Do you know what your EFC is?

Here are two Facebook messages I got from a student.  The first one I include though it embarrasses me to do so.  But it gives us the context.  The rest of the context is that this is a conscientious student who did well enough in my class but is no academic superstar, nor does this student come from a background that I think pushes education.  Here, for the record are the federal numbers on Salem State:
SALEM STATE COLLEGE
Federal School Code: 002188
Graduation Rate: 43%
Retention Rate: 71%

A final preamble: I realize this presents just one side of the story and that students are often misinformed and confused.  So, I take all this with a grain of salt, but here it is: 
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Hey Dan,
I know you went through a bunch of trouble to get me into your world history 2 class, but I’m actually not going to be able to go to college at Salem anymore. My mom lost her job and apparently she makes "too much" for finical aid and I’m already taking out the maximum number of loans I can. I’m wicked bummed and now I’m stuck on the cape going to community college AGAIN. but I just wanted to say thanks for all your effort for getting me into your class, give my spot to someone who deserves it! And thanks for being such a great professor! I really enjoyed your class and did learn a lot. Keep in touch!
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So I send a Facebook message basically asking, what's up? (Oh, and telling the student that I didn't go to that much trouble, but I did have to provide an override because my course was maxed out.  I always let them know that I'm doing them a big favor, it's good for business.)
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Well here's the scoop, I graduated hs in 2006, went to 4c's for the nursing program, go in, hated it switched majors, applied to Salem and Bridgewater but went to Salem. I love the area so that’s why I went. I applied late and was supposed to get a ton of finical aid (basically everything paid for) which is why I went to Salem vs. Bridgewater, got a finical aid packet there too but I didn't get housing there. and there's nothing in bridgewater! boring place!

So I go to my orientation and they tell me they "ran out of money", the WHOLE reason i went to Salem and Lived on campus is because of all the finical aid money i was supposed to be getting.

I had to take out a lot of loans and my mom had to pay a lot of money for me to go to school. I was supposed to get $ for this spring semester, but for some reason they re did my finical aid packet and I lost my pell and mass grants and my moms EFC number jumped a thousand, weird huh?

so from what I was told was that I went from being needy to not very needy and all ill ever get for aid is the Stafford loans. and my mom has to pay her EFC of $5964 or something. It's ridiculous and she’s barely getting by so it's not worth it. I've written to the president, nothing, the people who work at finical aid know me by first name and they stopped answering my calls and calling me back. I’m never going to win this battle so I have given up I’ve done everything I can it sucks.

So I guess my plan is go to 4c’s AGAIN even though I have my associates, complete that semester and then just go to Bridgewater in the fall and. Graduate spring 11’ go to grad… I just really really really reallllyyy hate Cape Cod, and living at my moms house, but what can I do?
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So, what is the message here?  Well, for one thing it shows that Facebook is a useful tool for students to communicate with faculty, whatever its drawback might be.  And it shows that for all the talk of jobs being a lagging indicator, to quote my pal Ken Gold, "Jobs are the indicator."  And it suggests that education is still beggared by the government.  While the banks run away with the bank and lots of people are making good money taking advantage of college students, the students themselves are often struggling.