I’m Too Old and Too Tired to be a “Change Agent”
Submitted by Mariko Gomez, Director of Financial Aid, Texas State University

I recently saw an updated list of schools that have indicated that they will accept the Texas Application for State Financial Aid. Having had the privilege and honor of working on the particular project, I wondered as to why aid directors would chose NOT to participate.

To refresh your memory, this new application is related to the old “HB1403” which is now SB1528. In a nutshell, it allows for certain categories of Texas residents to apply for state aid. It is a form whereby data is collected to help schools assess financial need without having to complete the FASFA.

Why recreate a new form? Many of these students do not have social security numbers and therefore completing the FASFA was a barrier. Furthermore, each school had a different process. In order to help standardize the process, a group of folks gathered together to help develop a standardized form with the sole purpose of providing the form as a tool for the schools. More importantly, it would simplify the process for high school and TRIO counselors and for the students who were our neediest and our least sophisticated.

Again, this form was developed with input of practicing and knowledgeable folks in the aid arena (Coordinating Board staff, TG staff, practicing financial aid staff) as well as input for high school and TRIO counselors. The form was the end product of numerous meetings and revisions and exchange of ideas and invigorating dialogue (we didn’t always agree!) I liken it to the gestation period of an elephant!

So, if the form is all that terrific, why is it not being used by all of us? The answer is easy—we are too tired and too swamped. It means change and change takes energy and we don’t have the energy to retool or rethink a process. The current process works just fine. As the old cliché states, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Being in the aid industry for three decades, I have had numerous experiences of mandatory change—so why change if it is not required? Perhaps, the absence of a requirement is justification to change? Imagine the freedom to change just because we choose to do so and not because we have been told to do so. I choose to change and not become the victim of inertia. How liberating to be able to do so.

So, hats off to all of you who have developed a better mouse trap and do not need this new tool. Similarly, a tip of the hat to those of you who have chosen to adopt the form.

On the other hand, for those of you who are straddling the fence, please give it some thought—do not become a victim of inertia. By choosing to use this form, you have chosen to help the students who most need our help.

Either way, choosing to use or not to use this form, you have exercised your freedom of choice—a rare event in our profession.