Although the Office of Financial Aid faces the large responsibility to serve all students, some recently reported errors on its part extend too far beyond the pale. It is understood that this time of year, amidst the shuffle of acceptance letters and registration forms, the office faces stressful working conditions and a high volume of materials to process. But many managerial mishaps have now resurfaced, which the recently announced and commendable expansions to students’ financial aid packets cannot fix.

Four years ago, Cornell didn’t seem to care if prospective undergraduates were fabulously wealthy. This was good for me, because I was not. Nor am I now, in spite of a two-year stint as a highly paid employee at Olin Library. I was fortunate the undergraduate admissions process was completely need-blind, with no regard for family income or potential building donation. Current applicants may not be so lucky.

Four months ago, the University announced it would be expanding the class of 2013 by 100 students in response to the ubiquitous “financial crisis.” This, I thought, could only mean one thing: 100 more wealthy students to help offset our school’s endowment losses.

In an admirable move, students emerged from the East Hill bubble earlier this month to rally members of Congress to advocate for additional financial aid, specifically in the form of funding for the Pell Grant program. We were glad to see that despite budget cuts across the University, Cornell agreed to sponsor this trip, bringing to the forefront some of the most pressing roadblocks standing in the way of equal access to education in this country.

As Cornell admitted its potential Class of 2013, Deputy Provost David Harris estimated on Monday that around 10 percent of these students were deemed “selected students” under the University’s new financial aid initiative, which hopes to recruit “enrollment priorities” more aggressively.

This year’s admissions results, which the University announced on March 31, reported a 19.1 percent admit rate. This percentage translates into a total admittance of 6,567 students.

Cornell administrators announced a new financial aid plan last November, with one of the three components aimed at attracting “selected students” with higher quality of aid packages.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — An enthusiastic contingent of about 15 Cornell students spread out across dozens of Capitol Hill offices yesterday to lobby members of Congress for more federal financial aid as part of a University-sponsored trip.

The students shared with House, Senate and education-related committee staffers from both sides of the aisle their personal stories about how financial aid and the rising cost of attending higher education have impacted their lives.

The over 6,500 high school seniors who were admitted to Cornell on Tuesday have reason to celebrate. The college admissions process is both torturous and maddening; accordingly, the end is always a welcome relief. This admissions season, however, has been ever more tainted by the unfortunate consequences of the economic downturn, and we implore the University not to lose sight of its commitment to financial aid.

This is the fourth article in a series analyzing socioeconomic issues at Cornell poverty and in the surrounding community.

Despite the nation’s economic crisis, Cornell’s new financial aid initiative, announced last January, has continued to help many students from families of low-socioeconomic status. On top of this, the University offers a number of services and programs to Cornellians from low-income families, many of whom are first generation college students, in order to ease the adjustment to college life.

Currently, the financial aid office offers a number of services to all students at Cornell, including walk-in hours and peer advising.

Cornell hopefuls for the class of 2013 have turned in their applications, and it is now up to the admissions office to determine who will receive acceptance letters. The Sun sat down with Doris Davis, associate provost for admissions and enrollment, to find out about this year’s crop of potential Cornellians, the changing face of early decision and what is next for financial aid.

The Sun: This year is riding on the heels of last year’s record high number of applicants ever to Cornell. But, with a financial crisis also threatening to deter many college hopefuls, do you think the number of applicants will be up?

This is the first part of a series delving deeper into the economic crisis and its effects on higher education, particularly at Cornell.

In the past few weeks, members of the Cornell community have received a plethora of information about how Cornell is dealing with the current economic crisis. Like Cornell, many institutions of higher education have created innovative plans to support their missions while managing their budgets.

In the face of a national economic crisis, the University does not foresee any major changes to the student health insurance plan it offers.

“We do not expect this economic crisis to affect Cornell University policy regarding health insurance,” said Sharon Dittman, associate director of Health Promotion and Community Relations for Gannett.

For those who opt to buy healthcare from Cornell, they may receive a price break. Dittman cited that financial aid for health insurance will be influenced by the fiscal downturn, providing students with adequate resources in a time of need.