I hope everyone has a great start to the fall 2013 semester! The 2013-2014 SASFAA Executive Board and Conference Committee met recently August 2-5 in Jacksonville, Florida to start planning for the upcoming SASFAA 2014 Conference. I wanted to provide you with some information to help you in your planning for the conference including a list of tentative session topics, the conference rate, and the hotel rate. Conference registration and hotel reservations are not open yet. We will provide you with an update as to when this will be available.

If you have any questions, please let me know!

Happy 51st Anniversary SASFAA!

Amy Berrier
2014 SASFAA Conference Chair
alberrie@uncg.edu
(336) 334-3372



2013-2014 Conference Committee:

Alabama – Sharon Williams

Florida – Diane Reitz

Georgia – Pennie Strong

Kentucky – Heather Boutell

Mississippi – Cindy May

North Carolina – Christy Chesnut

South Carolina – Ken Cole

Tennessee – Aaron White

Virginia – Brenda Burke

Local Arrangements Chair – Kristi Jones

Electronic Services Chair (Ex-Officio) – Angie Black

Global Issues Chair (Ex-Officio) – Michael O’Grady

Vendor/Sponsor Chair (Ex-Officio) – Brett Barefoot

President (Ex-Officio) – Zita Barree

Treasurer (Ex-Officio) – Amy Moser



Notes about the Conference:

1) Conference registration fee will be $275.00
2) Hotel room rate is $159 a night plus applicable state and local taxes (currently at 14.13%). The conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront in Florida. The hotel room block will be open at a later date and a hotel reservation link will be posted on the website. More information will be made available soon!
3) Complimentary in-room internet will be available for all hotel guests
4) Self-parking is available at $10 a day, Valet at $20 a day
5) The opening session will begin on Sunday, February 16th at 3:30 p.m.
6) More information about possible pre-conference workshops will be made available at a later date
7) Vendor/Sponsor information will be made available by Brett Barefoot, Vendor/Sponsor Chair
8) The Conference Charity will be the WHAS Crusade for Children – http://crusadeforchildren.org. A prior Executive Board voted to assign different states to each conference for the next upcoming years. Since we are no longer rotating around currently to all 9 states, the prior board wanted to give each state an opportunity to have a charity represented. More information will be forthcoming from the Conference Committee about the charity and how you can participate!
9) Patrick House, Season 10 winner of the Biggest Loser, will be our keynote speaker.
10) Justin Draeger (NASFAA President), Amanda Sharp (NASFAA Trainer and former SASFAA member), and Craig Munier (NASFAA Chair) will be joining us for part of the conference
11) The Conference Committee has communicated with the Department of Education about their representation at the conference in Jacksonville. We will provide more information at a later date.
Tentative Agenda:



Date/Time
Event
Notes






Sunday - 2/16/14





8 - 9 am
Breakfast
Executive Board & Conference Committee
8 - 11 am
Vendor Set-Up

8 - 3:45 pm
Registration

9 am - 12 noon
Executive Board Meeting
Executive Board
11 am - 3:30 pm
Vendor Area Open

12 - 1 pm
Lunch
Board/Conference/President Elects/NAOW
9 am - 3 pm
President Elects Workshop
TBA
9 am - 3 pm
Pre-Conference Workshop
TBA
4 - 5:30 pm
Opening Session
Everyone
5:30 - 7 pm
President's Reception
Everyone



Monday - 2/17/14





7/7:30 - 8:30 am
Continental Breakfast
Everyone
8:30 - 12:15 pm
Vendor Area Open

8:30 - 9:30 am
General Session (Washington Update)
Everyone
9:30 - 9:45 am
Transition Break
Everyone
9:45 - 11:00 am
Concurrent Session Block #1
Everyone
11:00 - 11:15 am
Transition Break
Everyone
11:15 - 12:15 pm
State Meetings
Everyone
12:30 - 2:00 pm
Luncheon
Everyone
2:00 - 5:00 pm
Vendor Area Open

