Region II Meeting Minutes
Attendance
Bank One: Michael Woody
Citizens Bank: Jean Fura
Edamerica: Holly Zaglaniczny
Fifth Third Bank: Marc Woolf
Higher Education Services Corporation: Ed Gilbert
Key Bank: Kathleen O’Connell
M & T Bank: Rick Ross
Rochester Business Institute: Steve Dodds
Rochester Institute of Technology: Toby Dye, Corinne
Franklin, Rachel Shuman
SUNY Brockport: Scott Atkinson, Brian Cox, Craig Gallagher
SUNY Geneseo: Andrea Mason, Susan Romano
Training – Upromise Overview
We began the meeting with a presentation from Peter Dao, Regional
Field Consultant from Upromise Investments. He
discussed Upromise and the relationship with
Treasurer’s Report (Craig
Gallagher for Nora Bell)
Current balance is $590.79. There are no items outstanding at this time.
Secretary’s/Membership Report
No report.
Executive Council
(John Smith)
John was unable to attend the last Executive Council
Meeting. Meeting minutes should be posted on the NYSFAAA website soon.
NYSHESC Report (Ed
Gilbert)
HESC Senior Management Changes
Corinne
M. Biviano, the former executive deputy director of
the state Consumer Protection Board (CPB), has also been appointed executive
vice president of HESC. Biviano replaces Pierre Alric, who left the agency to work in the private sector.
Before joining the CPB, she was the executive deputy director of the Governor’s
Office for Small Cities.
During these days of inclement
weather, HESC would like to provide a reminder regarding our new telephone
option and service, which provides up-to-date information regarding the status
of scheduled NYSFAAA regional events. NYSFAAA regional coordinators/designated
staff can contact HESC at (518) 474-2715 anytime after
at (1-888 697-4372) and selecting
“Quick Touch Selection * 8"
under the "Financial Aid Professionals" menu.
05-06 TAP
Process
HESC recently
released a Financial Aid Services Bulletin, “Grants and Scholarships Processing
Improvements for 2004-2005 and 2005-2006”, which describes HESC’s
Anytime-TAP-on-the-Web process.
HESC now offers
all students the opportunity to apply for TAP-on-the-Web and avoid the paper
application process. Applicants who miss the Web link from the online FAFSA, or
applied using a paper FAFSA, will now have an additional opportunity to apply
online for TAP. In mid- January, HESC started sending e-mails to students who
completed the FAFSA process for 2005-06.
The e-mail directs students to HESC’s Web site where they can obtain a
PIN and complete the 05-06 Anytime-TAP-on-the-Web Application.
Students who do
not have a valid e-mail address will receive a postcard directing them to the
Web site. Many students have responded to the e-mail, obtained a PIN and
completed the Anytime TAP-on the-Web.
This is in addition to more than 3,000 students who went directly to
TAP-on-the Web from FAFSA-on-the Web.
Students will
receive the e-mail or postcard and be able to complete the Anytime TAP-on-the
Web if they:
·
have a
valid EFC
·
reported
they are NYS residents and reported at least one
During the first
week of February, HESC started to process 2005-2006 TAP applications, with more
than 16,000 electronic applications processed the first day.
Anticipated
date of TAP Rosters, Remittance Advices, Accounting Documents and Student
Status Listings for February 2005
February 3
2003-04 Remittance Advice/Accounting
Documents
2004-05 Remittance Advice
2004-05 Student Status Listing
February 8
2005-06 Student Status Listing
February 11
2004-05 Remittance Advice/Accounting
Documents
2004-05 Student Status Listing
February 16
2004-05 Roster
February 18
2004-05 Remittance Advice
2004-05 Student Status Listing
February 25
2004-05 Remittance Advice/Accounting
Documents
2004-05 Student Status Listing
The
2004-05 Student Status Listing will be run on each Friday until
July
2005.
Continuing until August 2005, a 2004-05 Remittance
Advice will be
available each
Friday.
Files will be available for retrieval
the following morning. Payments will
be mailed
or electronically transferred within three to five weeks of the
date of the
associated Roster or Accounting Documents.
Reports will be available for
printing and viewing at:
https://web.hesc.org/hescweb/main. If you are authorized to access this
data, you
will be required to logon with your HESC User ID and password.
