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Student aid remains operational at M.U.

JEFFERSON CITY - Students afraid of losing their income through the federal work-study program because of the government shutdown can rest easy.

Joseph Camille, director of M.U. financial aid, said M.U. will continue to pay students for their work-study hours, despite the fact that the program is shut down on the national level.

"There will be no disruption of services," Camille said. "All work-study payments will continue, all direct loan payments will continue, all federal grant payments will continue."

Camille said despite the fact that M.U. gets reimbursed for work-study twice each month and could eventually run out of money for checks, the approximately 950 students who are on work-study can still expect to get paid.

"In the short term, the University will keep paying," Camille said. "If we have to, the university will handle any problems."

The shutdown has closed the national offices of some federal student aid programs, while leaving others up and running.

The Pell Grant, federal work-study and the Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (SEOG) student aid programs have been closed indefinitely until the shutdown ends, but Camille said all programs will continue to pay out benefits to students.

Most of this year's benefits from the above programs have already been paid out to students.

Other student aid programs, such as the Ford Federal Direct Loan, the Perkins Loan, and the Stafford Loan programs, are still running.

State-operated student loan programs such as the Missouri Student Loan Program (MSLP) will remain open unless something more drastic happens with the federal budget, such as reaching the debt ceiling.

Depending on how long the shutdown lasts, there could eventually be some repercussions on the programs that remain open.

"If the debt ceiling measure is vetoed, that would be very serious," said Michelle Tandy, spokesperson for the MSLP. "It would mean the federal government wouldn't be able to borrow any more money."

Tandy said that so far, their clients are still being served.

"Student and parent borrowers wouldn't see any effects of the shutdown," Tandy said.