Spring Break
Financial aid panel calls for reforms that may solve Hopkins students' monetary issues
Issue date: 10/2/08
"The federal government has an enormous responsibility to ensure only quality institutions are participating in federal programs," Nassirian said. "I don't think they're doing a good job today and I would call for tightening of requirements so that students are not cheated out of their student aid dollars."
But otherwise, he said, he was in full support of the suggestions, especially for the elimination of the FAFSA.
Here at Hopkins, most of the students interviewed agree with Nassirian.
"Overall, I think that trying to eliminate FAFSA would be a good thing because I have a younger brother in college and so the weekend where it comes time to fill out the FAFSA is always problematic because there's two times the paperwork," senior Aru Sahni said. "You already spend so much on taxes; A lot of it's just redundant so I don't see a problem with ... releasing records to Hopkins, for example."
The timing of the FAFSA's due date is also particularly inconvenient, students said.
"It is a bit frustrating when you're trying to get ready to get back to school and you have the FAFSA to worry about in addition to all the other paperwork that goes into the starting of the school year," sophomore Rachel Trusty said.
For incoming freshmen, it is also difficult to handle the FAFSA in the rush of their high school senior year, according to freshman Lyndon O'Connor.
For parents that handle their own salaries, the FAFSA is also unnecessarily difficult.
"I think making it easier would be definitely a good idea," junior Tashi Rowe said. "I know my parents own their own business and so it's really hard to fill out FAFSA."
Senior Cassandra Mickish also noted from the experiences of her friends that the FAFSA requires much parent involvement, since the family's tax information is not always accessible or familiar to the students themselves. The FAFSA then becomes even more difficult if the parents are not supportive of their children, she observed.
But otherwise, he said, he was in full support of the suggestions, especially for the elimination of the FAFSA.
Here at Hopkins, most of the students interviewed agree with Nassirian.
"Overall, I think that trying to eliminate FAFSA would be a good thing because I have a younger brother in college and so the weekend where it comes time to fill out the FAFSA is always problematic because there's two times the paperwork," senior Aru Sahni said. "You already spend so much on taxes; A lot of it's just redundant so I don't see a problem with ... releasing records to Hopkins, for example."
The timing of the FAFSA's due date is also particularly inconvenient, students said.
"It is a bit frustrating when you're trying to get ready to get back to school and you have the FAFSA to worry about in addition to all the other paperwork that goes into the starting of the school year," sophomore Rachel Trusty said.
For incoming freshmen, it is also difficult to handle the FAFSA in the rush of their high school senior year, according to freshman Lyndon O'Connor.
For parents that handle their own salaries, the FAFSA is also unnecessarily difficult.
"I think making it easier would be definitely a good idea," junior Tashi Rowe said. "I know my parents own their own business and so it's really hard to fill out FAFSA."
Senior Cassandra Mickish also noted from the experiences of her friends that the FAFSA requires much parent involvement, since the family's tax information is not always accessible or familiar to the students themselves. The FAFSA then becomes even more difficult if the parents are not supportive of their children, she observed.
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