BGLTSA members say the new guidelines fall short of helping all of the students that need its protection.

And the Undergraduate Council recently passed a resolution urging the University to mitigate the mediation requirement by exempting students from the sessions in cases where mediation is clearly not a desirable option, such as in cases of abuse.

‘Lack of Communication’

The original financial aid policy required students seeking independent status to take two years away from Harvard and return with $8000 to go toward their education.

The new policy, however, demands neither time off from school nor a financial contribution from the student.

This revised set of guidelines was completed and approved in early October, and Neuhaus-Follini says she entered the process of applying for aid under its regulations before the financial aid committee completed it.

She says repeated requests for a copy of the policy were frustrated.

“They kept telling me, ‘It’s not done. It’s still pending approval,’” she says.

Neuhaus-Follini says she received a copy of the new policy on Oct. 28 and learned for the first time about the mediation requirement.

The process ground to a halt, she says, after she refused to undergo mediation and was not granted an exemption.

As a result, she was required to instead apply for financial aid under the old guidelines and extend her absence for an additional three semesters.

Financial officials declined to discuss the specifics of Neuhaus-Follini’s case.

Neuhaus-Follini criticizes what she describes as a lack of communication and understanding on the part of counselors and other officials, and, most glaringly, the mediation requirement.

“The policy is bad enough, but it also brings to light all these other deficiencies in the school,” says Neuhaus-Follini. “There’s no communication and no support.”

A Troubled History