And by all accounts, that's exactly what happened this fall. Reports from the field indicate that student needs, from financial aid to computer connections, were processed quickly, efficiently and without incident. J.R. Schulden photo. This workhorse, introduced in 1992 as a voice response system, is also now available on the Web. What used to be a snail-paced paper process can now be completed in just a few minutes using a computer or telephone.
Many students use their cell phones.
Using this online resource, students can change their address, look at grades or check the status of their financial aid. Up on the second floor of Sproul, the corridors outside the Financial Aid Office are just as barren. Though the office paid out more money than ever before this fall, funds were disbursed without a hitch, said Director Richard Black. The operation was aided by a new promissory note procedure, which requires students to sign only one note for their whole career at Berkeley, instead of one for each academic year. Move-in day at the residence halls went smoothly as well.