College cited for failing to give waivers

Acadiana Technical College has failed to issue hardship waivers to students who cannot afford certain fees even though the waivers are required by law, according to a report released Monday by the legislative auditor.

“This failure may have resulted in additional costs to some students,” the report stated.

Additionally, the report notes that the school was late in reimbursing $4,092 to the federal government and paying $514 to students related to Federal Pell grants intended to help bridge the cost of higher education for lower-income and some middle-class families.

According to the report, the school has had problems with the Pell program spanning five different audits.

A spokeswoman for Acadiana Technical College did not return a call seeking comment on Monday.

In a written response to the audit, Chancellor Natalie Harder concurred with the findings and stated that the school has updated its policies to correct the problems found.

Acadiana Technical College, along with six other schools, merged with South Louisiana Community College in July, making SLCC one of the largest community colleges in Louisiana with nearly 8,000 students.

Louisiana Community and Technical College System President Joe May sold the merger as a way to save the system money through the consolidation of human resources and accounting departments.

Comments

1) Comment by Isabella11 - 04/12/2012

I am curious about this statment “This failure may have resulted in additional costs to some students,” the report stated.". How is it "additional cost", when ALL other students are require to pay the fees. My roomate in college had Pell Grants, she always had more disposable money than I did.

2) Comment by Attila - 04/12/2012

Tell you what Mygulf, why don't YOU just dip into your pocket and pony up the money that these "poor" students can't "afford". I will wage that most of those who claim to be too poor to pay the fees have the latest smart phones, drive automobiles (of course they have insurance), and wear designer clothes.

3) Comment by Michael Gary Scott - 04/12/2012

Sounds like this may be the only agency in the Jindal government tha is saving us money.

4) Comment by Mygulfbleedsforu - 04/12/2012

Tradewinns, I sincerely hope you and yours find a way to have decent food to eat, decent medical care and a decent roof over your heads for the next few years. Or, if you are FOS, then I hope you do not for the next few years, so you'll learn the difference.

5) Comment by tradewinns - 04/12/2012

$4K and $500? doesn't sound like a large amount for an entire school, although it would be a problem for individual students. i'm tired of supporting the "poor", especially now, because i am one of them.