By Kurana Doobay
Located on the lower level of Levermore Hall, Adelphi’s new One-Stop Student Services Center now provides students with a one-stop experience for enrollment, academic records, financial aid, billing and account information.
Previously, One-Stop had been separated into different offices, such as Student Financial Services and Office of the University Registrar. At adelphi.edu/one-stop, you can find information regarding academic services, dining services, residential life and housing, tuition and financial aid, as well as the Registrar.
According to Kristen Capezza, vice president of Enrollment Management and University Communications, the One-Stop Student Services Center eliminates the need to bounce from office to office, allowing students a more connected and holistic advising experience across financial aid, billing, payment and registrar-related functions.
“This includes things like applying for financial aid, understanding your bill, enrolling in payment plans, processing course additions, drops and withdrawals, as well as applying for graduation,” Capezza said. “More importantly, it also includes things that have multiple implications. For example, a student who wants to drop a course will now receive holistic advice on how that dropped course may affect financial aid eligibility, how the timing may or may not result in a full, partial or no refund, and what other options may be available. In the past, a student would have simply processed their dropped course in one office only to learn, often by surprise, from another office that they were still financially responsible for that course, or that it negatively impacted their aid eligibility, resulting in a large bill owed to the federal government.”
So far, One-Stop has been met with mixed reviews, with many students expressing dissatisfaction with their services. They have been frustrated with the encounters they’ve had, especially when trying to pay their bills or ask questions about financial information.
Noah Moss, a senior communications major, said, “It’s terrible; they aren’t helping current students in the way they are portraying to parents and potential new students on the website.”
Out-of-state student Felice Hagerman, a junior biology and environmental science major, said that it was difficult when her important financial information was sent to her home rather than emailed to her. “It frustrates me because when my financial aid isn’t being processed on time, it interferes with my registration and sets me back, because I may not be able to get into the classes I need.”
Will Torres, a senior computer science major, said, “I feel like it’s very inconvenient to have three offices consolidated together, for everyone involved. Things get confusing and extremely time consuming. I was there for about half an hour, just to figure out some paperwork.”
Capezza indicated that the new office is still a work in progress. “Our advisors are still going through cross training and are building their cross-functional knowledge in the three areas of financial aid student accounts, including billing and payments, as well as registrar functions,” she said. “It will take time to be fully seamless in this area and to pick up speed in the level of service, but we are making great progress.”
Some students have had positive reactions to the new office. Reagan Schneider, a senior English major, appreciates the consolidation. She said, “I like being able to take care of everything all at once, all in the same place.”
Commuter student Kennie Cervantes, a junior computer science major, said, “One-Stop definitely lives up to its name. As a commuter, I don’t spend a lot of time on campus and I find myself running around a lot in between classes, so the fact that I can take care of all my financial matters in one place has been very convenient for me.”
Student feedback will help the process. “Hearing from students about their experience and feedback, both negative and positive, is super important to us. It offers us the ability to continue to improve and serve students in a way that they feel supported,” Capezza said.
To voice any of your own concerns, ask questions or give other feedback, click on the “Contact Us” tab at adelphi.edu/one-stop. There, One-Stop offers an experience survey for students, where they can rate their experience and suggest improvements for future operations.
To contact One-Stop directly, call 516-877-3080 between the hours of 9 am and 4 pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, or 9 am-7 pm on Wednesday. You can also email onestop@adelphi.edu, or visit their location on the Lower Level of Levermore Hall.