Financial Aid Matters

Posted by Jen Hanson in admin

Few students will name visiting Financial Aid as a top experience in college, but it’s a frequent and necessary task. In the past, it may not have been as smooth as hoped, but with a new team in office comes new and exciting changes.

In December of 2015, the Financial Aid office was completely expunged and three new officers were hired: Celeste Franklin, Anita Keim and Julian Oliver. As Franklin says, “with a new team there are new outcomes, and we’re here to help.”

The new team, a dynamic trio, kicked off with guns blazing. In the three months they’ve been here, they’ve reviewed all student finances, corrected issues that stemmed from the last team, have hosted and taken part of many events on campus, and continue to make a splash with energetic vigor. “We are working on ingraining into the fabric [of the school],” Keim says as her two coworkers nod.

Director of Financial Aid Celeste Franklin poses for Jackalope magazine while in her office in Mouton Hall.

The No. 1 thing every one of them agree is essential: communication. When students come in, the trio are elated and eager to do everything they can. Franklin insists that students also need to do their part in showing up.

“When Financial Aid contacts you, we hope you’ll answer,” she says.

“And if you don’t, we’ll keep emailing and calling you,” Oliver adds.

In working toward enhanced communication, the trio has been present and enthusiastic at on-campus events. They were a part of the student job fair, also hosted by Joanie Spain in Career Services. They also attended the pancake flip, and are excited to attend future events.

Financial Aid Counselor Julian Oliver poses for Jackalope magazine while in his office in Mouton Hall. Photography by Marco Rivera

Oliver, appointed by his colleagues, is also in the process of creating a Facebook page for the Financial Aid office so students can post basic questions without being intimidated by a face-to-face or being afraid that an email will be lost in the sea of communications.

Also on the team’s agenda is putting together a promo video for students pertaining to financial aid and the new team. The Film school is assisting in creating this video and it will be available on the school website.

“We are pro-active, we’re fixers, we’re frantic sometimes, but we’re getting it done!” says Franklin. Keim repeated again, “We’re here for you guys!”

As a team, the Financial Aid officers offer four tips for all students to ensure an even better experience with financial aid and their office:

Financial Aid Counselor Anita Keim poses for Jackalope Magazine while in her office in Mouton Hall.

1. Come in once per semester. This allows the team to provide any updates that may otherwise not be noticed until the system alerts them or the student. (Plus, the team genuinely wants to meet everyone!)
2. Do your FAFSA. Every year, there are always students who are shocked to learn they must do their FAFSA again. Every year equates a new FAFSA. (The earlier you do it, the more money is available to you!)
3. Accept awards. On every student portal under the financial aid section, there is a link which takes you to your account. There is a tab which lists all awards and indicates what has or has not been accepted. Accept your awards!
4. Keep in contact. Sometimes you think you’re completely done and then something comes up on your account. If you keep in contact with the financial aid team, fixing these issues becomes a lot faster and easier.

If you have financial aid issues or questions, any one of the team is happy to meet or communicate via email. They are looking forward to working and meeting with all students as the year progresses.

Contact Information:

Celeste Franklin: celeste.franklin@santafeuniversity.edu

Anita Keim: anita.keim@santafeuniversity.edu

Julian Oliver: julian.oliver@santafeuniversity.edu