For assistance in obtaining a User ID
and password, contact HESC’s Help
Desk at
1-888-NYS-HESC (1-888-697-4372).
HESC
recently enhanced their default management programs by providing a new Web
based default management tool, “The Default Manager” that enables school
default management staff to identify, contact and track former student loan
borrowers by specific cohort default rate year.
For
information regarding this new default management initiative, contact HESC’s
Advocate Unit at 1-888 215-0196, or via e-mail at loanadvocate@hesc.org. You can also go
to www.hesc.org and click on “”Lower your
cohort default rate with HESC’s Default Manager”- listed in the “What’s New”
section.
HESC
Unveils New Web Site
HESC
recently unveiled its new Web site. The site was enhanced based on feedback
from schools, students and parents. As previously announced, HESC periodically
changes the “look” of its public Web site. As a result of HESC Web text
changes, lenders and HESC participating schools who
need guidance on student loan wrap text should contact HESC’s Solutions Team,
who will review the text for accuracy and completeness.
The
Solutions Team can be reached by contacting HESC’s
HESC
Offering PLUS Credit Checks
HESC
recently released its new PLUS Credit Check Process, a service that will be
phased in over the next six months. A detailed bulletin describing the new
process, “HESC Offering PLUS Credit Checks”, can be viewed by visiting the
“College Administrators and Lenders” section on www.hesc.org,
and clicking on “Transaction Support”, “Bulletins and Announcements”, and “Loan
Program Bulletins”.
Coming
Soon - Empire EFT
Contracts
for the new “Empire EFT” process will be available shortly. The Empire EFT
disbursement process is another option for receiving loans guaranteed by HESC
and will give schools complete control of the timing of disbursements.
Each day
a school will be able to determine which loans should be disbursed, tell HESC
its choices and receive the funds the next day. For more information regarding
this new disbursement option, contact HESC’s Solutions Team by calling
1-888-NYSHESC, (1-888-697-4372) and selecting “Quick Touch” selections 2, 2, 3,
1.
Reminder
- Doc Trac Services
DocTrac is an exclusive service for school officials and provides a
dedicated e-mail address and fax number for documents in need of special
handling by HESC. Upon receipt of a special handling document, HESC will
respond via e-mail, notifying the aid administrator of the receipt of the
document along with a unique tracking number. Examples of documents requiring
special handling: NYS Residency, income, and financial independence
documentation.
School
officials should forward special handling documents to: doctrac@hesc.org, fax
number (518) 473-1414.
Lender/Vendor Updates
None
Committee Updates
Mall Programs
May 2 at Marketplace
May 3 at Greece Ridge
Materials will be provided. Please contact Nancy VanZetta at FLCC if you would like to volunteer.
Support Staff Workshop
This year’s workshop will be held on Friday, June 3 at RBI
from
CAAN
Joe Bailey thanked the FAA’s from RIT, MCC, U of R and Brockport who helped out at East High. Approximately 110 attended the workshop.
Old Business
2004 Conference
Scott Atkinson reported that the final conference report was delivered to Exec. Council at the February meeting. The comprehensive report impressed the Council. The report included all forms, committee reports, Steering Committee Meeting Minutes and contracts. We hope this can be used by other conference committees. Each Exec. Council member received the report on CD. Exec. Council plans to post the report on the NYSFAAA website.
Highlights
of the Conference
Thanks to everyone in Region II
who helped to make this year’s conference a success!
New Business
Elections
John Smith’s term as Exec Council rep will be ending soon. Joan Shedd will be sending out nomination forms to solicit members and then an election will be held. This is a two year term. Meetings are held around the state 4 times a year. Most meetings are two days and one is a 3 day event. Self nominations are encouraged.
School News
RIT has an opening for a Financial Aid Counselor (entry-level) and a 6 month temporary position. Both will be posted shortly.
Lisa Papke has recently been hired as the new counselor/loan processor in the Financial Aid Office at GCC.
U of R has made a few staff changes. Brent Bernard has left to become a state trooper. Good luck Brent! Andie Mravlja has been named Assistant Director. Amanda Carter and Cory Hill are the new Financial Aid Counselors.
Meeting Schedule
The next meeting will be held on Friday, April 8 at the M
& T Bank in downtown
Respectfully submitted,
Susan Romano
SUNY Geneseo