Q. How do LGBT students
access financial aid if parents or guardians are not providing any
financial support?
A. Due to institutional
and personal differences, it is difficult to generalize the necessary
steps to take in helping a student with this particular situation.
One of the first considerations when dealing with such a difficult
event is to assess the situation. Every student has a unique background
therefore it is important to have an understanding of the complexity
of the problem. Some questions to consider are the following:
*What year in school is the student?
*What is the student's anticipated graduation date?
*Is the student current receiving financial assistance, if so what
type?
*Does the student live on campus?
*Is the student currently employed?
Once you have an understanding of the student's situation, steps
can be taken toward addressing the issue.
If a student is currently receiving financial aid,
an early step to take is to talk with a financial aid officer. Since
a student may not feel comfortable with such a step, it might be
helpful for the student to be accompanied by a staff member that
they feel comfortable with. Accompanying the student sends the message
that they are supported as well as also being a form of protection
from further victimization. In addition, your position as a staff
member might help to clarify the situation for a financial aid officer.
It is important to note that coming out to a financial
aid officer is not necessarily required. The bigger concern is to
provide third-party documentation that the student has been estranged
or is financially independent. Such documentation may include:
*letters from third-parties attesting the student's status
*documentation from social services (some agencies will issues letters
of homelessness)
*police documentation (e.g., restraining order, domestic violence
reports, police reports)
Some other helpful tips: Check to see if your institution
has a clause that allows students to apply as an independent if
they are estranged from their family
If a student happens to live on campus, it is suggested that contact
is made with the Housing Department. In some situations, coordinators
are open to discussing arrangements for extending payment deadlines
or negotiating more economical living arrangements (i.e., cooperatives
or supplemental housing).
If financial assistance is needed for an extended period of time,
students may want to seek out scholarship or grant awards from outside
agencies, in particular
the Point Foundation. A listing of additional LGBT specific
aid can at be found at (http://www.finaid.org/otheraid/gay.phtml).
Also, some universities have set up their own scholarship by either
appropriating funds from an office budget or soliciting support
from alumni.
It can be difficult for a student to claim independence if their
parents claimed them as a dependent on their taxes. A student may
have to wait until their parents file taxes and do not claim them
as a dependent.
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