The Unofficial SMART Scholarship Forum

by **Guest** » Sat Aug 08, 2015 11:45 am

2013Cohort wrote:Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that the problems all began when the responsibility for payments was transferred from the SPO in San Diego to ASEE in DC (in 2013). Now there's an extra middle-man that is required to give approvals, and everything is gone to seed...

I'm a 2011 cohort and I left phase one in 2013. During that time the stipend was delayed at least twice, so I would say that this was an issue before 2013.

by **Guest** » Fri Aug 07, 2015 5:19 pm

guest wrote:2009 cohort here. Maybe I just have a bad memory, but during the three years of my Phase 1, I don't recall ever having any problems with stipend payments. Did something happen to SMART whereas all of a sudden they just can't get their act together to pay people?

In my one year 09-10 the payments were delayed or screwed up at least twice.

by **Guest** » Tue Aug 04, 2015 10:55 am

Are they competing with congress for most incompetent? I got a 75% payment, a 25% payment and a 25% retraction.

by **Guest** » Tue Aug 04, 2015 8:43 am

Still waiting, no money yet.

by **Guest** » Mon Aug 03, 2015 1:40 pm

Guest wrote:
2009Cohort wrote: ...if you live 50+ miles from your SF.

Wrong, if your school address is 50 miles+ from your SF. Which means for me, I still don't get ISPs, but still have to find a place to rent and food and whatnot for the summer.

by **Guest** » Mon Aug 03, 2015 11:11 am

2009Cohort wrote: -snip- ...Those were the good ol' days .

Now all we get is a brusque phone orientation, no mention of who else is a scholar, the privilege of footing the bill to visit our new SF mentors, no pay increase upon meeting PhD candidacy criteria, and the shaft whenever someone drops the ball on our paychecks.

At least they still have internship support payments... if you live 50+ miles from your SF.

by **2009Cohort** » Sat Aug 01, 2015 3:42 pm

2013Cohort wrote:Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that the problems all began when the responsibility for payments was transferred from the SPO in San Diego to ASEE in DC (in 2013). Now there's an extra middle-man that is required to give approvals, and everything is gone to seed...

Fair enough. *Cue old man voice and rocking chair*

Back in my day, we had our orientation in Monterey. The SPO managed everything. ASEE only provided them funding. We were all set up at the Marriott or Hilton or something; can't remember due to my advanced age. We each got our own rooms with a king bed and got to meet other scholars and meet our potential supervisors from the SF there too.

In 2012, during my transition from Phase 1 to Phase 2, my SF messed up my inprocessing and left me sitting at home for two weeks without work. I called up SPO and they said they would provide me another month of stipend to help me out. Those were the good ol' days .

by **Guest** » Fri Jul 31, 2015 12:55 pm

2013Cohort wrote:Whatever happened to Larry? He used to give us all sorts of insights into this stuff. I miss his explanations - they used to give me hope that the program would improve one day. Perhaps he's realized the hopelessness of real reform.

A couple people kept being rather dickish toward him, so he left.

by **Guest** » Fri Jul 31, 2015 12:02 pm

Got 75% payment 07/17 and the rest was just paid today. Anyone know what happened?

by **2013Cohort** » Fri Jul 31, 2015 7:18 am

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that the problems all began when the responsibility for payments was transferred from the SPO in San Diego to ASEE in DC (in 2013). Now there's an extra middle-man that is required to give approvals, and everything is gone to seed...

Whatever happened to Larry? He used to give us all sorts of insights into this stuff. I miss his explanations - they used to give me hope that the program would improve one day. Perhaps he's realized the hopelessness of real reform.

by **guest** » Fri Jul 31, 2015 5:06 am

2009 cohort here. Maybe I just have a bad memory, but during the three years of my Phase 1, I don't recall ever having any problems with stipend payments. Did something happen to SMART whereas all of a sudden they just can't get their act together to pay people?

by **Guest** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 2:49 pm

If this is their method of recruiting the cream of the crop... they're in for a big surprise.

by **Guest** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 1:43 pm

Not yet. This is ridiculous.

by **Guest** » Mon Jul 27, 2015 3:28 pm

Anyone receive a full July payment?

by **Guest** » Fri Jul 24, 2015 10:49 am

And this is exactly why most of us, after we get our PhDs, will go to the private sector and tell our SF to go and pound sand. Thanks, I'll join you guys in 20 years, or whenever, kind of like the way you payed me on time.

by **Guest** » Fri Jul 24, 2015 10:39 am

Guest wrote:I received an email back about not receiving my July stipend:

ASEE was not directed to make a July stipend payment to you, which is why you did not receive a payment last Friday. We will check with the Department of Defense on this matter and update you as soon as possible.
Anyone else still waiting on payment or is it just me?

Where you in Cohort 2014? If cohort 2015 I think your stipend begins in August.

by **Guest** » Fri Jul 24, 2015 10:35 am

I don't have the rest of mine either. I'll give it till noon then my hopes for getting it today are way down

by **Guest** » Fri Jul 24, 2015 9:19 am

It's Friday, where the fuck is my money?

by **DocSea** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 3:24 pm

I'm still waiting for part of it. I received 75% last Friday and according to the email received last week, should see the rest of it this Friday.

by **Guest** » Tue Jul 21, 2015 11:46 am

I received an email back about not receiving my July stipend:

ASEE was not directed to make a July stipend payment to you, which is why you did not receive a payment last Friday. We will check with the Department of Defense on this matter and update you as soon as possible.

Anyone else still waiting on payment or is it just me?

by **Guest** » Sun Jul 19, 2015 8:37 pm

I think it's hilarious that the SPO literally has one job to do in order to hold up their end of the deal, and they can't handle doing it. Just so you know, Janna Simons is the Site Manager for the SMART program, and she used to be my Cohort Administrator. Here's the first few lines of her LinkedIn experience section:

Site Manager (May 2013 – present)
Oversee daily operations of the SMART Program Office (SPO). Develop, implement, monitor and audit processes to ensure team success. Address issues of SMART participant noncompliance.

Maybe she should be paying closer attention to making sure that the SPO complies with their own responsibilities.

It should come as no surprise that her work before the SMART program includes such highlights as volleyball program director and gym teacher. What a joke.

by **Guest** » Sat Jul 18, 2015 5:23 pm

I didn't get mine, but a friend got 75% of a payment. Doesn't make sense.

by **Guest** » Thu Jul 16, 2015 6:57 pm

I'm so sorry. I just moved to phase ii and the payment delays *hurt* every time.

by **shakingMyHead** » Wed Jul 15, 2015 7:04 pm

Whoever keeps making these "administrative issues" needs to be fired.

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