(Editor's Notes by Christina Myer - Photo Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

Forget a pandemic, changing relevance and failure to trim the fat for far too long, this fall colleges and universities across the country face a challenge almost entirely created by the federal government.

Rollout of “A Better 2024-25 FAFSA Form” has been a disaster. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid has tormented students and their families since 1992. I remember working on it with my dad and more than once thinking “maybe this whole college thing just isn’t worth it.” I also remember him saying (I was 17 at the time, and he had not yet made me do my own taxes. That came later.) “Welcome to dealing with the bureaucracy!” There may have been a few other words sprinkled in there, but this is a family newspaper.

It seems high school seniors this year are getting an even harsher look at what it can be like to deal with a federal government that isn’t particularly interested in getting things right for them. And, predictably, the whole overhaul was done in the name of making things simpler and shorter. Instead, the U.S. Department of Education has made it much harder. Glitches, delays and confusion have meant the number of students who have successfully submitted the FAFSA is down nearly 30% from this time last year. According to the National College Attainment Network, the problem is even worse at schools with more low-income students.

“We’re asking them to make probably one of the biggest financial decisions — and decisions that will have the biggest implications on their lives going forward — without all of the information,” said Justin Draeger, president and CEO of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.

And so, much like my half-hearted complaint from a very long time ago, students today are asking themselves, is it worth it? The Associated Press says because of the FAFSA disaster, projected college enrollments are down at levels that could be catastrophic for small colleges. In fact, the AP goes so far as to say the projected decreases in enrollment could force some colleges to close.

While federal education officials say they are making progress, Richard Cordray, the federal student loan chief who oversaw the FAFSA update, says he plans to step down at the end of June.

Ashnaelle Bijoux, a student from Norwich, Conn., has been a victim of the glitch. She told the Associated Press that if her FAFSA goes through, she should be eligible for enough aid to help cover the $13,000-a-year tuition at Southern Connecticut State University. If it does not, she might need to go to the local community college — though that, too, requires loans if she is unable to complete a FAFSA.

“That’s why it hurts, because it’s like you work so hard to go somewhere and do something and make something of yourself,” Bijoux said. “I thought I would start at a four-year (college) and then work hard continuously, like I’ve been doing basically my whole life. But that’s not the case.”

Federal incompetence is making it harder for students from low-income families, or those who have a parent who was not born in the U.S., or those who are simply not as adept at dealing with bureaucratic nonsense to get a college education.

It is leaving them adrift, wondering whether their dreams are being pulled out of reach, while deadlines whiz by.

Cordray’s departure should not be the end of the consequences faced by the Department of Education. Congress must ensure the agency does all in its power to make things right for affected students and college.

And, as those students face the uncertainty that comes with receiving a nearly unforgivable “welcome to dealing with the bureaucracy,” we can only hope more than a few of them will go on to educations and careers during which they are determined to fix it.

Christina Myer is executive editor of The Parkersburg News and Sentinel. She can be reached via e-mail at cmyer@newsandsentinel.com