Squeaky Wheel becomes an Advocate

For the past few weeks, I have been fighting different manifestations of the Man. The endless hold-times combined with totally unhelpful responses have permanently shortened my fuse for dealing with this crap. The fact that all of these calls have to be made on East Coast time makes things even more obnoxious, especially since I am on the West Coast, and I keep vampire hours. Only now am I starting to get a handle on them.

1. Insurance: I am still trying to resolve the final claim from my OU health insurance. Apparently the insurance didn't understand why a diagnosis of prolonged fatigue would require a visit to the sleep clinic. Then it got caught up in appeals and "codes". Since I am not in Ohio to deal with this, I actually have to be more mindful of it. After calling the 2 people at OU, the insurance company, and 2 contacts at the sleep clinic, I finally found the right person. When I talked to her, she had my entire file right in front of her with details. And within an hour, she had pretty much rectified the whole situation. Then she called me to promise to call me when it was finally resolved! How I miss the East Coast sometimes.

2. Student loan #1. Wachovia nee ACS takes advantage of the flux of student life, much to my infinite frustation. Apparently the day I graduated from OU, my undergrad loans came due. The 6-month grace period that they promise you is only a one-time deal. And once you use it, that's it. Thanks for that detail. Wachovia insists that they sent me lots of mail and called me, but the mail sent to my PARENTS' address never looked urgent enough for them to forward it along. Even when I looked at it, I didn't see anything - no payment stubs, no red letters. The phone calls were voicemail, mostly when I was traveling (in EUROPE), but didn't indicate the reason for the call. As a result, I suddenly went 60 days then 90 days overdue. When I finally talked to the bank, they put the loan in forebearance, since I was a student at UCSB. But during the 3 months between programs, the bank says that I am not a student. What does that make me?

While I don't have to pay off that loan yet, my credit record now says that I don't pay my bills on time. I made more calls, but they refuse to correct my report because I was not physically sitting in class, I was not a student, therefore, I was liable for my loan. Then they tried to chew me out for not being more proactive! Do I look like someone who lets things slide?? If I KNEW it was a problem, I would have dealt with it much earlier.

Now, I am drafting a letter to Wachovia to advocate for a different model for students. We are not average, "normal" borrowers. Our lifestyle is very different from those customers who have salaried jobs and whose local address matches their permanent address. Students move; they travel out of the country; they don't make money so they don't spend alot of time talking to banks. Assuming that one piece of mail to an address that may or may not be local, that may or may not even catch my attention among the pile of other mailings, is the best way to get payment from a student. These methods were developed for a different customer population.

3. Student loan #2. I have embraced the fact that as a graduate student, even as an academic, I will have to monitor my budget. I will probably always be in some flavor of debt, and my cabinets will always have a supply of rice and beans (unless the stipend check is late). But the fact that UCSB executively decided that their financial aid was SO good they canceled my federal loan. A couple of things about that.

• I am the first to admit that my financial aid package is very generous.
• The University developed a budget of living expenses, but it only accounts for 9-months out of the year. Last time I checked, I have bills 12 months out of the year.
• FAFSA said I qualified for a subsidized loan, which I accepted, but it was the University blocked it.
• I really don't lead a rock-star lifestyle, to the point of penny-pinching. You know all those websites with recommendations for cutting your expenses - I was there years ago. The Civic is paid off. I haven't been inside a Starbucks in months. My cell plan is the cheapest one around because it is 6 years old.
  
• I don't expect the University to pay my bills, but I do need the access to funds so that I can.

The first person at Financial Aid suggested that I just put it on my credit card. I thought he was kidding. He wasn't! Credit card debt = bad. Student loan debt = less bad. The second person told me to fill out a Request for Budget Increase, which explicitly refuses to account for car repairs (my check engine light is on and I need a new catalytic converter, which is necessary if I am going to pass CA emissions and complete my residency), or grad travel (conferences and research needed to make my degree more than just a piece of paper). She was nice, but couldn't help me. I met with the assistant director today, but she offered me a ray of hope. Basically, if I fill out a sheaf of paperwork, she can make exceptions. The budget works great for in-staters who only need to drop a tank of gas or train ticket to get home, but less great for those of us who have to use airplanes.

Here is what I learned. Persevere and self-advocate. If you make enough phone calls, you will eventually find a person with either the information or authority to help. When that doesn't work, write letters. I feel very strongly about advocating for students. Students shouldn't have to waste time trying to hack through red tape and labyrinths of customer service circuits, trying to fit into expectations or lifestyles that just don't match their realities.

Now that I have started putting out some fires, I can focus on other things. Like my mountain of laundry overflowing from my closet.

on the tube: House