The Unofficial SMART Scholarship Forum

Just checking.

Nope..I didn't get paid either. Seeing as this is the first paycheck of the year, It makes me think it is some delay due to some sort of change in the way they have to approve the money to pay us.

I am so sick of this shit.

Nope. I was hoping I wasn't just me. This is nuts.

Thru great us like garbage in this scholarship.

^^^^ Hey guys, don't worry, it gets better in Phase 2!!!

In all seriousness, it sucks to hear about continued $ issues (those of us in Phase 2 know how you feel), but hopefully the problems will get resolved before they cause everyone too much trouble.

Thanks for posting, always good to confirm I'm not the only one...

OK. Just coming here to make sure it wasn't just me. I don't understand why they can't give us any notice on this stuff. I've learned to put some aside for this but I still think 1 I shouldnt have to and 2 Show some respect and keep us filled in. I shouldn't have to find out when there's nothing in my account. Plus with last month being Christmas, things are a little tight.

Just saw this. I suggest emailing smart@nps.edu and seeing what they tell you and when.

And then re-post that answer here.

Best
Larry

larry wrote:Just saw this. I suggest emailing smart@nps.edu and seeing what they tell you and when.

And then re-post that answer here.

Best
Larry

I say this because I don't know the answer, but they should.

Already emailed them about 6 hours ago with no word yet.

Has anyone received an email back yet?

I emailed at 8 am est, no response yet. I bet its another "clerical error"

Sorry to hear this is happening to you guys again. I dealt with it myself several times in phase 1. I really hope they get it resolved quickly. I once had to wait for more than a month. I thought I was going to have to sell my books and drop my classes to get a refund just to be able to feed my kids.

The best part is, if you look at my payment history on the award portal all of the payments are shown on time. There was never a single late payment, evidently. Which is curious because I remember frantically trying to figure out how I was going to pay my rent. Additionally, there were about a hundred posts on this website each time one of these "clerical errors" happened, so why the award portal would show all of the payments on time is a real mystery.

How strange...

Finally a response:

"Kristine is out of the office today, so I am replying on her behalf. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We have been informed that the payments were distributed as scheduled. We are researching the issue to find out why some payments have not posted yet. Once that is determined, we will provide that information to you."

I recommend some of you also send emails so they know its a bigger issue than "some" have not been posted.

I got the same response:
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We have been informed that the payments were distributed as scheduled. We are researching the issue to find out why some payments have not posted yet. Once that is determined, we will provide that information to you.

I feel so guilty being upset about not getting paid cuz for me this scholarship has been exactly what I needed and provided me with a great opportunity. It's just not easy to have no clue when you are getting paid after budgeting for a month at a time.

I got the same email without the part about Kristine.

I am tired of this too. 4 times in 2 years. What can we do as a group? Can we sue?

Fitsimmons this is the 4th such delay I've had in 3 years. I too have children and to not be paid is completely ridiculous and extremely stressful each time. Inexcusable.

Guest wrote:Fitsimmons this is the 4th such delay I've had in 3 years. I too have children and to not be paid is completely ridiculous and extremely stressful each time. Inexcusable.

I am in the same boat and I am pissed. This is inexcusable and someone needs to be fired over this.

I really wish I had some advice for you. This is the way it goes, and it doesn't change in phase 2. People mess up, and you're the one that suffers for it. I can assure you, you won't get any kind of incentive for your trouble, or an apology, or even an acknowledgement that a mistake was made. You're just supposed to shrug it off.

The SMART program's responsibilities, as described in the contract and the handbook, are just words on a page. The SPO doesn't expect to be held to anything that they agreed to, because they know you don't want to get into a legal battle with them. Therefore, they pull this nonsense with impunity.

YOUR part of the contract - well, that's a different story. If you make the slightest mistake, you're out. Truthfully, I don't consider the document that I signed with SMART to be a contract at all, because a contract is supposed to hold BOTH SIDES to their commitment. I don't know what you would call the SMART program.

I think Shanghaiing or indentured servitude is closer to the truth.

Dear SMART Participants,



Thank you to those who contacted the SMART Program Office through the official email address to raise concern about the January stipend payment. January stipend payments will be issued through a different capacity this month. Payments will be processed via wire transfers. All payments will be posted today. You may see an additional $15 with this deposit which is intended to cover any wire transfer fees that may be incurred.



As referenced in the SMART Participant Handbook, page twelve, section 8.2. a titled Stipends. Recruitment SSPP Stipend Timing and Distribution are based on the availability of funds, recruitment SSPP stipend payments are paid directly to the SSPP by ASEE. Recruitment SSPPs generally receive stipend payments on the third Friday of each month, beginning in August of the first award year, provided all award funding prerequisites have been met.



The SMART Program is dedicated to providing accurate information through official channels. Questions regarding SMART policies or procedures, contact the program at SMART@nps.edu and/or your cohort administrator.

For some reason, after reading this, I'm worried. Not about this month but about the future

Wow. Nothing says "legitimate transaction" like a wire transfer. Are you sure you don't want to go with Bitcoin or PayPal? Why don't you just issue the stipend in small, unmarked, non-sequential bills in a brown paper bag?

Stay classy, SMART.