Kaci's College Assistance Fund

tl;dr: We were misled by OSU's costs of attendance, tuition waiver, and scholarships. Kaci needs your help so she can finish out her first full year in the dorms before she must move back home with Chuck and Shannon.

Here's the Director's Cut version:

Kaci has done everything right. She graduated high school with a 3.9, scored a 31 on her ACT, earned an impressive number of scholarships, she's a National Honor Society member, took all AP coursework, maintained concurrent enrollment, and took so many college credit courses in high school that she is now set to graduate college a full year early! Also, because Chuck and Shannon both work for OSU, Kaci was even granted a full tuition waiver! Shannon gifted Kaci her 2010 Hyundai Accent when she graduated, and she and Chuck both continue to help out by covering Kaci's insurance, cell phone, and other expenses as they arise but there's only so much they can do.

With tuition waived, and Kaci's fees covered by her scholarships, Kaci planned to work her butt off and save up enough so that she could afford to live on campus her Freshman year. (OSU does allow residents of Stillwater to live at home their first year, but Kaci wanted the full, on-campus experience to get into the swing of college life).

With this goal in mind, Kaci worked full-time during the summers and continues to work part-time while going to school in order to save for her Room and Board. She got a job working for the OSU Library, has since been promoted twice, and is now an intern in the Archives Department; we're so proud! Kaci had plenty saved for the year ahead and she began her freshman year with gusto, even getting bumped up a tier into the Honor's College Dorm! Go off, girl boss!

So, what's the problem?

Unbeknownst to us, the lion's share of OSU's costs have been shifted to Mandatory Fees, and worse... ALL of Kaci's scholarships which she had planned to use for fees could ONLY be applied to tuition costs. This completely demolished all our plans.

Here's the breakdown per semester:

Tuition: $2708 (covered by scholarships first, then the rest is covered by the waiver)

Room and Board: $3935 (which Kaci had saved up to cover)

Mandatory Fees: $3988 (not covered by anything, and more expensive even than tuition and the dorms!)

Kaci had worked so hard to save up enough to cover both semesters in the dorms but instead she has had to spend it all on just this one semester! Kaci has already taken out the maximum amount of student loans that she was offered, but it's not enough to cover the costs of attendance.

It's looking like Kaci will have to leave the dorms in December and move back home, and while we are willing to have her return, we thought it might be worth asking for help from our friends and family before she starts packing.

This holiday season, in lieu of Christmas gifts, Kaci, Chuck, and Shannon ask that you make a donation to Kaci's College Assistance Fund and let her finish out her freshman year where she always wanted: living that OSU campus life!

Our amazing girl has earned it, and if you can help at all in any way, you'd be making a huge difference in her life. Thank you so much! We love you all!

-The Austin's