday, and I had until that upcoming Tuesday to get the information in. I raced to provide the information in order to receive my scholarship.

I wait a month and don't hear anything back. Finally, during the first week of school, I talk with my departmental adviser, who says that he didn't get any scholarship information from me. Turns out, the scholarship office didn't give him any of my paperwork, which is why I never received any scholarship.

Now, obviously, mistakes happen, and I recognize that the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships is put under tremendous pressure throughout the summer with 10,000+ students applying for various financial aid and scholarships. I by no means expect an unreasonably fast response to my questions, which is I why I started this process early in the summer to avoid any last-second problems.

The bigger issue here is that this isn't the first problem I've had with the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships, and I've heard similar stories from other students. If the office is overwhelmed with their workload, then the university should hire additional employees, even if they're just temporary for the summer. If those in the office are incompetent, then A&M-Commerce needs to find better employees.

The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships is one that almost every student at A&M-Commerce will come into contact with at some point in their collegiate career, and interaction with this office will leave them with either fond or frustrated memories of this university. Finding a way to make the financial aid process smoother for students is a must for A&M-Commerce.