The Bursar’s office still smells of fresh paint and carpet, while just a few feet away, the financial aid office awaits renovation.

Financial Aid Director Kathleen Brunson said the Financial Aid office had planned for a renovation, but the state budget crisis prevented it.

She said the projected price was between $250,000-$300,000 for the proposed renovation.

The budget has brought more students in looking for financial aid, she said.

More than 200 students came in the office in January, which Brunson said is a large, untypical number.

She said students also have a problem with the way the office looks, and parents and students sometimes disapprove of the privacy level.

“Everyone around you can basically hear what you’re saying,” she said. “That’s why it was very important that we get a renovation.”

Financial Aid adviser Jane Jordan said the setup also makes it very difficult for very small students and students in wheelchairs to reach the desks to talk to staff members.

“They do not choose to be treated differently,” she said. “They stand out there with everyone else.”

Brunson said the plan called for eliminating the metal bars around the front counters, making a handicap accessible counter and extending the front counters out by 8 feet to give employees more room.

Bursar Kinga Mauger said the renovation in her office was completed in December, and it created a better work environment.

“[Students] seem to like it,” she said. “For one, they can see the cashiers eye to eye.”

Brunson anxiously awaits for when the busy financial aid office will be redone.

“My biggest concern is the students,” she said. “I want to increase morale with the students.”