El Centro College, DCCCD Dallas Community College District John Wells, and El Centro College will not give me my STEM scholarship I was awarded. Dallas, Texas

After two months of being ignored by El

Centro Colleges financial aid department of why I was 500.00 short and complaining to the district of DCCCD Hannah Love emailed me on 12/2/2010, see below,

I'm following up on Rick Renshaw's e-mail to you regarding your STEM stipend. We have researched your award with the assistance of Financial Aid. I regret to inform you that you will not be receiving additional funds at this time because your stipend would place you in "over award" status for Fall 2010.

Our office cannot provide any further assistance on this matter as the limits for what each student can receive per semester are determined by the total cost of instruction and federal formulas.

I wish you the best in your future endeavors and appreciate your patience as we worked with the various offices to determine a final resolution.

Thank you,

Hannah Love

I spoke to an ombudsman for student loans and she told me that if this was true they are suppose to give me the scholarship and less money for my subsidized and unsubsidized loans, it is pretty much straight forward that you get scholarship money before loans.

John Wells is the director of student financial support and services at El Centro College, the college in Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD) that I am graduating from. John Wells is the person I had an email conversation with that told me they could not process my financial aid until I took care of the directions on e-connect. I have an email from another college in DCCCD that John Wells, El Centro College financial aid is the one that processed my 2010 FAFSA. Yes I have gotten frustrated living in Austin, Texas and going to college in Dallas, Texas where I can not run down to the college and talk to people face to face when being ignored by the financial aid employees at El Centro College for the last two years because I do not have a car or the extra money to rent one. It says on their answering machine walk-ins take priority over phone calls. I asked John Wells about what money I owed numerous times during our email conversation and he told me to follow the directions on e-connect, thus to call the 800 number to find out what money I owed. When I called this number they told me that they did not have any information on me because they only have information for people that are in default. Additionally, every one I talked to at The Department of Education and FAFSA told me that my college was harassing me. I was not in default and FAFSA and the Department of Education both told me they did not send anything to the college stating I was. Also, they could look on the NSLDS to see I am not in default. This took a lot of time to clear up and I received my financial aid late because they would not process it until this was cleared up. I had to borrow money from my 70-year-old parents; luckily they came in a little money and could do this. I have already paid them back and was very thankful because I did not get my financial aid in time. I had no problems with a four year university that processed my financial aid the same time as El Centro College processed it, thus was no record of me owing money on my record. Below is what it said on e-connect and everyone at El Centro and Eastfield College told me to call the 800 number to clear it up. Again the 800 number had no record of me as I was not in default and does not send anything to a college. Also, attached is a picture of a screen shoot stating that there was never anything on my record from nsldss web site. I do have an overpayment in 2002 and was cleared up/paid by the college I attended in 2002 and has stated this since 2002. This is my third year at El Centro and just need one more class to graduate with a degree as a Computer Programmer/ Software Developer and have been always in good academic standing at the college.

I did complain to the President Paul McCarthy of El Centro College after all this because I believed it was academic harassment and he gave me the ombudsman at El Centro College Betty Tully. Betty Tully told me on the phone pretty much to not file a complaint or I will see what happens to my financial aid. After I put my complaint in to Betty Tully and Paul McCarthy I was completely ignored by them and they never responded to it, I dropped everything and just wanted the college to hear how I have been treated. When I added all my financial aid up for fall 2010 and found out I was short, Dana Mingo emailed me from Eastfield College told me that I did not receive my STEM Scholarship from DCCCD because there needs to be an override in the system. I am not taking a full 12 credit hours this semester and Dana Mingo of Eastfield College has sent emails to John Wells to clear this up that I am awarded this award being a half time student where he has not responded to me. When I here from DCCCD or the STEM scholarship committee at DCCCD why I did not receive my $500.00 scholarship I will update this or if I do receive my scholarship I will update this for fall of 2010. As of now I have been ignored and my complaint of academic harassment about John Wells and where my scholarship is has not been taken care of from President Paul McCarthy, and the ombudsman Betty Tully. I have been ignored/ concerns of asking why the college is academic harassing me have not been addressed by Vice President Michael Jackson, John Wells, Sarah Monroe of scholarships, Fela Alfaro (dean for students), Bette Tully, and Paul McCarthy. As well I have been ignored by where my $500.00 scholarship is by Kristie Knoll, and Victory Rae at El Centro College. I have been ignored by other employees at DCCCD.  

 

 

Major Issues Section

 

Document Requested:

Copy of Student's Dept of Education Satisfactory Repayment Letter or Proof of Overpayment Resolution

 

Why?	How to Fix This
Due to a federal aid overpayment you are currently ineligible for financial aid.	You can find information about who has reported the overpayment and how to contact that school or agency atwww.nslds.ed.gov. You must submit written proof that the overpayment has been resolved to your college Financial Aid Office. You may contact the Dept of Education at 1-800-621-3115 to get written confirmation that this has been resolved.

Update:

I had the college take the default off as I was not in default, but got my student loans late because off this. This took a long time to clear up because when I called the 800 number for people that are in default they had no record of me because I was NOT in default. Everyone at the NSLDS told me the college was harassing me and they could just look on the NSLDS to see that I do not owe any money. The only way I was able to survive was getting a loan from my 70-year-old parents that I already paid back. I was lucky they came into a little money and could do this or I would have been homeless. Attached is a screen shot of the NSLDS saying I am NOT in default. I was in default in 2002 and it was repaid by the college I attended not by me. Additionally, below is the block that was put on my financial aid by John Wells to call the number for when people are in default.

 

  Major Issues Section

Document Requested:

Copy of Student's Dept of Education Satisfactory Repayment Letter or Proof of Overpayment Resolution

Why?	How to Fix This
Due to a federal aid overpayment you are currently ineligible for financial aid.	You can find information about who has reported the overpayment and how to contact that school or agency atwww.nslds.ed.gov. You must submit written proof that the overpayment has been resolved to your college Financial Aid Office. You may contact the Dept of Education at 1-800-621-3115 to get written confirmation that this has been resolved.

 

 

John Wells put down I owed money, that I was in default for financial aid and I was not, in fact I have a 3.7 GPA and have 120 credit hours of college.

- What does the number of Credit Hours or your GPA have to do with your Financial Aid?  Are you saying that people with 120 credit hours and a GPA of 3.7 can't be in default?

When someone claims that a single person is responsible.  You have to ask yourself which is more logical. 

That some person has picked the OP at random for the sole purpose of causing them problems for absolutly no reason.

OR

Perhaps the OP is not telling the entire story.  Where usually this information that they don't post probably does not make them look so good.