Expo gives students financial aid guidance

Allen Hines

Hundreds of students gathered to talk about their financial futures at the Financial Aid and Scholarship Expo in the Student Center Ballroom yesterday.

The expo, now in its sixth year, was sponsored by the Student Financial Aid Office. It brought together various university academic departments offering scholarships and administrative offices related to the collection and disbursement of student funds as well as employers offering jobs to students.

“Students have to be working, typically,” said Connie Dubick, associate director of Student Financial Aid. “They have to both look for scholarships and take their money from work.”

The financial aid representatives stressed that students should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid as soon as possible.

“One of the things we’re trying to do is make sure that students know (that) now is FAFSA time,” Dubick said.

Dubick and others were also referring students to the financial aid Web site for scholarship information.

“If you start now for next year, there’s time to do the FAFSA, to do the scholarship search, to find out what your eligible for,” she said.

Students who missed the expo yesterday can go to the financial aid office for more information.

“This is the time to be doing the paperwork and getting ready and building their strategy for next year,” she said.

The idea for the expo was proposed six years ago by a student who wanted other students to come together in one place to obtain all the financial services available to them.

“It gives a lot of great information,” said Laquilia Graham, junior health care administration major. “All the financial advice and information you need is at one place.”

Contact student affairs reporter Allen Hines at [email protected].