Desert Messenger

December 5, 2018 www.DesertMessenger.com 29 This is your opportunity to pursue your dreams of a college education! Arizona Western College Quartzsite (AWC) Campus is available to assist you in applying for fi nancial aid. Anyone interested in attending col- lege should apply for the FAFSA. This application may also be re- quired in order to receive other monies, such as institutional funds - including athletic aid, fi ne arts scholarships, honors awards, etc. - as well as work-study, student loans and other grants. There is no charge to apply for federal fi nancial aid. The word 'FAFSA' actually means Free Application for Federal Student Aid. If you have come across a website that requires payment for assistance or submission, DO NOT PAY! Arizona Western College is eligible and active in the Federal Pell Grant program; however, the Pell grant may be used at almost any school the student chooses to attend. Fi- nancial aid personnel at each insti- tution has information as to wheth- er the college and its programs are eligible for the Federal Pell Grant Program. Steps to apply for FAFSA 1 Apply for AWC Admission Before beginning the FAFSA, stu- dents interested in attending AWC must apply for admission. 2 Complete the FAFSA Students, parents, and borrowers are advised to establish an FSA ID. The FSA ID is a username and pass- word combination that serves as a student's or parent's identifi er to al- low access to personal information in various U.S. Department of Edu- cation systems and acts as a digital signature on some online forms such as the FAFSA. Complete the FAFSA online and be sure to include AWC's school code: 001071. To gain a better under- standing of what the FAFSA entails and what information to include when actually applying, visit FAFSA Help. Most high schools, colleges, vocational schools, libraries and community or state agencies will no longer have paper applications available but if applying online is intimidating, a printable version is available for download. 3 After FAFSA Submission After an electronic FAFSA submis- sion is processed by the Department of Education, you will receive a Stu- dent Aid Report (SAR), either by email or mail, from the Department of Education. (This NOT an award — you are not done yet.). If you have gone through the admissions process at our school, it will take at least 3-5 business days before your FAFSA is linked to your record on the AWC Financial Aid database. Once received, The Financial Aid Offi ce will use the information to determine if any further paperwork is necessary. Students are encour- aged to review their AWC fi nancial aid status through the AWC Self- Service site. Verifi cation: Some FAFSA results require the school to verify certain information. In those cases, noti- fi cations informing you of any re- quired documents will be posted to your student Self-Service account by AWC Financial Aid offi ce. Students are responsible for checking their student accounts regularly for any requirements needed to complete their fi le. Students with further questions or requiring clarifi cation are encouraged to contact the Fi- nancial Aid Offi ce. If corrections are required, the Financial Aid Of- fi ce will submit them electronically Scam Alert involving veterans The Disabled American Veterans, Dept of Arizona has notifi ed all Arizona chapters and members of a scam dealing with disabled veterans. An organization calling itself Arizona Disabled Veterans is sending mailers requesting funds not only from citizens but from the business community in order to help disabled veterans in this state. They have claimed that they have "an agreement with the Disabled Ameri- can Veterans (national organization) to raise funds. This is FALSE. It is a scam. They also claim they are part of Disabled Veterans of America. They also admit they are a 'for profi t' organization. Chapter 27 of DAV fi nds it disgusting and tragic that someone would use our disabled veterans as bait for a get rich scheme. For further information, feel free to call Dept. of Arizona DAV, 602-678-0333. or ask the student to make the cor- rections online. Expect processing to be delayed by several weeks. All items reported on the FAFSA are verifi able. Financial aid may ask for additional documents throughout the academic year. Contact the AWC Parker or Quartzsite locations to receive a packet of information for enroll- ment. The Parker Learning Center can be reached at (928) 669-2214 and the Quartzsite Learning Center can be reached at (928) 927-8299. DEADLINE : WED. DEC. 12 TH for the dec 19 th edition Desert Messenger News Email: editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 www.DesertMessenger.com

• Cover