Financial Counelor to aid Student Accounts

The Office of Student Accounts is adding the position of a financial counselor to its staff this year. The office underwent restructuring last fall and the position of manager of student financial services was added to aid students and parents on financial issues.

"[It will be] trouble-shooting in some respects. [We will] try to reach deeper in and try to be of assistance to parents and students," David Laczko, director of student accounts, said.

President of the College Nancy Dye said the position is part of a series of actions to help improve financial situations of students' financial aid packages.

"If you don't have good financial aid, a financial counselor won't be able to do much good," Dye said.

According to Dye, the counselor will work with students actively to help students manage money and help students who are having financial difficulty. The job description defined specific duties such as advising walk-in students and parents about any concerns regarding non-routine financial questions and initiating prompt communication with students and their parents about educational costs.

Laczko said, "The primary purpose of the position is to ensure students succeed in their academic pursuits without interruption by consistently maintaining the solvency of individual student accounts and availability of adequate educational funding."

Laczko said the office has a six person staff, but currently they are down to four people. He said one person was ill and the other position has not been entirely filled for about a year and a half.

"Some things have been picked up and some things have been switched around," Laczko said. He said the office is working to be more active but that it's been very difficult to do that with a reduced staff.

"It is important when you are having financial difficulties to get help. Right now we don't have anybody identifiable to do that," Dye said.

Laczko said following former students' accounts will not be a specific part of the job. The increased attention to student accounts might help shed light on retention issues. "Hopefully we could develop some sort of information that would be useful [to institutional researchers]," Laczko said.

He said he is currently in the process of reviewing applications for the position.

"There has been a good response, both in terms of quantity and quality," Laczko said. The office has a target hiring date of June 1.