September 22, 2005 Region IV Meeting Minutes

Future Meetings

Schools were well-represented at this meeting, which will hopefully continue (and increase) at future meetings. The Executive Council will be working on a calendar, so overlap of region meetings can be avoided. There will be no Region IV meeting in October, since the NYSFAAA Conference will be taking place. The following tentative schedule was discussed:

· November 3, 2005 – SUNY Albany

· December 2005 – late morning short business meeting, followed by holiday lunch

· January 2006 – mixer

· February 2, 2006

· April 6, 2006

· June 2006 – summer fun meeting

· September 2006 – welcome back meeting

It was generally agreed upon that early morning meetings work best, and meetings will usually be scheduled on the first Thursday of the month. Albany Law School, Albany College of Pharmacy, Fulton-Montgomery Community College, and SUNY Albany have offered to host meetings.

New ideas for the summer meeting are welcome, as Saratoga has become expensive to the region due to declining participation. The following ideas were suggested:

· Boat cruise

· Wine tour

· Picnic/softball

· Pool party

· Tour of the NYS Capital

· Foxwoods excursion

· Toga party

Joel Castiglione will email future meeting details via the listserve. Please call or email her with any ideas or suggestions.

The NYSFAAA Fall Training Workshop is being offered in Albany on November 9, 2005 at Citizens Bank. Additional details and registration can be found on the website.

The Guidance Counselor Workshop is being held on December 9, 2005 at HVCC.

Support Staff Committee

Joel Castiglione is looking for at least three volunteers, preferably from schools. This committee will focus on training support staff and making them feel involved.

Treasurer’s Report

In July, the region received a revenue-sharing check (based on percentage of NYSFAAA membership) for $895. The region’s cash balance is $1,856, part of which can be used to sponsor refreshments at future meetings.

HESC Update

The TAP Change Form and Request for Information is now offered on the web.

HESC has introduced two new programs to increase the number of educators and adjunct faculty teaching nursing in NYS: The Senator Patricia K. McGee Nursing Faculty Scholarship Program, and the New York State Nursing Faculty Loan Forgiveness Incentive Program.

The Flight 587 Memorial Scholarship was recently created to help students from affected families obtain a college degree.

A Consolidated Scholarship Roster has been created based on requests from school officials, and will be discussed in depth at the NYSFAAA Conference.

HESC is working on implementing the PLUS credit check pre-approval process and an automated credit approval process.

HESC has formed alternative loan focus groups, is reviewing feedback, and will be scheduling more sessions.

HESC is moving toward joining the Total Enrollment Reporting Process (TERP), offered by the National Student Clearinghouse.

New screens and fields have been added to display information regarding PLUS borrower credit checks. Screens can now be accessed using student SSN.

New reports include: HESC Performed Credit Checks – Daily Credit Results Report, MPN Data (for schools or lenders), and Pending Data (for schools or lenders).

Empire EFT contracts and manuals are available on hesc.org.

HESC has received $21 million in federal funds to continue the NYGEAR UP program.

The inaugural Loan Symposium was a huge success. Thanks to all who participated.

Robert Butler, a 30-year HESC manager and most recently Chief Operating Officer, recently retired but will continue as a part-time consultant.

Leonard Sippel will replace Robert Butler as Senior Vice President for Operations.

June McQuide has been hired as the Director of the Audit and Quality Assurance Division.

General Issues

Schools are encouraged to offer assistance to guidance counselors regarding those affected by Hurricane Katrina.

The issue of the 180 day tax extension was raised. In a case of verification where parental tax information could not be obtained, the DOE was consulted but put the issue back on the school. It was suggested that the situation be treated as professional judgment, and that the financial aid administrator always document what they did and why.

When parents of dependent students refuse to assist, it is suggested that they be told that they do not have to take responsibility for the student’s bills, but if they just supply their information for the FAFSA, aid can be processed on the student’s behalf. Responsibility cannot be shifted from the parents to the government without (documented) extenuating circumstances.

PLUS Loans versus alternative loans: many parents prefer an alternative loan in their child’s name over a PLUS Loan, often because the alternative loan payments can be deferred until the child graduates. It is felt that this will inevitably lead to the next generation being even worse off, since the current college-age generation will have so much debt they will not be able to save or obtain a loan for their children’s education. While PLUS Loan principal payments actually can be deferred through an administrative forbearance, it is not recommended, because if the borrower is unable to pay now, how will (s)he be able to pay on four years of accumulated debt?

Region IV Service Award

Last but certainly not least, congratulations to Jean Fura of Citizen’s Bank, the recipient of the Region IV Service Award.