2:15 - 3:30 pm
Concurrent Session Block #2
Everyone
3:30 - 3:45 pm
Transition Break
Everyone
3:45 - 5:00 pm
Concurrent Session Block #3
Everyone
8 - 11 pm
Bingo/Networking
Everyone



Tuesday - 2/18/14





7/7:30 - 8:30 am
Continental Breakfast
Everyone
8:30 am - 4:00 pm
Vendor Area Open

8:30 - 9:30 am
General Sessions 1 & 2 & 3
Everyone
9:30 - 9:45 am
Transition Break
Everyone
9:45 - 11:00 am
Concurrent Session Block #1
Everyone
11:00 - 11:15 am
Transition Break
Everyone
11:15 - 12:30 pm
Concurrent Session Block #2
Everyone
12:30 - 2:30 pm
Lunch on your own
Everyone
12:30 - 2:30 pm
Past Presidents Luncheon
Past Presidents, President Barree, President-Elect
2:30 - 3:45 pm
Concurrent Session Block #3
Everyone
3:45 - 4:00 pm
Transition Break
Everyone
4:00 - until
Vendor Breakdown
Vendors
4:00 - 5:15 pm
Concurrent Session Block #4
Everyone
6:00 - 7:00 pm
Happy Hour
Everyone
7:00 - 8:30 pm
Banquet
Everyone
8:30 - 12:00 am
Evening Event
Everyone



Wednesday - 2/19/14





8 - 9 am
Breakfast
Everyone
9 - 11 am
Federal Update / Closing Session
Everyone
Noon
Transition Lunch
1314 & 1415 Conference Committee


Tentative Session Topics at SASFAA 2014:

Veteran’s Nuts and Bolts

Veterans Special Issues

Ask a Fed

Professional Judgment

EFC Hand Calculation

NASFAA Tools

2014-2015 Verification

Reimagining Aid Design and Delivery

Athletic Aid

Satisfactory Academic Progress

150% Rule

PELL LEU

R2T4 Modules

Graduate/Professional Hot Topics

Access and Affordability

Audit/Compliance Issues

Unusual Enrollment History/SAP

Enrollment Management

At Risk Students

How to Stay Healthy In Financial Aid

Selective Service Issues

Becoming a Financial Aid Administrator

Global Issues/Diversity

Nuts and Bolts on Access and Retention

Financial Literacy

Repayment Plans

Exit Counseling and Default Prevention

Counseling Families on Education Financing

Customer Service

Director Round Table

How to be a Financial Aid Director

Fraud/Abuse Tips

Consumer Information and Disclosures

Gainful Employment

Financial Stress and Wellness

CDR/Default Management

COD

NSLDS

How to Talk to People not in Financial Aid

Safety and Security

New Aid Officer Update

Work Study

SASFAA 101

Now that Congress has passed and President Obama has signed the Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act of 2013, the law amends the Direct Loan interest rate section of the Higher Education Act of 1965. New interest rates for student loans begin for loans disbursed after July 1.

A bipartisan group of Senators has reached an agreement that would cut the interest rate for 9 million undergraduates this year from 6.8% to 3.86%. Under the "Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act,” the interest rate for Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Stafford loans to undergraduate students disbursed during any 12-month period beginning on July 1 shall be fixed at the rate to the high yield of the 10-year Treasury note auctioned at the final auction prior to the preceding June 1 plus 2.05%, capped at 8.25%; the interest rate for Unsubsidized Stafford loans to graduate or professional students disbursed during any 12-month period beginning on July 1 shall be fixed at the rate to the high yield of the 10-year Treasury note auctioned at the final auction prior to the preceding June 1 plus 3.6%, capped at 9.5%; and the interest rate for Direct PLUS loans (including GradPLUS) disbursed during any 12-month period beginning on July 1 shall be fixed at the rate to the high yield of the 10-year Treasury note auctioned at the final auction prior to the preceding June 1 plus 4.6, capped at 10.5%. Direct Consolidation loans shall bear interest at the weighted average of the interest rate of loans consolidated, rounded up to the nearest one-eighth of one percent.

