Annual purge has commenced and the students are the prey

 William H. Kelly III
Editor-in-Chief

This is not a test. This is the Emergency Broadcast System announcing the commencement of The Annual Purge for the 2016-2017 academic year…any and all crimes, including not following guidelines and fallacious purging of students, are legal.

For generations students have faced complications concerning financial aid, each story different yet similar; a lack of funds, failure to submit vital documents, a delay in FAFSA or scholarship processing, and lastly my favorite, EMPLOYEES WHO INSIST ON NOT DOING THE JOB THEY ARE PAID TO DO.

This is currently my third year at JSU and I must admit it has been strenuous and heavy on my spirit. In this semester alone, I have experienced a break-in at my room in University Pointe, I am purged from all of my classes, and I was on the verge of being kicked out of my room.

Please understand that the predicament I am in is completely out of my control. I have Pell grants, subsidized and unsubsidized loans, an out-of-state fee waiver, a scholarship from my department, and I would usually be awarded work-study.

Of course, like any other responsible student concerned about their education, I visited the financial aid office only to learn that they could not help me in my situation, therefore I needed to visit a counselor in the business office. With the new texting system offered in the business office, I was able to run errands while I waited for approximately 191 minutes, according to the text.

Throughout the day, I requested an update about every 30 minutes just to be safe because you never know with Jackson State. Around approximately 4:35 p.m. I received an update stating that I was next in line so I rushed over immediately only to find that the door had been locked. Luckily there was a student standing inside that opened the door for myself and another student who received the notification as well.

I got to my laptop and checked my PAWS after visiting the counselor who agreed that she applied the funds to my account after I asked numerous times, to discover that she had told a bold face lie.

This cycle of neglect and deceit must cease. It is sickening to know that there are employees in one of the most important offices on any college campus who refuse to properly counsel and be honest with the students they are HIRED to cater to. I have received emails on two different occasions notifying me that I have been awarded, only to find more lies, hopes, and dreams.

For literally three weeks now, my supervisor, and several faculty and staff in my department have been fighting to resolve the issue and keep me on campus. I have not been able to properly satisfy my diet considering I cannot access my meal plan, leading me to ask friends for help, spend the money I barely have on food at least twice daily now, and in some instances go throughout my day and night hungry.

If students have to continue to face the repercussions as a result of the lack of effort and integrity from faculty and staff, there will be no students. Those of us who have been affected in some form of fashion must identify and purge those faculty and staff who are not capable of being a credible resource or are held accountable for their actions. MAY THE PURGE BEGIN.