Last Friday, the UCSB Financial Aid and Scholarships Office announced that it will reassess financial aid provisions for students affected by the destruction of Hurricane Sandy.

The effort — which will be made with the assistance of the UCSB Alumni Association — has so far included emails to an estimated 45 students who currently receive aid and were affected by the hurricane.

The emails, sent out by Director of the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships Mike Miller, has informed affected students that their financial aid will be reevaluated and possibly reformulated if financial loss has occurred.

“Fortunately, we have the ability to use our professional judgment to recalculate financial aid eligibility if a family can verify their losses due to a natural disaster,” Miller said in an email. “This mostly means a loss of income but we can certainly hear all appeals brought to our office.”

The funding for financial assistance will come from a special emergency fund created in 2008 by the UC Santa Barbara Alumni Association. Currently, the UCSB Alumni Board of Directors from the Alumni Association Fund has compiled a total of $5,000 to set aside for this specific disaster.

Ron Rubenstein, current board member ofthe UCSB Alumni Association and former president of the board, said he aided in the initial creation of the fund.

“I know that the Alumni Association is absolutely delighted that a portion of the funds that our many alumni have contributed to the Alumni Association Scholarship Fund can be used for such an immediate need and in such a worthwhile way,” Rubenstein said in an email.

UCSB students in need of financial aid who have been affected by Hurricane Sandy and have not received an email from the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships may contact the office at (805) 893-2432 or online at http://www.finaid.ucsb.edu/ContactUs.aspx.

A version of this article appeared on page 1 of November 14th, 2012’s print edition of the Nexus.

Photo courtesy of blog.heartland.org

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