Eighty-four enrollment management employees are moving to the Student Success Center on South Campus, leaving 21 employees to handle the needs of more than 20,000 students on Main Campus.
Carmen Alvarez Brown, vice president of Enrollment Management, said the 21 employees are cross-trained financial aid specialists who will be able to complete financial aid transactions on-site before sending the paperwork to South Campus.
"It's not going to be the mentality of 'take a number (and) we'll get back to you as soon as we can,'" Brown said. "We're going to try and move you quickly through it, but take care of your needs. We're not just giving you the runaround."
The Financial Aid Office in Mesa Vista Hall will be remodeled and will open again in mid-April. Brown said the Main Campus office will be a more open space and will use 10 consoles to address financial concerns of new and returning students.
"We're focusing on remodeling that area so students don't have to wait a lot of time," she said. "When I walked in (the Financial Aid Office), I thought we were at a bus stop, waiting for the bus, you know. People took a number; you waited there."
Brown said students often wait more than an hour for assistance, and she said the changes could cut that time by up to 45 minutes.
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"I would love to get students in and out within three to five minutes," she said. "It's not going to be possible, but I would love to get students out within 10 to 15 minutes."
Brown said she wants to avoid having more than two people in line at any given point.
Also, should the Financial Aid Office be overwhelmed by an influx of students, Brown said Enrollment Management might open up another office in the Student Union Building.
"The reason for lines is, often, two things," she said. "Either we are not moving the paperwork fast enough, or we're not communicating with students. If we get to that point (opening a SUB office), then something is not working."
Sue Brawley, an outside contractor in charge of remodeling Mesa Vista Hall, is collaborating, in part, with the Office of Planning and Campus Development and the Office of the Provost to develop financial services for students.
"The idea is to provide improved, consolidated services for students on campus, complementing the work in Mesa Vista with a virtual online 'one-stop' and also a call center to answer students' questions," Brawley said.
Brawley referred to the first floor of Mesa Vista as a "financial aid suite," full of advisement centers and financial aid specialists behind desks and in the front lobby.
"The counters will be staffed with financial aid specialists, registrar specialists, and other enrollment management staff as needed," she said. "Surrounding the new counter area will be office meeting rooms for those students that have more complex questions that need to be answered for a longer period of time."
Brawley said the Study Abroad Office, Veterans Affairs and other student service organizations will move into Mesa Vista Hall as well.
"What we're doing is bringing student services from various parts of campus and consolidating them more in the building," she said.
Terry Babbitt, associate vice president for Enrollment Management, said the changes will allow the Financial Aid Office to have more employees available to work with students.
"We actually have more people on deck helping students than we ever have," he said. "We think we're going to be doing the students a much better service in this. Our biggest test will probably be the first couple weeks of fall semester."
Sophomore Grant Bowlin said he has spent a lot of time waiting in line at the University College Advisement Center and would like to see some improvement.
"Waiting in the advisement center's line is no fun," he said. "So, if they're going for the same approach, for making it more efficient, then why not? Efficiency is always great."
Representatives at the University College Advisement Center declined to comment.
Brawley said UNM's advisement centers will be consolidated into one location during a second phase of the Mesa Vista Hall remodeling project, which does not have a set start date.
"By having the four advising centers all together, it will provide a synergy and ease for the students," she said. "Arts and Sciences advising has gotten a lot of feedback from students who say that it would be easier to have the advising centers all together."
Brown could not give a specific date for when the consolidation would begin.
Dawn Schweich, a sophomore, said having more employees to greet students when they come in would cut the amount of time spent in the Financial Aid Office.
"I think that it would make a lot more sense to have more receptionists and fewer seats, because if you have more receptionists, there's a lot more people helping, a lot better customer service," she said.
Senior Katrina Poorman said the new Financial Aid Office is a bad idea, especially because of the relocation of more than 80 employees to South Campus.
"Financial aid, almost any time I go in - unless it's to turn in paperwork - takes me at least an hour, and that's with what they have," she said. "The fact that they have more receptionists and stuff like that won't change that fact. I've had problems with financial aid before, and it gets lost, and that's in one building. If they're in two different buildings, there's more of a chance for computer foul-ups that will end up messing up getting financial aid."
Brown said some employees were concerned about the project because they would have to relocate to South Campus.
"Some of our employees didn't want to leave campus, and I don't blame them, because campus is beautiful, but we're not going far away," she said. "That detachment was hard for them, but it allows us to free space here for academic advisement."
