The Butte College Financial Aid Office administers federal and state financial aid programs to ensure accurate and timely delivery of student aid funds to meet the higher education costs of students and families. We are committed to supporting the Butte College mission through outreach to a diverse campus community and by providing a quality student experience through the use of technology and a caring, knowledgeable staff. Our overall goal is to accurately deliver student aid funds in a timely, and with respect, to students who would have challenges or find it difficult or impossible to attend college without receiving student aid.
The Financial Aid Office (FAO) reports to the Dean of Financial Aid & Special Programs, Karen Micalizio, and is part of the Student Services division under Vice President Allen Renville. The FAO administers federal and state monies to eligible students in the form of grants, loans and student employment (Work-Study). Other areas of responsibility include: (1) Oversight of regulatory and compliance requirements as stipulated by state and federal agencies. (2) Needs Analysis and Awarding: Processing of FAFSAs, CA Dream Act Applications, and BOG Fee Waivers for delivery of funds as per awarding parameters; (3) Direct service to students: Providing direct service to current and prospective students and families through various customer service venues: Website, customer service window, telephone inquiries, Financial Aid email, and Facebook; (4) Appointments: Assisting students with special circumstances, eligibility needs, and appeals through individual scheduled and walk-in appointments; (5) Outreach: Familiarizing students and families in our service area about the availability of financial aid and educating them about the financial aid process and federal regulations defining eligibility; (6) Communicating with other student service areas and with faculty to ensure effective collaboration on policies that affect recruitment and retention of students; (7) Working with other college offices to ensure that assistance for individual students with multiple needs is coordinated and communicated clearly to all parties; and (8) Meeting reporting requests from college as well as state and federal entities. Financial Aid regulatory policies are guided by the FAO’s Institutional Participation Agreement with the U.S. Department of Education (recertification is currently pending approval and under review with the US Department of Education), which requires that the FAO have the “administrative capability” necessary to fulfill these functions. The signed agreement with the Department of Education stipulates that staff must be current with federal student aid regulations and have the capacity to assure compliance. State monies and policy are regulated by the Student Financial Aid Programs within the California Community College Chancellor’s Office (BOG Fee Waiver and BFAP funding) and by the California Student Aid Commission (Cal and Chafee Grants). The regulatory landscape is ever-changing and both federal and state regulatory requirements provide an enormous challenge, as regulations have grown disproportionately to available staff time. In 2015, both state and federal aid agencies have implemented additional regulatory requirements that places further burdens on the financial aid support staff to implement, adhere and administer additional programs and program requirements. The ED has expanded the FAFSA application period to begin in October through Prior Prior Year, this will cause a significant impact to the processing of Federal Student Aid in which more Professional Judgments will be required to be performed by FAO staff. Additional federal regulations that have severely impacted the FAO in the last two years are: Unusual Enrollment History, 150% Length of Time Eligibility for Subsidized Loans, the manual processing of CA Dream Act applications. Additionally, the state has implemented new regulations for the Board of Governors Fee Waiver (BOGFW) that will have a significant impact on FAO staff as they will be reviewing BOGFW Appeals for students that are not meeting Institutional Academic Standards. An ongoing administrative burden includes further refinements in Satisfactory Academic Progress parameters, work on a Loan Default Management Plan, and Gainful Employment reporting demands.The only cross training that time has allowed is related to handling functions covered by staff members who have retired. In addition, modernizing office workflow has demanded retraining on processes, learning new skills, and rewriting communications, website maintenance, annual FA Suite set-up within Colleague and creating and maintaining office policies and procedures. The FAO is comprised of: • Six (6) Financial Aid Assistant Seniors who are permanent full-time. Note: One (1) FAA Sr is assigned to the Veterans Services Office as Certifying Official. • Two (2) Financial Aid Assistant IIs who are permanent full-time • One (1) OPEN Financial Aid Assitant II, part-time (60%) • One (1) Assistant Director (schedule to start Feb. 2016) • One (1) Director Full-time services are provided at the Main Campus FAO. A Financial Aid representative provides services at the Chico Center for one half-day per week. Additional hours are provided at the beginning of each semester. A Financial Aid representative provides services at the Glenn County Center for one half-day per month, with additional hours provided as needed and at the beginning of each semester. Both federal and state regulatory requirements provide an enormous challenge, as regulations have grown disproportionately to the size and available time of our staff. Staff size has decreased over the past five years despite the huge increase in administrative burden. While use of technology has streamlined some processes, compliance needs for new requirements have required a significant amount of time to implement processes, policies and provide critical training to meet regulatory compliance. Additional FAO functions include participation in a number of standing district committees: Reg2Go, Butte College Datatel user’s group (BC-DUG), Student Technology Advisory Committee (STAC), Learning Council, Student Services leadership, as well as contributing to Probation/Dismissal, START, Summer Orientation, and International Learning. The FAO also supports a number of outreach events: Cash for College, Financial Aid Nights, Parent Nights and class presentations.
