After a very drawn-out, 35 day shutdown, college students around St. Lawrence County have faced multiple issues. President Donald Trump ended the government shutdown last week.
“Federal agencies will reopen for three weeks while lawmakers continue negotiations over Trump’s request for funding for a wall,” according to Christopher Hayes of USA Today.
This shutdown has made it difficult for some students to enroll for their spring semesters, while also making it difficult for them to receive pay earned by their campus jobs.
The recent shutdown made history for being the longest our nation has faced. The shutdown began on December 22, after the Senate denied the House’s spending bill, which included a $5.7 million budget for an improved border wall on the southern border of the United States.
How could this make things tricky for a college student?
According to Watertown Daily Times, students have been struggling to pay their tuition, and as a result, “payments for tuition and related college expenses will be postponed, and no late fees or penalties will be charged to impacted students.
This temporary reprieve will apply to federal employees, dependents of federal employees and students who are dependent on loans from the federal government that may be delayed,” which was decided and stated by a press release from the Governor’s office.
Although a large majority of the students were not impacted, some were unable to pay their bills, and it also made it extremely difficult for students who were trying to obtain paperwork to transfer to a different college. SUNY schools have decided that all late fees will be waived until the end of April.
The shutdown has not been reported to have impacted those who attend Clarkson University and St. Lawrence University, but Clarkson has offered to work with affected families.
Although the shutdown does not seem to affect students at private schools, it has impacted students with campus jobs at Clarkson that are paid with federal funds. According to North Country Now, “At Clarkson University about 120 students get paid with federal funds because they are hired by professors who have received research grants.
Clarkson is working with them until an agreement is made in Washington D.C.” None of the paychecks have been withheld during the shutdown, but many negotiations had to be made in order to preserve their pay.