Pete Moye’
News Button
Cerritos College students are still expressing mixed emotions over an earlier decision to split Pell Grant financial aid disbursements, with the second disbursement released on Oct. 28.
The decision to split the financial aid was made in an effort to prevent students from dropping classes after receiving their financial aid.
Undecided major Devin Wang thinks that it is not a good idea to split the financial aid.
“I understand where the financial aid department is coming from by deciding to split the financial aid, but it doesn’t really seem right because students have received the disbursements at one time in the past.”
Students like undecided major Darren Kong doesn’t see what all of the fuss is about.
“It doesn’t really matter to me if they give out the money at one time or if they split it. As long as I get the money, it really doesn’t affect me.”
Kong went on to say, “I do think that it helps more to split it to make sure students stay in school and also to make sure that they don’t spend it all at once.”
Some students think that the split is a good idea. Undecided major Stefan Vera agrees that the financial aid should have been split.
“We shouldn’t get [financial aid] all at once because people would just spend the money, and not use it right. It was a good idea to split it.”
Vera went on to say, “[The financial aid department] is handling it the right way because some people get their money and then they are gone.”
Accounting major Liz Villasenor thinks that while she has not been affected, it is a good idea to split the disbursements.
“I think that it was a good idea to split the financial aid into two disbursements because statistically, a lot of the students have actually dropped and disappeared.
“It is a good idea that they are doing it in payments to ensure that they [students] actually complete the process of taking the classes that they need to take to remain eligible for the amount of financial aid that they received.”
Nancy Quyan, who is studying to be a social worker had mixed feelings about the disbursements.
“I think that it’s a good idea because if kids are dropping out then that money can go to other kids that need actually need that money,” Quyan said.