Equipment, Scanners, and Computers
This augmentation may have been approved but we have yet to receive them or received the funding.
Equipment - replace PC
This augmentation may have been approved but we have yet to receive the item or funding to purchase this item.
Replace Windows at Front Counter
New window installation is scheduled to begin 3/14/2016. Currently the FA front counter windows create a barrier for students and staff to have a direct unobstructed conversation. The new window design will allow for staff to have unobstructed interactions with students and enhance the student experience. The total estimate from Miller Glass was $4758.88 this included Admissions & Records.
Student Services is currently in the process of creating Student Learning Outcomes that will help identify areas of improvement within the Financial Aid program. Financial Aid will be assessing the outcome of students' knowledge of the 6 Steps of Financial Aid. We believe that through accessing this outcome students will gain knowledge of the FA process and how to navigate through each step resulting in timely aid disbursed to students.
Administering Federal Student Aid timely is critical to student success. In the 14-15 award year the FAO administered over $42 million dollars in state and federal aid. Over 68% of the student population at Butte College received some form of Federal or State aid while working to complete their educational goals. Most of those students are in absolute need of Financial Aid in order to initially attend college and/or to contiue to work through their educational plan and graduate or transfer. Administering aid accurately, timely, and with integrity which is directly aligns with the overall Achievement Standards and Goals of the institution.
The FAO supports the Strategic Direction and Priorities of the college through ensuring timely services and aid to students who depend on FSA to attend Butte College and ultimately complete their educational goals. We are constantly reviewing our internal technology capabilities in order to enhance communication management and student access to Federal Student Aid. Additionally, the FAO supports student engagement through hosting campus events, conducting outreach and strengthening our internal processes to meet the changing needs of our students.
Financial Aid will receive a Program Review in Spring 2017. We are continuously assessing, updating, and implementing ever-changing Institution, Federal and State requirements. This allows us to evaluate the overall landscape of the department to ensure programmatic compliance.
FAO Goals:
Implement FA Self-Service Module
Improve consistency/quality/efficiency of aid to students
Addressing SLO short comings
Start a Financial Literacy program
Review and update Policies and Procedures Manual
Improve and expand the use of options within Datatel for increased efficiency, accuracy, and seamless communication with students
Strategy 1 - Administrative Support
EXPAND CAPACITY and decrease student wait time by hiring an Administrative Secretary to perform the clerical duties of the department.
The number of staff dedicated to providing financial aid and veterans services is crucial due to a number of important factors: (1) high compliance needs with "administrative capability" required by both federal and state and veterans programs; (2) increased knowledge and workload demands associated with new and ever-changing labor-intensive federal and state regulations; (3) increasing level of technical knowledge required to manage programming needs; (4) increasing numbers of students requiring wide range of services; (5) "high-touch" needs of students requiring individualized service; and (6) community outreach, providing information and assistance to high schools in our service area and Reg2Go program.
Having an administrative assistant for the FAO and Veterans Services Office would greatly expand the capacity of existing staff, including the director. Existing staff are not only responsible for customer service, updating the web site, determining student eligibility, interpreting and applying complex state and federal regulations, awarding students, monitoring students' continued eligibility, outreach, and evaluating and enforcing satisfactory academic progress standards but also all of the secretarial type duties of a department (coordinating student assistant schedules and timesheets, correspondence, budget, arranging meetings and travel, creating POs, ordering supplies, distributing mail, finding space for in-reach events and groups visiting campus, etc). This position would also take the lead on the new scanning system coming on board to allow the FAO to use the system to the fullest extent in order to maximize office efficiency. Taking the secretarial duties from the Financial Aid technical staff would allow them more time to focus on direct service to students and would, in turn, decrease the time it takes for students to receive funds.
Strategy 2 - Improve use of Datatel through Consulting
Improve and expand the use of options within Datatel for increased efficiency, accuracy, and seamless communication with students.
The work of the FAO is highly dependent on technology: to download and send information to and from external government agencies, to determine eligibility, to process funds, and to correspond with students though electronic communication management.
The past three years have brought significant changes to both state and federal student aid regulations. In addition, Colleague's transition to Ellucian, has brought subtle programming changes. It would be beneficial to students and staff to bring in a consultant to review any new system enhancements/posibilities available to us. The FAO has a valuable partner in IS/T in understanding and utilizing Colleague to maximize efficiency and accuracy.
We continue to receive new requirements from the U.S. Department of Education and need to develop more timely ways to react to rapidly changing regulatory demands.
Ongoing training and education to make processes more efficient continues to be a challenge.
