Meet the Staff: Financial Aid Edition

The Financial Aid office is full of amazing workers trying to make the college journey for students just a little bit easier. There are several people working in the Financial Aid office and it can be difficult to decide who is the best person to talk with. Today I will be highlighting the Coordinator of Financial Aid to find out what this job is all about.

I was able to chat with Loraine Chance the Coordinator of Financial Aid at GCSC. Her responsibilities listed on the Financial Aid webpage are slightly vague only stating “R2T4, Professional Judgements, & Dependency Overrides.” So I asked her to break down her position a little bit more of us. Chance clarified by saying, “As the Coordinator of Financial Aid at GCSC, I have several main areas of responsibility. These include overseeing the verification process, special circumstance requests, and Return to Title IV.” This was helpful in understanding what the webpage’s job description was outlining, however, to those of us who are not as familiar with Financial Aid lingo, this could still be confusing. Chance graciously explained each aspect of her job in even more detail for us.

Chance described her involvement with the verification process as follows, “Students submit the Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to apply for financial aid. I coordinate the transfer of these application files to the college and the process of adding tracking requirements, determining eligibility, and the verification of these applications. I supervise the Verification Team who review applicants’ FAFSAs and requested documents to determine if the information submitted is correct or if changes are needed.” Chance is very knowledgeable and involved with the FASFA process, so if you are having complicated issues with your FASFA she would be a great resource.

If you feel you have a special circumstance concerning your FASFA, Chance would also be able to help. Concerning this part of her job Chance said, “A small number of students have unusual circumstances that may affect their financial aid. If students have difficulty completing the FAFSA, they may visit the Financial Aid information on the college website and are encouraged to come to our office to speak to an advisor regarding their personal situation. I review special circumstance requests such as Professional Judgments and Dependency Overrides.”

Chance continues, “My third area of major responsibility is the Return to Title IV process. When students receive Federal Financial Aid, Title IV funds, it is expected that classes will be completed. When students have not “earned” enough of their aid, a portion has to be returned to the federal government. This results in students having to pay back some of their financial aid to the college or directly to the U. S. Department of Education.

As the Coordinator of Financial Aid Chance has a lot of insight into the workings of Financial Aid, because of this I asked if there were any tips she could give students about Financial Aid. Chance said, “There are some helpful tips that I would like to share. First, apply early for financial aid by doing your FAFSA well before the processing priority deadline so that you will know how much is available for a semester and the year ahead. Check your student email and the Financial Aid tab on your Lighthouse account frequently in case there is something that needs to be submitted. Then, attend class and do all you can to pass to avoid the consequences of possibly losing your financial aid. Finally, always contact the Financial Aid office about anything that may affect your financial aid, such as not passing a class, withdrawing, or requesting a drop with a refund.”

Getting to know those who work in the Financial Aid office can make visiting the office a little less stressful, especially if you already know who is best suited to help with your particular issue. Thank you so much to Loraine Chance for all the amazing information she provided.

As always if you have any more questions about Financial Aid please contact the Financial Aid office for more information.

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