| Region 1 Regional Notes/Report |
| Notes/Report: DATE: May 21, 2009 - REGION 1 May 2009 Minutes  Notes/Report: DATE: January 1, 2009 - REGION 1 May 2009 Minutes NYSFAAA Region 1 Minutes May 21, 2009 Buffalo State College Welcome & Introductions: Kevin Ryan Attendance: Leigh Bove Great Lakes, Jerome Moss Key Bank, Ithrene Cameron Sallie Mae, Laurel Almand Medaille, Angela Koenig Medaille, Christina Horner Villa Maria, Laura Fitzgerald Villa Maria, Holly Z. EdAmerica, David Schwab Trocaire, Terry Adamczyk Trocaire, Sean Hudson Canisius, Michele Rizzo Canisius, Mary Koehneke Canisius, Kevin Ryan UB, Troy Martin Houghton College, Curt Gaume Canisius, Dan Hunter Buffalo State (retired), Warren Hoffman Buffalo State (retired), Dawn Langdon HESC, Jack Rafferty HESC, Rachel Barker NCCC, Aimee Murch ITT, Jeff Pagano Daemen, Lea Nicholson Buffalo State, Diane Stuezenbecker Jamestown Business College, Brent P. McEnroe UB, Lynn Chilson Buffalo State, Yvonne Nagel Buffalo State, Jennifer Pollard - Sallie Mae. Treasurers Report: Brent McEnroe Balance as of 01/12/09: $5,211.25 Minus: 02/09/09 $2.00 Check Image Fee 03/11/09 $2.00 Check Image Fee 03/30/09 $490.50 Check #567 $490.50 Avi Food Systems Inc. for Lunch Region 1&2 Meeting GCC 04/13/09 $2.00 Check Image Fee 05/11/09 $2.00 Check Image Fee Total: $498.50 Plus: Total: Balance as of 05/11/09: $4,712.75 State Budget Request From due 5/22/09 for any programs Region 1 cannot fund out of the Regions current treasury. Next Revenue Sharing from NYSFAAA is still pending. Suggestion was made to project budget for Admissions Counselor Workshop. Suggestion was made to request money for legislative related activities including travel to Albany. This has been funded by the Government Relations Committee in the past. With Financial Sources limited, it was suggested that Region 1 request funding for all upcoming programs. NYSFAAA can always decline the request. Suggestion to reinstate the Support Staff Workshop in Region 1. Workshop has not been held in 2 years, scale back program based on budget. Region 3 held workshop during 08/09 and charged participants $10. There was a renewed excitement for this event in Region 3. Executive Council Report: Lynn Chilson NYSFAAA website developing a social network similar to Face book 2009-2010 Membership will be available online in late June/early July 2009 NYSFAAA conference Saratoga will be held for 3 days October 27-29, 2009 (Tuesday thru Thursday). The conference will not include Novice or Graduate Symposium 5-year Strategic Planning Gina Soliz is heading up a committee for implementation if interested in working with this project please let Lynn know. Consider running for Regional elections 2010 NYSFAAA Conference: Kevin Ryan Region 1 is hosting the Fall 2010 Conference in Buffalo. Kevin Ryan is possible co-chair and seeking the second co-chair. Please contact Kevin Ryan directly if interested in co-chairing the conference. kryan@buffalo.edu. Summer Outing: Laura Worley Buffalo Bisons game Thursday, June 18th at 1:00pm. Laura will put the event on the Region 1 List-serve for all that are interested. Laura will also collect the money (event paid for by individuals participating not NYSFAAA) and arrange event with the Bisons. Thanks Laura for coordinating this! NYSFAAA Elections: Mary Koehneke Thank you Kevin Ryan, Brent McEnroe, Lynn Chilson and Jennifer Pollard for serving as the 08/09 Region 1 Officers. All positions are available. The Executive Council position travels three times per year for meetings: February, June and the October Conference. Any additional meetings are held via conference call. Nominations have been extended to May 29, 2009. All nominees should be sent directly to Mary at mkoehnek@canisius.edu. Elections will be held on-line the first couple of weeks in June. All newly elected officers should be in place by June 24, 2009. Novice Training: June 6-12, 2009 at SUNY Brockport 65 participants registered as of the week of May 11th. Cost is $580/pp Not too late to register, deadline is May 26, 2009 contact Lisa Simpson at HESC directly. Outstanding Event, Great opportunity for networking Dan Hunter A suggestion was made to mirror the Support Staff workshop to the format of the Novice Training. College Access Grant Discussion: Two parts of the Grant from HESC. NYSFAAA recipient of the first part of the grant: a. $49,000 over 2 years b. Programs to be covered: College Goal Sunday $7K, Novice Training $3K, State Fair $3,700 and Outreach and Training $10,800 per year divided by the regions $1,350 per region available. c. Proposals need to be