If you're one of the thousands of students in New York State who are waiting for those aid checks to come in from the NYS budget, I feel for you.
I was told that in the second week of June that my e-Refund account at UAlbany would transfer my Federal Pell Grant and TAP award for the 2010 Summer Session directly into my bank account.
Sadly, one month and hundreds of dollars spent from hard-earned savings and credit card transactions on gas driving to Saratoga every day for my internship later, I STILL have yet to receive my aid, all thanks to our blind-in-every-way governor who has yet to enact a budget for the 2010-2011 fiscal year.
Thank you governor Paterson (and yes I didn't capitalize the 'G' in governor on purpose and I won't allow Word to fix it for me) for your help! Who knows what you do in that office of yours but because of you and your inability to get anything accomplished for this state, let alone the students and businesses that make YOU money, I've been confined to eating tuna fish and drinking tap water due to the lack of production from YOU and the rest of our NYS trustees.
You have gotten on my nerve for the last time and I figured it's time I do something about it.
I have been up UAlbany's behind from the first week in July, much like the rest of the UAlbany summer session students awaiting their payment, and all I get from the Student Financial Services center at the university is a big "check your UAlbany mail for updates," after all I have been is patient and understanding.
Well, not only have I waited on hold for approximately 20 minutes per day listening to the terrible music they have to offer while waiting to connect to an actual member of the Student Services staff, but I'VE BEEN CHECKING MY EMAIL EVERYDAY like they tell me to and I still find nothing new about the progress of the budget.
It's sad when a student, such as myself, is granted such a wonderful opportunity to intern at a daily newspaper in Saratoga Springs, and cannot afford to put gas in his car to make it to work on a Monday after a weekend of sitting inside and scratching my ass because I don't even have enough money to enjoy a decent beer at a local bar.
Imagine telling that to your editor: "Heyyyyyyy, I can't come in because I have no money and can't put gas in my car. Sorry!"
Well I had to do that, and I'm sure that most other interns and students have been put in the same financial situation I was put in. It's not funny and it's not a situation you would want to be put in. Trust me.
Thankfully, my editor Andrew Bernstein of The Saratogian understands where I am coming from and is allowing me to work from home, which I am extremely thankful for and that's why he gets a shout-out in this blog.
He actually thinks I should start some kind of group or petition against the gov' and his inability to get anything done. We'll see…
For now, it's back to tuna fish and trying to cut some beer weight. Sayonara from the 518 (preferably the 631).
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