To avoid the headache that more than 1,000 students experienced last year, the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid has streamlined its work-study application process.
The office posted the application online last week instead of having students visit Vance Hall on the first day of classes to pick up job assignment forms, a process that resulted in a long line of frustrated students one year ago.
The 3,225 students who were offered work-study as part of their financial aid packages this year were able to obtain the necessary forms through ConnectCarolina, said Michelle Klemens, assistant director for federal work-study and employment programs.
“The process was so much easier this year,” said Amber Rose, a senior archaeology major and work-study participant. “I was almost confused because it wasn’t complicated.”
In addition, students who have qualified for the work-study program in the past maintained their eligibility this year for the most part, Klemens said.
If some students did receive less financial aid this year, it was because their family’s financial situation changed for the better, said Shirley Ort, associate provost and director of the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid.
“I think scenarios like this — where students are receiving less aid — are really rare,” Ort said. “You’re probably hearing students that are maybe worried or scared about the future.”
There are thousands of available work-study jobs both on and off campus. Positions range from work in research labs to assisting local nonprofit organizations.
“We emailed students a week ahead of time to give us some buffering room to make sure everyone’s on the same page and understood the new process,” Klemens said.
