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BY CLARISSA SKINNER

In print | Published November 13, 2008 — Updated December 03, 2008 23:12

Students for Financial Justice recently petitioned for greater transparency in deciding how aid packages are granted. The students are campaigning for a more person-oriented appeals process, for an earlier postmark date on students’ financial aid packages, and for allotting a percentage of outside scholarships to the family contribution. Five hundred and forty-five students signed the petition, as well as several student groups and faculty members. Director of Financial Aid Laura Talbot issued a response to the concerns expressed in the petition. SFJ and the administration have since established a dialogue and are discussing concerns related to financial aid.

Students expressed gratitude for the response. Student Groups Advisor Chris Green ’09 said, “The Financial Aid Office’s response to the petition was really great because it shows that they are interested. They took the time to find the petition, to look it up, to read it and to write a long, thoughtful document to explain their response.” However, Green also said, “The response didn’t really address the concerns. It was more of an explanation of what the Financial Aid Office already does. Students don’t need to know what the Financial Aid Office does, but want to change what it does.”

To try and remedy financial aid issues that students are concerned about, SFJ has continued discussion with the administration. Writer of the petition Candice Nguyen ’11 said, “On Monday, three members of SFJ met with Dean Bach and Laura Talbot. Both were very receptive and concerned.”
According to the parties concerned, dialogue between students and administrators is necessary for change. “Administrators have been at Swarthmore for a long time. They’ve seen more and know more of the background of the college than students, and it’s important to listen to that voice,” Green said.

Further, discussions with administrators have helped SFJ refine and consolidate its goals. “SFJ has evolved over time. It began with a vague dissatisfaction or a vague feeling of anger, which developed into solutions we’d like to offer as ways to change,” Green said. “As we’ve discussed more, thought more, interacted with the administration, each time we come together we have a greater understanding of what we want to happen.”

In addition to students, several groups signed the petition. Many groups on campus have expressed financial aid concerns that relate specifically to their members, including the Swarthmore African-American Student Society, the International Club and the Swarthmore Queer Union.
Eva McKend ’11 of SASS said, “Disproportionately across America, students of color are affected by the issue of financial aid.”

McKend described an incident that occurred during Discovery Weekend: “A prospective student said that he was looking forward to coming to Swarthmore and that his mom had encouraged him to apply because they didn’t have a lot of money, and Swarthmore has a large endowment. Some members started to laugh, but didn’t say anything. Many of us haven’t benefited.”

According to McKend, a lower percentage of black people across the country apply to college than do those of other racial groups. Thus, members of SASS do not want to jeopardize the possibility of more black students coming to Swarthmore. McKend said, “We can’t dissuade them from applying, but we’re lying to them at the same time.”

McKend pointed out the irony of this when she said, “Swarthmore is advocating for diversity, but not really trying to keep black students here.”

She expressed the perception of a number of black students on campus when she said, “There are other colleges that bend over backwards to get black students. It feels almost if Swarthmore doesn’t want us here.”

Another group that enhances diversity on campus is the international students.

International students have also expressed concern about financial aid, specifically taking issue with the fact that admissions for these students is not need blind. Many other colleges, according to Co-President of i20 Michael Xu ’11, have adopted need-blind admissions for international students, including Amherst, Williams, Harvard, Yale and Dartmouth.

“I think what really matters is admission [that] is need-blind to U.S. citizens and permanent residents, and that itself shows inequality. It’s discrimination against national origin and nationality,” Xu said. If an international student cannot pay tuition, the possible courses of action that student can take are limited. “International students don’t have the option to transfer, because it’s almost impossible [for international students],” Xu said. “It’s really unrealistic to tell us to go home.”

In addition to students of color and international students, queer students also face problems in relation to financial aid.

A representative of SQU who wished to remain anonymous said in an e-mail, “Many of the policies directly impact queer students — for example, current FAO policies don’t support you if your family decides to disown you due to coming out as queer to them. They still consider your parent contribution as part of your demonstrated assets. For many queer students, financial aid policies (among other factors, of course) force closeting in fear of the financial repercussions, which is a general trend, both in and out of Swarthmore.”

Many of these groups hope that a continued discourse with the administration can result in remedies for these problems. However, advocates recognize that these issues need long-term solutions, and could take many years before being instituted. However, many students express their continued support of the initiative.

As Nguyen said, “I was told that changes will not happen during my stay at Swarthmore. However, that should not stop students from pushing for change.”
“You can’t go to a school and be in fear. If you feel that something is wrong, you should speak out,” McKend said.

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