ASUN student finance center prepares for opening next semester

The Association of Students of the University of Nebraska is putting the finishing touches on the Peer Financial Education Center.

The center was started to serve students needing help understanding their finances, wrote ASUN President Megan Collins in an e-mail.

The center will also help students in everything from basic financial literacy to planning budgets and understanding their credit.

"Students today can really benefit from services like this as incoming students who can learn to better manage their money early to prevent unnecessary debt upon graduation," Collins said.

"PFEC is also important for students as they graduate from UNL and are faced with those real-life money management decisions."

The idea for the center was started and used as a campaign platform by the BRIGHT Party, headed by former ASUN President Emily Zimmer.

"The idea was to provide essential financial education services to students," Collins said.
Kaoruko Yuhara, a senior international studies major, said she thought students could use advice on their finances.

"I don't receive any scholarships right now, so all of my tuition comes from my parents," she said.

While neither she nor her friends have had any concerns with needing financial education, Yuhara said they would use the center as a resource if they did.  

This semester, ASUN has been busy searching for a full-time head coordinator for the center and interviewing candidates. At an ASUN meeting on Nov. 18, Collins announced that someone had been hired.

"We think we've found the right person for the job and are excited to open the doors of the PFEC office," she said.

More than 75 people applied for the job, Collins said, and the top candidates were interviewed by phone.

An even smaller number of applicants came to the campus for in-person interviews, she said.

"We were looking for someone who can help us take PFEC to the students through marketing campaigns, helpful events and one-on-one sessions," Collins said.

On hand for those interviews were ASUN representatives, who asked the candidates questions and then submitted feedback on the candidates.

"This addition, along with some peer financial educators who are being trained to work with students, will allow PFEC to be open and ready to serve students in the near future – sometime in the spring semester," Collins said.
kimbuckley@dailynebraskan.com