Another improvement area we have targeted is the implementation of the FA Self-Service Module and eliminate MyBC/WebAdvisor so that students find self-service easier and more intuitive. We are very concerned that students have no way of determining what types of aid are being refunded in each disbursement made to their Higher One cards. The college is obligated to inform students as to what type of aid they are receiving. We believe there may be a mechanizm in the finance system that has simply not been explored due to the lack of staff time within IT.
Strategy 3 - Image Now
Upgrade equipment to support Image Now
To fully implement the new campus document imaging system, there is hardware and sofware that will need to be updated.
Strategy 4 - Augment Operating Expenses Budget
Increase budget for operating expenses such as printing, paper, supplies.
Our current allowance for operating expenses is not sufficient. It has come to the attention of the CCCCO that the college has supplanted their obligation to support the department with categorical funds. General operating expenses are not an allowable use of BFAP funds.
Strategy 5 - Default Management
Continue default management contract with ECMC (Education Credit Management Corp).
As a result of our partnership with ECMC, the district's cohort default rate (CDR) has gone from 32.1% (2009 CDR) to 25.3% (2012 CDR).
I have no doubt that without the services of ECMC, our 2012 default rate would have been much higher. We do not have the time, expertise nor access that ECMC does to work on our default rate. Not only is this a service to the college but also to students who have fallen onto hard times. The loan world is extremely complicated and borrower’s loans get moved around. Having a service like ECMC allows our students the opportunity to return to college without a default looming over them.
Strategy 6 - Increase Part-time Position
Increasing the part-time 60% FA Assistant II position to 100%.
Increasing the part-time 60% FA Assistant II position to full-time would greatly increase the capabilities of the FAO to focus more time on direct services to students. Offering workshops and hosting outreach events would benefits current students educational success and provide prospective students with more support as they navigate the complexities of the Federal Student Aid process. An increase to full-time would assist with wait times for students at the service window during high volume periods. The FAO would have adequate administrative support to offer additional open FASA labs which will be critical with the shift to Prior Prior Year. Additionally, we would be able to provide more support to the Chico and Glenn Center campuses.
FAO could use a standard size white board from surplus.
We would also like to request Campus Center 116 on Thursdays from 8 a.m.-9:00 a.m. for staff meetings
2015-16 FINANCIAL AID OFFICE
BFAP SFAA Account
$151,820 BFAP Base Allocation
$313,545 BFAP Capacity Allocation
$41,667 FA Implementation of Full-Time Student Success Grant (one-time allocation)
$507,023 TOTAL BFAP SFAA
District Account
$504,304
TOTAL FAO BUDGET = $1,011,336
INCOME GENERATED BY FAO ACTIVITIES THAT GOES TO OTHER AREAS
FSEOG ACA (est) $ 23,000
PELL ACA (est) $ 40,000
FWS ACA $ 13,841
BFAP 2% $168,384
JLD $ 33,849
TOTAL ESTIMATED DOLLARS GENERATED FOR THE COLLEGE $279,074
2015-2016 VETERANS SERVICES OFFICE
See separate Unit Plan
| Original Priority | Program, Unit, Area | Resource Type | Account Number | Object Code | One Time Augment | Ongoing Augment |
| Description | Supporting Rationale | Potential Alternative Funding Sources | Prioritization Criteria | |||
| 1 | Financial Aid | Operating Expenses | 110007031646000 | $18,000.00 | $0.00 | |
| Default Management | Without the support of ECMC, the district's default rate will begin to rise again. We do not have he staff, expertise nor access to all the necessary federal systems to manage default rates in the same way ECMC can. |
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| 2 | Financial Aid Office | Operating Expenses | 110007031646000 | $9,000.00 | $0.00 | |
| Ellucian Consulting to improve efficiency | Limited campus resources have not allowed us to ensure we are making the most of the Datatel system. Given the recent change to Ellucian and all of the federal and state changes over the past three years, we feel we could benefit greatly from consulting services. |
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| 3 | Financial Aid Office (FAO) | Personnel | 11-000-703-1-646000 | 52120 | $0.00 | $65,718.00 |
| Administrative Secretary Non Instructional | Having an administrative assistant for the FAO and Veterans Services Office would greatly expand the capacity of existing staff, including the director. Taking the secretarial duties from the Financial Aid technical staff would allow them more time to focus on direct service to students and would, in turn, decrease the time it takes for students to receive funding determinations. |
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| 4 | Financial Aid Office (FAO) | Operating Expenses | 11-000-703-1-646000 | 54200 | $0.00 | $7,500.00 |
| Printing, Duplicating, and Office Supplies | The FAO currently has extremely limited district monies for printing and duplicating. It is the CCCCO's contention that the district must supply a budget for operating expenses including printing, duplicating, and office supplies, and that BFAP funds cannot supplant the district's obligation in this area. |
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| 5 | Financial Aid Office | Equipment | 11-000-703-1-646000 | 56411 | $7,068.00 | $0.00 |
| Scanners | This funding would be used for the implementation of Image Now. |
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