By Jane Kvederas ’22
Summary: Asking Student Financial Services to increase student support and number of student services, recommending the creation of an SFS community liaison staff position, encouraging collaboration with student organizations, urging the Division of Student Life to bring Financial Wellness under Be Well and demanding that students have a larger advisory role in the admissions and financial aid process.
Dear Mount Holyoke community,
We, the Executive Board of the Student Government Association of Mount Holyoke College, stand with those students who expressed disappointment in Student Financial Services’ lack of whole-hearted accountability for the harm that they have caused through their insensitive and racist practices. Concerns have been raised most vocally by students who identify as being first-generation college students, low-income and/or people of color.
Based on feedback from students, concerns raised in Senate and messages sent to the SGA Executive Board, the following points are outlined:
Students have raised concerns to the SGA E-Board about receiving insufficient support from Student Financial Services. We would like to amplify the voices of first generation and low-income students, BIPOC students and international students in particular who have shared their frustrations and concerns. We stand with those students who have consistently reported the lack of respect, insensitivity and forceful and/or disrespectful tone of Student Financial Services staff and call for a fundamental, palpable and urgent change to how the Office conducts itself and engages with students, the group of people that the Office is designated to serve and support.
The Executive Board has also received feedback regarding a lack of services offered from the Office of Student Financial Services. Part of the charge of the Office is to provide financial assistance and advice to the student body, and Financial Wellness is also listed under the tenets of Be Well. There are not structures in place that empower students to be fully successful in navigating their financial aid package and plans.
Therefore, the Student Government Association recommends that the Office of Student Financial Services creates an internal position especially designated as a role similar to that of a Community Liaison, potentially named a Financial Aid Counselor, in order to foster relationships and lines of communication with the student body. This role should not be assigned to a student worker, as the level of responsibility and labor would not be appropriate for a student worker.
Additionally, it is important to note that financially-focused workshops can be quite intimidating to many students, which likely contributes to lack of engagement within these events. In response to this, the Executive Board asks that the Office pursue methods of collaboration with student organizations and groups so that students will be in a comfortable and familiar environment during these events. Moreover, we agree that offering online information and tools as well as including some form of introductory session during first-year orientation are also viable options.
Lastly, we strongly urge the Division of Student Life to incorporate Financial Wellness, in collaboration with the Office of Student Financial Services, into the Be Well program. The purpose of Be Well is to provide students with “strategies and opportunities to create their own path to wellness,” because Mount Holyoke College believes that “the ability to thrive is founded on an active commitment and holistic approach to wellness … [for] today, tomorrow and always.” Findings from studies conducted with the American Psychological Association and the World Health Organization, as confirmed by anecdotal evidence, demonstrate the negative impact that financial instability has on mental and physical health. Moreover, it is difficult to foster a healthy community and healthy lives if students must direct their time and energy into ensuring their financial security. Financial Wellness being brought under the Be Well umbrella would ensure that the necessary resources were made available and accessible to all students, especially marginalized groups, thus promoting a truly holistic, long-lasting wellness.
Accountability with the Student Financial Services Office is an absolute necessity. The nature of the work done by this office has a direct and powerful impact on the livelihoods of Mount Holyoke students. As such, students must have a voice within this office and a stake in shaping the financial aid process. Feedback from students, concerns raised in Senate and messages sent to the SGA Executive Board include the following asks:
Clear, consistent and direct communication about the financial aid process before attending, as a current student and after graduation
Disaggregating the College Standing Committee on Admissions and Financial Aid into two committees, one on Admissions and the other on Financial Aid, each with a minimum of four student representatives
Increased specialized support for international students
Including, but not limited to, multilingual resource guides and materials focused on financial aid terminology
Increased specialized support for Black, Indigenous and Students of Color
Increased specialized support for First-Generation, Low-Income students
We conclude that in order to restore a bond of trust between the department and the student body, Student Financial Services must own up to past mistakes and issue a genuine apology to the members of our community who have been negatively affected by the department’s words and actions. After evaluating the concerns brought forward by the student body, we believe that there can be no forward progress for the department without full goodwill acknowledgement of all past insensitivities to the needs of our students as the first step towards all efforts to address the lack of respect and services provided to the student body.
I, on behalf of the Student Government Association, invite any members of the Mount Holyoke community to join me in this conversation.
Sincerely,
Jane Kvederas, SGA Chair of Senate
On behalf of the SGA Executive Board
April 28, 2021