'Fairy Godmother' Divvies Aid Among Hopeful Providence College Students

'Fairy Godmother' Divvies Aid Among Hopeful Providence College Students

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The envelope arrives with good news. The college is pleased to announce that the student has been offered acceptance and, if he or she is fortunate, some scholarship money.

But in this busted economy, more parents are saying they need more money and are filing appeals. Then the waiting starts again, for a phone call. The job of delivering that news -- after weighing hopes and dreams against limited budgets -- falls to people like Sandra J. Oliveira, the executive director of the financial aid office at Providence College.

Ms. Oliveira is spending this week plowing through a stack of 100 appeals from high school seniors who have been accepted for the next freshman class but who say they cannot afford to attend. Each packet contains a heartfelt plea for more aid than the college offered initially, to offset the impact of recent job losses, plunges in home values or other financial setbacks.

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