2008 Woodie Awards
Loan Fund in Trouble
Resource available to help students buy books is running out of funds.
Maggie Ownbey
Issue date: 9/29/04 Section: News
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The emergency book loan fund at Valley College requires assistance itself.
"This past semester we had exhausted our funds by the third day; we funded 73 students," Vice President of Student Services Yasmin Delahoussaye said. "Supply and demand, you've got this overwhelming demand but the supply is so small."
Valley has more than 16,000 students according to Delahoussaye. If only 10 percent needed assistance, the number of applicants would be staggering.
The book loan fund assists students in purchasing those books, giving them the tools they need to succeed in class.
Delahoussaye said the fund is available for students who are actively enrolled at Valley and have not dropped classes.
"The way the fund is able to work is that students are asked to repay their loan as soon as they can," Delahoussaye said. "By paying it back as soon as possible we are able to serve more students."
Many students on campus are unaware about the fund.
"Let students know, so some students can donate," Cheryl, 33, a culinary arts major, attending both Valley and Mission colleges said. "Student services needs to make sure that students are well informed [about] what they need to do."
The fund was renamed the Pat Allen Emergency Book Loan Fund in 2002 after the sociology teacher who walked into Delahoussaye's office in 1997 and presented her with a check for $1,000 to set up a fund to help students pay for books.
"She saw a need and thank God she came up with a way to meet the need," Delahoussaye said.
"It worked for me," said Cheryl. "At the time, someone had just broken into my car."
When Cheryl's books were stolen someone told her about the book fund, she went to student services and filled out an application. "It took about a month to get the money to pay for two of my books," Cheryl said.
The faculty and staff at Valley have participated in supporting the fund by making donations. La Vergne Rosow, director of the Teacher Preparation Academy and Rick Brossman, director of the Service Learning Program have contributed every semester, along with the Patron's Association.
"This past semester we had exhausted our funds by the third day; we funded 73 students," Vice President of Student Services Yasmin Delahoussaye said. "Supply and demand, you've got this overwhelming demand but the supply is so small."
Valley has more than 16,000 students according to Delahoussaye. If only 10 percent needed assistance, the number of applicants would be staggering.
The book loan fund assists students in purchasing those books, giving them the tools they need to succeed in class.
Delahoussaye said the fund is available for students who are actively enrolled at Valley and have not dropped classes.
"The way the fund is able to work is that students are asked to repay their loan as soon as they can," Delahoussaye said. "By paying it back as soon as possible we are able to serve more students."
Many students on campus are unaware about the fund.
"Let students know, so some students can donate," Cheryl, 33, a culinary arts major, attending both Valley and Mission colleges said. "Student services needs to make sure that students are well informed [about] what they need to do."
The fund was renamed the Pat Allen Emergency Book Loan Fund in 2002 after the sociology teacher who walked into Delahoussaye's office in 1997 and presented her with a check for $1,000 to set up a fund to help students pay for books.
"She saw a need and thank God she came up with a way to meet the need," Delahoussaye said.
"It worked for me," said Cheryl. "At the time, someone had just broken into my car."
When Cheryl's books were stolen someone told her about the book fund, she went to student services and filled out an application. "It took about a month to get the money to pay for two of my books," Cheryl said.
The faculty and staff at Valley have participated in supporting the fund by making donations. La Vergne Rosow, director of the Teacher Preparation Academy and Rick Brossman, director of the Service Learning Program have contributed every semester, along with the Patron's Association.
