JAMES MEAD
Web Editor
If you’ve been following Fredonia’s response to COVID-19, you’ve likely heard rumors about how budget cuts may affect scholarships.
On May 6, a Fredonia student posted on Facebook that he had been contacted by Student Accounts and informed that his Fredonia-granted scholarships for this semester, totaling $4,000, would be cut in half.
With no official announcements from the campus administration, rumors spread that Fredonia would be reducing all of its scholarships by up to 50 percent.
The Student Accounts Office said their on-duty phone has been ringing “off the hook” with people expressing concern toward the situation, and especially the thought of owing more money for this semester.
According to an email from Finance and Administration, “Fredonia state-funded scholarships will be reduced up to 50 percent of the award for the current spring 2020 semester.”
However, those changes are only expected to affect the amount of a student’s credit or refund for on-campus housing and meal plans this semester — not the amount of money students owe out-of-pocket.
The Fredonia website says that this semester’s scholarship awards are being adjusted to account for the expenses they were intended to cover (which are now in part being refunded), but that, “Students will not, under any circumstances, incur any new or additional expenses due to this process.”
The Student Accounts Office reiterates this.
In a video posted by Rachel Proffitt, when asked whether students would have to pay anything out of pocket due to these changes, the response from Student Accounts is clear — “No.”
While a few students claim to have been told there is a possibility of them owing more money on their balance this semester, it does not appear that anyone has actually experienced an increase at this time.
The goal of these changes seems to be for the school to avoid double-paying refunds and credits by returning money which was already paid for by Fredonia state-funded scholarships.
However, there are still some points of confusion in how this will be carried out.
“I asked if that pertains to all students even if they do not have the dorms or the meal plans, and I was told yes,” said the Student Accounts staff member in the video.
“The response I got: ‘Yes, but it will not make them owe.’ So once it takes you down to a zero balance, you will not owe anything.”
When contacted by The Leader, the Student Accounts Office declined to comment.
The Leader also requested a comment from the Vice President for Finance and Administration, Michael Metzger, but has not heard back.
More details are expected to be released by the administration about how these reductions will be implemented and what impact they will have on refunds and credits.
For more information about how these changes may affect you, email student.accounts@fredonia.edu or call them during their phone hours at (716) 673-3236.