Struggling to Pay
Many students enrolled at St. Edward’s struggled to pay. As shown in correspondence from parents and students, many paid in monthly installments, which violated the university's rules, or wrote telling the university they only had a few dollars to give.
![[Letter, Rev. C. Mandin to Brother Peter, 1934-02-01]](http://s3.amazonaws.com/archives-omeka-glen%2Fsquare_thumbnails%2Fbfd705fe00856871757864343aa72e87.jpg "[Letter, Rev. C. Mandin to Brother Peter, 1934-02-01]")
Rev. C Mandin expresses worry that a student will not have enough money to finish his schooling and graduate. [Figure 5.1]
![[Letter, Rev. Hugh O'Donnell, C.S.C. to Leo J. Hartnett, 1933-03-10]](http://s3.amazonaws.com/archives-omeka-glen%2Fsquare_thumbnails%2F480ef536467120cc3f57781ca475baae.jpg "[Letter, Rev. Hugh O'Donnell, C.S.C. to Leo J. Hartnett, 1933-03-10]")
The University allows a family to pay in $10 increments to keep their son enrolled. [Figure 5.2]
![[Letter, Rev. Hugh O'Donnell, C.S.C. to E. H. Weeks, 1933-01-27]](http://s3.amazonaws.com/archives-omeka-glen%2Fsquare_thumbnails%2Fa20e20cd46b3acf862ad40eb721c35af.jpg "[Letter, Rev. Hugh O'Donnell, C.S.C. to E. H. Weeks, 1933-01-27]")
The University allows monthly payments from a student and acknowledges the financial crisis. [Figure 5.3]
![[Letter, Rosa Lee Schutz to Brother Peter, 1934-02-01]](http://s3.amazonaws.com/archives-omeka-glen%2Fsquare_thumbnails%2Fbe47ca451528cf11293d55b8ac7c5a86.jpg "[Letter, Rosa Lee Schutz to Brother Peter, 1934-02-01]")
Rosa Lee Schutz apologizes for writing a check to the University that exceeded the balance in her account. [Figure 5.4]
![[Letter, Judge J. M. Cuen to Saint Edward's University, 1933-04-07]](http://s3.amazonaws.com/archives-omeka-glen%2Fsquare_thumbnails%2Faf33465867b1832cac31dfb2e04789cf.jpg "[Letter, Judge J. M. Cuen to Saint Edward's University, 1933-04-07]")
Judge J. M. Cuen pays the University all he can afford at the moment. He tells the University he wishes he could pay more but finds himself unable to do so, and that he will send more money as soon as he can. [Figure 5.5]
![[Letter, C. J. Vollmer to Saint Edward's University, 1932-03-31]](http://s3.amazonaws.com/archives-omeka-glen%2Fsquare_thumbnails%2Fb5251eb51ee59019b6744ade95ed4bec.jpg "[Letter, C. J. Vollmer to Saint Edward's University, 1932-03-31]")
A student is unable to return for the next semester due to financial and domestic hindrances. [Figure 5.6]
![[Letter, Hubert Polausky to Brother Peter, 1934-02-01]](http://s3.amazonaws.com/archives-omeka-glen%2Fsquare_thumbnails%2Fc09aaa5953aef7a910b0aa66271c5c0e.jpg "[Letter, Hubert Polausky to Brother Peter, 1934-02-01]")
A student pays all they can in order to remain enrolled and hopes to reenroll next semester. [Figure 5.7]
St. Edward's acknowledged the dire financial situation and granted amnesty to many families. The school paid close attention to students who were facing extremely difficult financial situations. Rev. C. Mandin wrote to Brother Peter expressing worry over a student who would likely not return to the university the next semester. [Figure 5.1] The university took a personal interest in keeping students enrolled, and in general acted very leniently toward families that were unable to pay their full balance on time during the Depression. [Figures 5.2, 5.3]
The university allowed many families to pay in monthly increments, and even allowed a family who accidentally sent them a bad check to remain enrolled. [Figure 5.4] The University's compassionate and understanding nature during the Great Depression allowed many students to finish their education and also keep St. Edward's afloat. The revenue provided, even by students who paid month-to-month, helped keep the university running.
Despite the university's efforts to accommodate, some students did succumb to the Great Depression. C. J. Vollmer was forced to un-enroll at St. Edward's due to "financial conditions combined with other domestic hindrances," and asked not to be charged for the whole semester. [Figure 5.6] The university was forced to scour to find forms of financial aid to keep enrollment up.