submitted to be considered for this Outreach and Training funding. All proposals due to Kevin Ryan by June 10, 2009. Kevin needs to submit proposals to Howard Leslie by June 15, 2009. d. Suggestions from Region 1 included: Middle School outreach both urban and rural, School Counselor workshops designed specifically for Buffalo Public School Counselors. NYSFAAA did not win the second part of the grant. SUNY Cobleskill won the grant for that area/region. If you are aware of any grants that would help to achieve our state goals, please reach out to Curt Gaume with the grant suggestions. Committee Updates: Web Newsletter all submissions due to Laura Worley by June 1, 2009. HESC Update: Dawn Langdon & Jack Rafferty TAP Preserved in the NYS Budget The Budget preserves several TAP provisions, including: ● The current TAP award calculation for full-time students enrolled in fewer than fifteen semester credits. ● Current academic standards for non-remedial students. ● Adjustments to TAP awards for families with multiple dependent family members in college. ● Funding for graduate students. ● Funding for students in default on certain Federal education loans. Th The Budget does include a new requirement that income from New York State, federal, and local government pensions be included as income when determining TAP eligibility as well as for calculating the TAP award, consistent with private pension income. Scholarships and Loan Forgiveness The Budget largely continues funding for State scholarship and loan forgiveness programs at 2008-09 levels, and also: ● Creates a new Flight 3407 Memorial Scholarship Program to benefit children, spouses and financial dependents of those who perished in the crash of Continental Airlines Flight 3407 in Clarence, New York on February 12, 2009. ● Expands the District Attorney Loan Forgiveness Program to include legal services attorneys who work with the indigent. ● Eliminates funding for new awards for the NYS Regents Professional Opportunity Scholarship, the NYS Regents Health Care Opportunity Scholarship and the NYS Volunteer Recruitment Service Scholarship. Current award recipients will continue to receive funding through program completion. Listen to a Replay of HESC's Webinar Discussing New Yorks Financial Aid Programs in the Wake of the Newly Enacted State Budget On Monday April 6, 2009, HESC hosted a Webinar covering the 2009-10 NY State Budget and its effect on New Yorks financial aid programs. The Webinar addressed: ● NYHELPs A new program that will help fill the gap between college costs and financial aid by giving New York students and families access to low-cost alternative education loans. ● Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) Features that remain unchanged and elements that have been updated. ● Scholarship and Loan Forgiveness Programs New programs and changes to current programs. To hear a replay of the webinar, go to Whats New in the College Administrators section of HESC web and click on Listen to the Replay of the 2009 Budget Update Webinar If you have Questions or Comments Direct questions or comments about NYHELPs to NYHELPs@hesc.org. Direct questions for comments about TAP, Grants, Scholarships or Loan Forgiveness to Operational Services at (518) 474-3552 or tappolicy@hesc.org. ED Cancels the Competitive Loan Auction Pilot Program for Parent PLUS Loans On April 10, 2009 the U.S. Department of Education announced that the Competitive Loan Auction Pilot Program for Parent PLUS Loans, relating to loans to be made for loan periods beginning on or after July 1, 2009 and ending on or before June 30, 2011, has been cancelled. The auction that was scheduled to occur on April 15, 2009 has been cancelled due to the failure of the Department to receive two requests for pre-qualification for any State. During the 2009-10 and 2010-11 award years, Parent PLUS loans under the Federal Family Education Loan program may be made by any eligible lender to parents of students attending eligible educational institutions in any State. Please direct questions regarding this announcement to the Office of Regulatory Compliance at 1-518-473-3986; toll free at 1-866-431-HESC (1-866-431-4372), press 6; or by email at askpolicy@hesc.org PUTS and Participation Programs Under the Ensuring Continuing Access to Student Loans Act of 2008 (ECASLA), the U.S. Department of Education (ED), in collaboration with the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Office of Management and Budget, has implemented four programs to improve liquidity in the student loan marketplace the Loan Purchase Program (PUT), the Purchase of Participation Interests Program (PPI), the Short Term Loan Purchase Program, and the Asset-Backed Commercial Paper Conduit (ABCP). The implementation of these programs will help to ensure continued access to FFEL funds for borrowers. Borrowers will be notified throughout the process and will not need to complete a new Master Promissory Notes (MPNs) to secure future education funding. PUT --Loans will be sold to the Department of Education but remain FFELP which means the borrowers will be able to use their MPNs for subsequent loans. They will not have to re-note. Loans will be serviced at the Department as FFELP loans, not as Direct Loans. Participation -- Loans may or may not be sold to the Department of Education. The borrowers will be able to use their MPNs for subsequent loans, they will not have to re-note. The lender will have the option of redeeming and retaining the servicing of the loan or of selling the loan to the Department once the loan has been fully disbursed. New fields have been incorporated within HESCs Web screens to assist school in identifying the status of loans that fall into these categories. For more information and screen shot samples, please read the HESC Bulletin issued on February 17, 2009. A copy of the bulletin is housed on HESC Web in the Recent Bulletins and Policy Announcements section. For more in-depth information on the program, visit EDs Web site, www.federalstudentaid.ed.gov/ffelp. Or contact ED by calling 866-938- 4750 (for schools) or 800-508-1378 (for students/borrowers). EFT Escrow Processing Change Effective June 26, 2009, HESC will enhance our Escrow EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) service, speeding up processing of disbursement rosters and the transfer of funds to schools. Upon implementation, you will notice the following timeline changes: One day will be removed from the Escrow EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) timeline, changing the process from three to two processing days. Lenders who have HESC auto-debit their account for funds will benefit from a reduction from four to three processing days. The enhancements will apply to the EFT refund process. Since EFT Express is a one day process, it will not be affected. Timeline Illustrations Following are detailed illustrations of the shorter Escrow EFT processing timelines: Escrow EFT Processing (Lender Sends Funds to HESC) Day 1 Lender Disbursement Roster file and matching funds are both received by 12:00 P.M. EST School Disbursement Roster file and Lender Disbursement Acknowledgement file are created and transmitted. HESC submits ACH to credit school's account. Day 2 School receives funds. Escrow EFT Processing (HESC Auto-Debits Lender's Account) Day 1 Lender Disbursement Roster file is received by 12:00 P.M. EST HESC submits ACH to auto-debit lender's account. Day 2 HESC receives funds. School Disbursement Roster file and Lender Disbursement Acknowledgement File are created and transmitted. HESC submits ACH to credit school's account. Day 3 School receives funds. Lenders Should Adjust Their Look-Ahead Timing Lenders will need to adjust their look ahead process to send the Lender Disbursement Roster to HESC using the shorter timeline to insure funds settle at the school on the appropriate anticipated disbursement date. Additional Information For more information or questions on the change, please contact our EFT unit at 518-473-4222 or eft@hesc.org Please direct questions or comments regarding the use of HESC electronic products or services to Priority Services at priorityservices@hesc.org. Direct any technical problems with HESC electronic services to the HESC Help Desk. To contact HESC toll free, call 1-866-431-HESC (1-866-431-4372) and follow the menu prompts. School, Lender & Guarantor News: Katrina Delgrosso left Chase Bank on May 15, 2009 to begin a new position at Syracuse University as the Associate Director for Financial Aid and Scholarships. Holly Z. announced that her husband, Larry, was laid off from NASFAAA. He will be very missed by state organizations and colleagues in New York. If you want to reach out to Larry please contact him via email at LarryZag@yahoo.com. EASFAA Conference: More upbeat then SUNYFAP conference. Registered participants = 388. The overall structure of the conference was positive. The vendor area was well received. The overall attendance was lender heavy. Update on FFELP: first hearing in the House on loan reform today, May 21, 2009 at 10:00am. Training Topic The Fred Factor; Bob Rodriguez, Great Lakes. POSTED BY: Kevin Ryan |