These rates would apply retroactively to students who were impacted by the rate increase on July 1. The new rates are expected to produce an estimated savings of $715 million to go toward deficit reduction. In addition, the legislation calls for the GAO to undertake a complete study of the actual cost to the Federal Government of carrying out the Federal student loan programs authorized under Title IV of the HEA.

Welcome to a new year in TASFAA! 

Money Mangement Tools for Students
Doug Savage, TG Senior Regional Account Executive

Technology keeps getting better and easier to use. The editing gear available for today’s high school film students is of a higher quality than the old-school equipment pros used not too long ago. New “smart” thermostats are saving energy and keeping homeowners cool. Camping out? You might consider taking along a lightweight solar panel to recharge your batteries.

What’s true across in these contexts applies as well in managing finances. For adults, money management sites like Mint.com, software like Turbotax, and any number of personal finance apps have greatly simplified keeping track of money: how much comes in and when and where the funds are spent. In many cases, these are add-on services rather than products consumers must purchase. According to a 2012 U.S. News and World Report article, about one in four financial institutions make online tools available to customers. In short, consumers who used to dread the whole budgeting process are a few clicks away from colorful pie charts mapping spending categories, projections for the next month’s bills, and targeted savings accounts for fun things like vacations.  

This boom in personal finance technology isn’t geared only at adults, either. There are many resources available for high school and college students, and these resources can help with learning about money management, clarifying the variables in key financial decisions, and better understanding the downstream consequences of upstream choices. Many of them, such as Budgetpulse, are free. Different sites offer different tools, and students may benefit from money management tools that help them make informed choices with regard to topics such as spending plans (budgeting), responsible use of consumer credit, understanding student loan repayment, and even how choice of academic major may affect future income.

Budget Calculators

The Department of Education’s website, like many student-oriented websites, offers a budget calculator. This tool allows the student to enter expenses by category and see how choices in one area affect resources in another. Watching the outcomes change as different values are entered may get students’ attention in a way that parents’ explanations sometimes fail to. Other sites, including www.bankrate.com, also offer budget calculators that students may find helpful.

Credit Card Calculators

You’ve no doubt seen the seductive approach of credit card offers geared to students who are all too often unable to understand the terms to which they’re agreeing. No interest for six months? Woo-hoo! Of course the interest may then skyrocket, meaning the effective rate on purchases made during the “free” period turns out to be quite high. Credit card calculators, like the ones available on Bankrate, may help students see through the monetary sleight-of-hand and make better decisions. Educational tools, such as Skills Builder on TG’s Adventures In Education (AIE™), add a fun game element to the student’s experience in learning the basics of how rolling over interest can lead to very expensive consumer goods.

Student Loan Calculators

By definition, student loans are a particularly important area of student financial decision making. Borrowing to pay for higher education is often a very good investment, leading students to high-earning careers and low unemployment. That’s a strong return on investment! Overborrowing, though, can lead to years of being burdened with debt, and a sense of bewilderment. “How did I get into this mess?” borrowers may wonder.

Loan payment calculators, such as this one from FinAid!, help to reduce that confusion by giving students a better chance to understand the consequences of borrowing decisions. Similarly this calculator from AIE drills into the details of daily interest, so that students can see if it’s to their benefit to make payments early, and can see how much of a payment is applied to interest and how much to principal.

A relatively new tool, based on TG’s research, even helps students to see how their choice of major and career affects the loan repayment affordability. The tool, Major Choices, is an online debt-to-income calculator in which students can get an estimate of potential median debt-to-income ratios for certain majors at many public college and proprietary institutions within Texas. The bottom line? More informed choices.

