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NJASFAA provides the Public Awareness hotline to support Financial Aid Awareness Month. |
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Volunteers make NJASFAA Hotline a Success! Submitted by Pamela Bauer, Citibank Student Loan Corp. NJASFAA provides the Public Awareness hotline to support Financial Aid Awareness Month. This year's hotline occurred during the last week of January and had more than 200 incoming calls. The process of applying for financial aid can be confusing and overwhelming to students and parents. Many families are concerned about the different deadlines for the FAFSA form and CSS Profile - in addition to many schools' priority deadlines. Questions regarding separation, divorce, and blended families are also very common. Others call to ask for an overview of the financial aid process and request an explanation of the financial aid types that are available. Sheila Menendez has served as the Chair of the NJASFAA Hotline for more than a dozen years. Although she believes publicity can be challenging, this year's hotline was included in articles in many newspapers including the Courier News, the Star Ledger, and Home News. Interviews and information were also provided on WOR radio (710 AM) and NJN (PBS) and News 12 television. In addition, many students and family members hear about the hotline through high school guidance counselors or the HESAA website. Although the hotline has come to an end for 2003, NJASFAA members can still volunteer for the NJASFAA Speaker's Bureau. Both of these public awareness efforts allow accurate information to be provided to the community by knowledgeable financial aid professionals. Please realize that volunteering in these ways helps combat companies who charge families in order to provide information that may not be accurate and professional! A special thank you goes to the volunteers who participated in this year's hotline:
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