Why is my school saying you will be dropped if you don't pay by the 8th but they delayed financial aid award letters until the 15th?

They explicitly say that you need to pay by the 8th even if you are waiting on financial aid. It's because they went on a strike and the financial aid workers were gone for a week, then came back and worked through spring break instead of waiting a week, effectively just taken spring break early, which means they apparently need two weeks late, screwing over students.