The scene: Student Financial Services, August 1996. A student stands, bill in hand. She concedes, "I can't pay this bill, what should I do?"

"If you don't pay the bill by September 20, there will be a $150 surcharge."

She repeated, assuming there might have been something lost in the translation from her welfare-family discourse, "I-can't-pay-this-bill," meaning not now, not ever.

Here at Columbia it seems these words are rarely, if ever, heard. And when they are, the people upon whose ears they fall are not properly trained to administer to the situation. From our advisors, to our department Chairs, to the front line at the Financial Aid Office, bona fide poverty is a fact that is much better swept under the rug.

Ideally, of course, all those admitted are provided with an appropriate aid package which should get them down College Walk and up through graduation in front of Alma Mater. Yet real life steps in at times and messes up what we have so perfectly put down on paper. For a student with an out of the ordinary family or financial background, weaving one's way through Columbia bureaucracy can be a nightmare.

The scene: University Registrar, phone conversation, October 1996. The student asks, "If I withdraw from school today, how much will I end up owing the University?"

"You should not withdraw from school because of financial reasons, only academic concerns should lead you to that decision."

"But one of my loans was denied, and this leaves me with an outstanding balance for the Fall term. So I can't register for Spring classes or pay my dorm fees; where will I live?"

"I say again, you should not withdraw from school for financial reasons."

Was it live? Or was it Memorex? Sure, the flat statement sounds good, and may make our administrators feel good when they say it. However, these replies are no consolation or solution for any student who has serious concerns about paying for food or having a warm place to sleep. We must recognize that for a few, going "home" is not always an option.

It may be difficult for most of us to understand how students find themselves in such dire circumstances. Yet it should be the University's duty to realistically deal with its students' serious financial troubles. Ignoring the problem will not make it go away, but students with less than pedigree backgrounds will.