"When students choose their college major, it usually corresponds to a career they have their heart set on," explained Jeff Webster, Assistant Vice President of Research and Analytical Services at TG. "We want to spotlight the importance of fully considering the way that federal student loans may take a significant bite out of potential future earnings, and educate students on how to balance that occupational choice with wise borrowing behavior."

Whether it’s making a spending plan and adjusting a budget by categories, responsibly managing credit cards and steering away from bait-and-switch interest rates, or being smart about student loan debt and repayment (including thinking about one’s academic major and future career), students have a lot of financial choices to make. As technology continues to improve, tools like these will assist your students in finding their way to success.


Doug Savage is a senior regional account executive with TG serving schools in TASFAA. You can reach Doug at (800) 252-9743, ext. 6711, or by email at doug.savage@tgslc.org. Additional information about TG can be found online at www.TG.org.

Author:  Chris Greene, Communications & Outreach Group, Federal Student Aid

Subject: 2013 FSA Training Conference for Financial Aid Professionals*

The FSA Training Conference offers premiere hands-on, face-to-face training for financial aid professionals throughout the financial aid community. Information on the 2013 FSA Training Conference is now available at http://fsaconferences.ed.gov.

The date & location of the FSA Training Conference:

December 3 – December 6, 2013
(Tuesday, approximate 8am start time – Friday, approximate 3pm end time)

Mandalay Bay
3950 S Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89119

This year’s conference program will focus on topics related to changes in Title IV policies and programs that affect your job and, more importantly, the students you serve. Session topics will include changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, Gainful Employment, 150% Direct Loan Sub Limitation, Pell Grant Lifetime Eligibility Limits, Loan Repayment Options, Verification and Return to Title IV, among others.

Registration and lodging will be available within a couple of weeks. For further information regarding the upcoming 2013 FSA Training Conference, please visit our website at http://fsaconferences.ed.gov.

Thank You,

The Conference Services Team
Federal Student Aid
U.S. Department of Education


* The FSA Training Conference is a series of training and technical assistance programs provided by the Department of Education for higher education financial aid professionals charged with administering the Title IV student financial assistance programs on their campuses. These programs annually provide more than $150 billion in federal grants, loans, and work-study programs to more than 15 million students attending over 6,000 participating schools. Proper training of the institutions responsible for packaging and disbursing these funds helps ensure the integrity of the Title IV programs and reduces incidence of waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement in these programs.

2013-2014 FAFSA and DOMA

I have received lots of questions around how the recent Supreme Court’s decision may impact how certain students fill out the current FAFSA form.  The message below is our official response at this time:

 

“At the President’s direction, the Department of Justice is working with all agencies, including the Department of Education, to review the recent Supreme Court decision on the Defense of Marriage Act.  This review will include the decision’s impact on the federal student aid programs in general and completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid in particular.   We will provide information and guidance on this matter as soon as it is available.”

 

As noted in the message, once more information is available we will share it with all interested parties.  Stay tuned to IFAP.

 

FAFSA and the IRS DRT

 

This is a reminder about the June 12, 2013 Internal Revenue Service (IRS) press release which stated that the IRS will be closed due to furlough on Friday, July 5, 2013.   This means that the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) will not be available for use with the FAFSA on the Web nor will students/parents be able to order an IRS Tax Return Transcript on that day.  There is a posting to the IRS website, under “Tools” and Order a Transcript section.

In addition, FOTW (www.fafsa.ed.gov) has the following statement:

“The IRS Data Retrieval Tool will be unavailable beginning on Friday, July 5 from 12:00 midnight to Saturday, July 6 at 5:00 a.m. ET. During this time, students can still complete and submit a FAFSA by entering the necessary tax return information manually.”

Please note that the next scheduled furlough date for the IRS is noted as Monday, July 22, 2013.

Voter Registration Forms

 

Dear Colleague Letter GEN-13-17 was recently posted reminding schools that in most states the HEA requires schools to make a good faith effort to distribute voter registration forms to their students.  Schools required to provide voter registration information include schools located in the District of Columbia, a state that requires voter registration prior to election day, or a state that does not allow voters to register at the time of voting.  There are currently only a few states and territories that are exempt from this requirement of which none currently exist in the SASFAA region.

