Legality of my school withholding financial aid dispersements

[expo1001]

What is the name of your state? Oregon


The community college that I attend recieves financial aid money at the beginning of each term, from the government, for each student. They directly apply all this money directly to students accounts against tuition, fees, and old charges. This is all well and good.

The probelm is thus: The school holds all remaining financial aid money left over after tuition and fees for a period of three weeks, for every student, before dispersing it in the form of a check. Durring the three week time period when many of us are penniless, the school allows students to spend their remaining financial aid money that they are withholding at the school-owned bookstore, and nowhere else. We are forced to buy overpriced books, which we need for classes, and we do not have any alternative since they have our money. Conveniently, the last day students can return items to the bookstore for refund is always the day before we get our financial aid check.

This seems WRONG to me, and I tried talking to people out here at the school and tried sifting through my state's statutes, but I haven't been able to get any information.

Is this legal? Can my school legally do have a monopoly on books, and force students to purchase only their (overpriced) products?

Please help!

 

[seniorjudge]

What is the name of your state? Oregon


The community college that I attend recieves financial aid money at the beginning of each term, from the government, for each student. They directly apply all this money directly to students accounts against tuition, fees, and old charges. This is all well and good.

The probelm is thus: The school holds all remaining financial aid money left over after tuition and fees for a period of three weeks, for every student, before dispersing it in the form of a check. Durring the three week time period when many of us are penniless, the school allows students to spend their remaining financial aid money that they are withholding at the school-owned bookstore, and nowhere else. We are forced to buy overpriced books, which we need for classes, and we do not have any alternative since they have our money. Conveniently, the last day students can return items to the bookstore for refund is always the day before we get our financial aid check.

This seems WRONG to me, and I tried talking to people out here at the school and tried sifting through my state's statutes, but I haven't been able to get any information.

Is this legal? Can my school legally do have a monopoly on books, and force students to purchase only their (overpriced) products?

Please help!

If you are in college, you should know the difference between disperse and disburse.

Tell me what the difference is and I will answer your question.

 

[expo1001]

If you are in college, you should know the difference between disperse and disburse.

Tell me what the difference is and I will answer your question.

I know the difference between the two words. To disperse is to scatter something about, while to disburse is to pay something out, usually money from a fund. By the way, it was very polite and quite mature of you to point out my error, and to make your assistance contingent on me humiliating myself for your amusement. I asked a question about the legality of my school withholding financial aid money, I did not ask for an analysis of the grammatical content of my post or the correctness of my word usage.

I do not like nitpickers, and I do not respond well to arrogance. You can keep your answer. If this forum is populated by people like you, I do not want to be a part of it. I will seek the answer to my question elsewhere.

 

[averad]

I will seek the answer to my question elsewhere.

O no what ever will we do *cry*

 

[debba]

In the same boat with my college

My college is doing the same thing.
Last fall, I was dropped form my classes 4 times, (the system auto purged those who had not paid tuition). I finally went to the Dean of Student Affairs, politely told him I knew about the misappropriated funds by the prior deans and did not feel like paying for it with my loans. I threatened to hire an atty and lo and behold, I had my check in hand 2 days later. Of course the rest of the students had to wait.
I'm not a kid who believes everything I am told. It is against the rules of the financial institution who loans me the money for the school to hold it. I refuse to pay interest on money I do not have in hand!
The financial aid office had to close their doors because of all of this, (violence from students was the biggest reason). When you apply and receive a loan and then cannot even pay for your books, well some got quite angry.
Again this year, they are doing the same, only this time the excuse is that it is a new policy, since so many student drop classes during the first month.
I'm earning a degree in health care and the school tells me what classes I must take so there are no dropped classes, so this rule should not apply to me.
So back to the dean's office I shall go. But this time I guess since I am an older student with a little more knowledge (without blinders on), I will force the issue of holding loans that we pay interest on.

And since people like the one that answered and was more concerned about spellchecking (had all the time in the world, ya know, really busy person!) and not being helpful. And oh, that person also forgot all the "unpaid" student loans he will have to pay more taxes for to cover them, because of their great help on keeping students in school to earn a degree so they can pay their student loans by getting better jobs. They are definitely high on my list of "the most intelligent" people on this site!

 

[mlane58]

You are hi-jacking a thread that is over 3 years old. If you want someone to reply to your issue, then start your own thread.