Editor, the Gauntlet
[Re: “Left comes out” article]
I spoke at the forum discussed in the article “The Left comes out in fullforce” and just wanted to correct a miss-quote.
I was discussing my personal experiences with Student Loans and their deadly appeal system, pointing out the difficulties of being a student with child support responsibilities. Unfortunately I was misquoted as saying I receive child support.
My boyfriend and I actually PAY child support, as well as travel costs to trek my stepson to and from Edmonton regularly (we have joint custody).
In order to receive funding, Student Loans requires copies of my child support receipts as well as a court document stating the amount required to pay. As we have never disputed paying child support, a court has never had to order us to pay and Student Loans does not understand this. Every year I have to pull teeth to get this point across in addition to jumping through all the other hoops they pull out. Even without extenuous circumstances, getting financing is a battle for students. An appeal is almost always required just to get the bare minimum to cover tuition and books.
It was such a relief to be able to vent this to receptive ears. Thank you for covering this story and cross fingers that our voices won’t go unheard.