For more information please see DCL GEN-13-17 (http://ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/GEN1317.html).

 

Subsidized DL interest rates as of July 1, 2013

We posted an electronic announcement today, July 3, 2013, discussing the change in interest rates for subsidized Direct Loans as of July 1, 2013 (from 3.4% to 6.8%).  We have been hearing concerns from schools and families about how they should proceed in case Congress modifies the current subsidized Direct Loan interest rates.  The announcement specifically indicates that the Administration continues to work with Congress to reach agreement on a plan to reverse the doubling of those interest rates. Further, the Administration has urged that any plan passed by Congress apply to all loans first disbursed after June 30, even loans already disbursed. If the law is changed, the Department and its servicers will adjust rates for all affected borrowers, including those who had already received their first subsidized loan disbursement, without any further action on the part of the borrower or the school.

Therefore, not only should students and their families continue to complete FAFSAs if they have not already done so, but schools should continue to award and originate Direct Subsidized Loans with estimated disbursement dates.

The Department will post to IFAP any new information surrounding changes to the subsidized DL interest rates as soon as it becomes available.

Pell LEU

Since I still get questions from time to time on this topic I wanted to point out to all schools that the Department recently posted an electronic announcement dated June 27, 2013 (http://ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/062713PellGrantLEUDisputeEscalationProcess.html) that provides a step-by-step escalation process for schools and students to follow when disputing Pell Grant Lifetime Eligibility Used percentages. 

 

The attachment to the announcement describes what the specific responsibilities are for the student, current school, any former schools and the Department.  Please note that we do stress that it is the responsibility of the student’s current school to coordinate the resolution of the reported dispute with the other parties; however, the former school is expected to cooperate with the current school’s request for information needed to document the alleged discrepancy.  If the former school does not cooperate with the current school the current school’s escalation to the Department will result in direct follow-up by the Department with the former school.

 

Please see the June 27, 2013 electronic announcement and attachment for more information.  If you have questions regarding the information included in this announcement, contact the COD School Relations Center at 800/474-7268 or CODSupport@ed.gov.

Your  FED,

DAVE

David Bartnicki

Federal Training Officer

ED/FSA/Atlanta

Summer Certification for HOPE and HOPE Access

The 2012-2013 HOPE & HOPE Access certification will remain open for summer payments until 10:00 a.m. CST on Friday, July 26th.  As a reminder, you are asked to only certify students who are enrolled at your institution for the summer term.  Please do not certify students who are not enrolled at your institution.  TSAC will sweep e*GRandS to remove all uncertified 2012-2013 students soon after July 26th. 

Additionally, institutions still have the capability to continue to certify students for the fall 2012 and spring 2013 terms.  If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Robert Biggers at (615) 253-7453 or robert.biggers@tn.gov.    

TSAC Student Financial Aid Portal

TSAC has “changed” the web address for the TSAC Student Financial Aid Portal to www.tn.gov/TSACstudentportal.  As a reminder, the TSAC Student Financial Aid Portal allows students to check the status of their state financial aid, email TSAC with questions, and to change the institution for their state financial aid award(s). 

Students may still access the portal by visiting the TSAC website and clicking on the TSAC Student Financial Aid Portal link.  However, the web address, www.tn.gov/TSACstudentportal, will allow students and parents to go directly to the portal through a “redirect” process.  The web address will be included in the TSAC brochure that is in the process of being printed.  The link will also be referenced in correspondence to students and parents.

Please post the link, www.tn.gov/TSACstudentportal, on your website and encourage your students to access the link.  If you have questions, please contact Naomi Derryberry at (615) 253-7478 or naomi.derryberry@tn.gov. 

Tim Phelps

State Programs Chair

Effecting Aid Policy: Your Data Can Tell a Compelling Story

May 2013 SmartSessions