After almost a year of planning and delays, the Student Association’s scholarship search service is ready for use.

College Aid Sources for Higher Education (CASHE) is a computerized scholarship search service open to all current and accepted NIU students.

The system takes information provided by students and searches for potential scholarships and loans they might be eligible for.

“It’s finally starting after all the headaches,” said Jennifer Sarro, Student Committee on Financial Aid (SCOFA) adviser.

The system would have been in place sooner if unforeseen problems had not come up. The delay came when new disks had to be sent to update the system.

The original system purchased by the SA in July was outdated. Computer problems further delayed the commencement of the service, Sarro said.

Last year’s SCOFA Adviser Maurice Thomas laid the initial groundwork for the system but it ran aground when costs ran too high. The SA staff came up with a new plan and CASHE was approved by the SA Senate.

Students must pay a $1 fee to use the service. The fees generated from the service will be put into a revolving account and used to cover unplanned costs, she said.

NIU student fees which the SA controls are used to pay a $3,100 yearly subscription fee for the CASHE system.

Those who use the service will receive a printout of the results, which will contain the names and addresses of the scholarships and loans the student is eligible to apply for, Sarro said.

Students can pick up an application for CASHE at the SA office on the second floor of the Holmes Student Center.