#WeAreStillHere
by Pamela Dean
Financial aid and scholarship processing, fee waivers, housing and tuition payments, student account collections, departmental payments, and even the making of ID cards. Student Business Services (SBS) is where the money flows on the CSU Channel Islands campus. The collection and distribution of money is an essential service that must continue in order to keep the fiscal integrity of the campus intact even in the face of the corona virus pandemic.
Fortunately, the four-person SBS team, headed by Manager Anna Benscoter, is able to perform most of these operations remotely.
“All four of us are working remotely,” says Benscoter. “Three of us are on campus each Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to open the cashier’s office for mail processing, receiving and managing payments and deposits, and on additional days as needed to process and distribute pay warrants.”
While students are not able to come to campus to make in-person payments or receive ID cards, most of the services SBS provides to support students continue without interruption.
“Fortunately, this time of year—between March and April— is SBS’s slowest time for in-person student traffic,” adds Benscoter. “We are still handling the email and phone calls from our students who have so many questions and concerns and need a calm and steady voice to be assured in these uncertain times.”
One of the most important roles SBS plays is the distribution of pay warrants. On March 30 a well-planned, drive-through pay check distribution was held in the Sage Hall parking lot. About 130 faculty and staff who receive live checks (rather than direct deposit) where able to come to campus and pick up their pay warrants without ever leaving their cars.
“This was truly a community effort by SBS, CSUCI Police, Conference & Events, Communication & Marketing, University Auxiliary Services, Environmental Health & Safety, Payroll, and Procurement who all worked together to ensure that our campus colleagues with live checks were able to receive them timely and safely,” says Benscoter.