COS ... Helping Students Stay in School | ABC30 Fresno

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By ABC30

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Visalia, CA, USA More than four thousand students at College of the Sequoias in Visalia get financial aid money from the state. Now, that money is coming out of COS's cash flow.

V.P. of Administrative Services Rod Frese said, "COS is committed to do the best for their students and best for their students is give them checks that they can cash."

Because the state told administrators they can't provide the cash for students, they're sending COS IOU's they can cash once the state has enough money.

"They send us a warrant, basically a check that I can't cash immediately it's a numbered warrant and when the warrant is up then it's cashable," said Frese.

This semester more than $2 million dollars will be given out to students here who are on state-funded financial aid because of how the money is distributed COS will only have to front about half a million dollars of that money at a time unless the state doesn't pay up.

Officials say students should see no change in the amount of money normally applied to their COS debit cards, but some students are worried the state's financial troubles will hurt her chances of finishing school.

"It leaves me feeling like I don't know what I'm going to do for the next semester or even this semester to get by," said Angela Brown.

Carme Ibarra worked three jobs last semester to pay for the $800 for books and other school expenses.

"You're expecting money and if you're not receiving it what are you going to do with the things you have to pay and all the expense you have for school and at home," said Ibarra.

Administrators are still encouraging students to apply for financial aid if they need it because they want to keep kids in school. In fact they're having an information session on how to get financial aid on February 4th at College of Sequoias.

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