The U.S. government officially shut down early last week after Democrats and Republicans failed to agree to pass a bill that would fund government services past Sept. 30. Since then, concerns have been raised about how this may interfere with Simmons’ financial aid process.
“This is the first time in six years we’ve had a shutdown,” said Amy Staffier, Assistant Vice President of Enrollment and Student Services and Director of Financial Aid, in an interview with the Voice. “Within the president’s budget, the two sides [House and Senate] are going back on what sort of potential restrictions or changes may be there.”
According to Staffier, President Donald Trump’s proposed budget would likely create some strain on work-study funding and the Pell grant, which is given to students who display “exceptional financial need.” However, she noted that, “…with the Pell, if there were a change, we would just be making that up with Simmons’ grant funding. So, a student really shouldn’t be seeing a change because of that.”
Federal Student Aid (FSA), an office of the U.S. Department of Education established following Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, was formulated to administer student financial assistance programs.
“These programs provide grant, work-study, and loan funds to students attending college or career school,” says the FSA under its about us section. They work to ensure students can gain financial aid through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and process millions each year.
The FAFSA is now implemented by many public and private higher education institutions, including Simmons University. Simmons utilizes the FAFSA to calculate a financial aid statement, which determines the cost of college each year for students.
Simmons states under the “applying for financial aid” section of their website, “As soon as you have submitted your application for Admission, we encourage you to file your Free Application for Federal Student Aid so that we are able to put together a full financial aid package for you.”
Simmons supplies information on financial aid applications through Student Financial Services. Beginning in early to mid-June, Simmons University releases financial packages annually.
Since Simmons is a private university, the overall amount of aid a student receives won’t shift much from years prior. That being said, students have raised concerns about how the government shutdown may impact them as federal work-study employees.
“It’s very scary as a student,” said Kaelyn Manley, a sophomore Social Work major and work-study employee of the Center for Leadership and Engagement.
A majority of the changes that come from the government shutdown are not yet known. For now, Simmons officials advise students to submit their FAFSA forms on time and stay alert for any updates as the federal budget discussions unfold.
