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SCSU to regulate aid debt
By Adam Hammer
The SCSU administrative department and the Faculty Association are working on a procedure to put an end to a financial aid regulation that has recently become an issue.
In a detailed review of SCSU's financial aid disbursement and verification of attendance procedures, there is inadequate proof of attendance for about 440 students who received financial aid and withdrew from their classes over the last three years.
If the administration is unable to verify that these students attended classes through 60 percent of the semester, SCSU will be required to return half of the students' financial aid to the government or the students' lenders. It will be up to the university to collect reimbursement of the funds from the students.
"I hope those students who received aid were here past that point and, if that is the case, our liability will only be about $150,000," Jeff Wagner, director of business services, said.
"That would be for the students who totally withdrew from the university before the 60 percent point in the term," Wagner said.
To try to account for the 440 students in question, letters have been sent to each faculty member who taught any of these students during the terms in question. Each faculty member will attempt to confirm that the students participated after the 60 percent mark through records of attendance, quizzes, tests or assignments.
"Until we get the information back from faculty on whether or not students were in their classes past the 60 percent point, I have no idea what the cost might be or how many students may be affected," Wagner said.
To avoid this predicament in the future, it is being proposed that confirmations will be sent to faculty at the end of every semester to verify that a withdrawn student was in his or her classes past the 60 percent mark.
Wagner said this will always be a manual process as long as the university continues to disburse financial aid before 60 percent of the term is completed.
"However, I believe our ability to collect increases if it is only three months outstanding as opposed to three years, as some of this may be," Wagner said.
The requirement to verify the attendance of financial aid recipients who failed or withdrew from all their courses in a given semester is a regulation set by the federal financial aid program.
Although it is important for the university to keep track of students' progress, it is equally important for students to remain responsible in regulating their performance and to keep track of their overall completion rate.
To remain eligible for financial aid throughout one's college experience, an undergraduate student is required to complete 60 percent of all credits if attempting 0-30 credits or 67 percent if attempting 31 credits or more.
After attempting 180 semester credits, including accepted transfer credits, a student is no longer eligible to receive financial aid. No warning letters will be sent, whether they have completed their degree program.
Financial aid is not just free money for furthering a student's education; it comes with boundaries and standards that need to be met to continue to receive assistance. Although some aid comes with no ties to pay it back, failing to meet certain requirements could mean having to repay at least some of the grant money received.
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