Name: Remi Adedokun
Department: Financial Aid
What is your position here in financial aid?I am a financial counselor.
How long have you been working at financial aid?
I have been working at the financial aid office here at UB since June 2001, about four years ago.
What do you like about UB?
I like the diversity, the different people you see. Every person that comes into my office is unique in their own way and you have to deal with them individually, putting aside your biases.
How do you feel about the current Pell Grant slashes?
Well, there hasn’t really been a slash, but the amount of money that the government projected for this academic year has not been able to be met. A single student was supposed to be able to receive up to $6,000 for the year. Instead, a student can only receive up to $4,050 for this academic year. So, the Pell Grants didn’t take a slash, they’ve just remained the same as last year.
What improvements do you believe should be made in financial aid?
Because of the large student turnout here at financial aid the greatest challenge is to start and complete work without interruption. Currently, we are trying to put everything online. We hope to do this by the next academic year. In the future students will be able to access their awards online and they will also be able to accept or reject their awards online. There have already been a lot of positive improvements which started at the registrar. Students no longer have to come to the registrar in order to know their grades, they are now accessible online.
What is the best thing about financial aid here at UB?
The best thing is that 95% of all the students that come to UB get aid one way or another. The loan program we have here is great, and we have a good program with Citi Bank and Sally Mae for loans. Some international students are even able to receive scholarships before they leave their country and not many schools do that.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Yes, students who want to work and have work-study funds could easily go to career services and apply for a job and be given the opportunity to work. We are also starting a new program to find students within the University who are interested in teaching school children how to read and write. We hope to implement this by next semester. And finally, for students who want to withdraw in the middle of the semester, [they] should first speak with their academic advisor but also come and see Financial Aid in order to see how it affects their financial aid packet.