From bfair at osrhe.edu Fri May 2 15:29:01 2014 From: bfair at osrhe.edu (Fair, Bryce) Date: Fri, 2 May 2014 20:29:01 +0000 Subject: [Oasfaa] =?windows-1252?q?FW=3A_State_Legislative_Update_=96_May_?= =?windows-1252?q?2=2C_2014?= Message-ID: Following is the state legislative update for this week. As you may know, the legislative session must end no later than the last Friday in May, which is May 30 this year. There is some talk that the Legislature might try to adjourn the session a week earlier than the mandated deadline. There has been no further official action on HB 3211 this week but the bill will remain alive for potential action through the end of the session. Bryce Fair The update below reflects the current status of major legislation concerning Higher Education during the week of April 28, 2014 ? May 2, 2014. If you have any questions, please contact Hollye Hunt at hhunt at osrhe.edu or 405.225.9424. Legislative Report April 28th ? May 2nd Tuition No pending legislation. OKPromise HB 3211// Representative Jeff Hickman and Senator Jim Halligan// The legislation requires an OKPromise student to enroll in a minimum of thirty (30) credit hours each academic year. Each institution of higher education may establish a policy to approve exceptions to this requirement for hardship circumstances as determined by the institution. The institution shall provide a copy of the policy to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. After the end of each academic year, each institution shall submit a report to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education providing the total number of exceptions approved and a summary of the exceptions by type of hardship; UPDATE: The legislation passed out of the Senate on April 15, 2014 with a vote of 42-0. The title and enacting clause are off the legislation. Remediation No pending legislation. Tuition Waivers/ Scholarships SB 1829// Senator Corey Brooks and Representative Lisa Billy// The legislation allows a student to be eligible for resident tuition if the student presents to the institution valid documentation of participation in the Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps, Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps or the Navy/Marines Reserve Officers' Training Corps. UPDATE: Governor Fallin signed the measure on April 25, 2014. Governance/ Board Make-up No pending legislation. Higher Education Shell Bills No pending legislation. Concurrent Enrollment No pending legislation. Guns on Campus HJR 1026// Representative Dan Fisher and Senator Greg Treat// The joint resolution affirms that it is the fundamental right of each individual citizen to keep and to bear arms. It restricts the state from imposing laws on licensure, registration or special taxation on the acquisition, ownership or possession of arms, ammunition, or the components of arms or ammunition. UPDATE: The House assigned the legislation to the States Rights Conference Committee. The Senate named conferees (Treat, Griffin, Schulz, Barrington, Burrage, Sparks). Administrative Procedures Act SB 1694// Senator Eddie Fields and Representative Harold Wright// The legislation eliminates language regarding the expulsion of a student. UPDATE: Governor Fallin signed the measure on April 9, 2014. Accreditation No pending legislation. Teacher Prep HB 2885// Representative Ann Coody// The legislation directs the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation to work with the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and the various institutions of higher education to establish a paid teacher internship program at each institution for prospective teachers. The purpose of each program shall be to provide mentorship and support for prospective teachers. Students enrolled in a teacher education program and students enrolled in an alternative placement program shall be eligible to participate in the program. UPDATE: Governor Fallin signed the measure on April 22, 2014. Pension/ Retirement HB 2611// Representative Randy McDaniel// The legislation amends the definition section of ?regular annual compensation? to exclude clinical related activity performed in Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences (OSU-CHS) Professional Practice Plan. UPDATE: Governor Fallin signed the measure on April 22, 2014. Open Records SB 1577// Senator Sean Burrage// The legislation creates an exemption to the Open Records Act. It allows higher education institutions to keep confidential 1) business plans, feasibility studies, financing proposals, marketing plans, financial statements or trade secrets submitted by a person or entity seeking economic advice, business development or customized training from such Departments or school districts, and 2) proprietary information of the business submitted to the Department or school districts for the purpose of business development or customized training, and related confidentiality agreements detailing the information or records designated as confidential, and 3) information compiled by such Departments or school districts in response to those submissions. UPDATE: Governor Fallin vetoed the legislation. Task Forces/ Advisory Committees SB1181 // Senator Ron Sharp and Representative Justin Wood// The legislation establishes criteria for designation as a STEM Community or STEM Region. The application process shall be outlined by a subcommittee of an existing STEM education or workforce committee or board, to be identified by the Governor. The creation, sustainment and execution of the subcommittee shall be the responsibility of the Coalition for the Advancement of Science and Mathematics Education in Oklahoma (CASMEO). The application process shall be based on criteria established by the subcommittee. The criteria for designation as a STEM Community or STEM Region shall include a requirement that educators, administrators, business leaders, students, parents, government officials and business and industry groups within a community or region create awareness, promote partnerships with education and industry, develop and execute action plans for improving STEM education and training, identify and acquire the needed resources to improve STEM education and training and identify and accumulate STEM data within the community or region, including but not limited to kindergarten through twelfth grade test results, the number of STEM-related degree holders in the local workforce, the number of STEM-related degrees conferred and the number of STEM-related certifications or credentials obtained. The region or community shall also develop a plan to recognize and promote successes in both student and teacher accomplishments in the STEM area within the community or region. UPDATE: Governor Fallin signed the legislation on April 28, 2014. Athletics No pending legislation. Veterans/Military SB 1830// Senator Corey Brooks and Representative Gary Banz// The legislation allows men and women who are enrolled at a higher education institution and are in the active uniformed military services to take a leave of absence if called into active duty. If an institution within The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education fails to comply with the provisions of this act, the student may bring an action in district court for actual and compensatory damages for noncompliance and may be granted such relief as is just and proper under the circumstances. UPDATE: Governor Fallin signed the measure on April 7, 2014. Other SB 1505// Senator David Holt and Representative Leslie Osborn// The legislation authorizes state agencies, at their discretion, to offer their employees an option to voluntarily elect to be paid, one time annually, for a certain number of hours of unused accrued annual leave. This policy will be optional for all eligible employees, and the employee may choose the monthly pay period in which he or she elects to receive such payment. UPDATE: The legislation passed out of the House on April 15, 2014 with a vote of 91-0. The House restored title on the legislation. SB 1966// Senator Anthony Sykes and Representative Jon Echols// The legislation requires Commissioners of the Land Office to employ only the Office of the Attorney General of Oklahoma in all matters. It also provides that funds that are not paid prior to certain time limits be calculated at a different rate of interest. UPDATE: The legislation passed out of the House on April 22, 2014 with a vote of 63-20. HB 2669// Representative David Derby// The legislation creates the Information Technology Act of 2014. The legislation state that unless a state agency has internal expertise to conduct the risk assessment and can submit certification of such expertise along with the annual information security risk assessment, the risk assessment shall be conducted by a third party. The Information Services Division of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services shall approve not less than two third-party firms which state agencies may choose from to conduct the information security risk assessment. A state agency with an information technology system that is not consolidated under the Information Technology Consolidation and Coordination Act or that is otherwise retained by the agency shall submit a final report of information security risk assessment to the Information Services Division by the first day of December of each year. UPDATE: The legislation passed out of the Senate on April 15, 2014 with a vote of 43-0. HB 2873// Representative Tom Newell and Senator Greg Treat// The legislation requires institutions of higher education not to take action or enforce a policy that would deny a religious student association any benefit available to any other student association. In addition, no higher education institution may substantially burden a student?s exercise of religion. UPDATE: The House assigned the legislation to the Judiciary Conference Committee on Judiciary. The Senate named conferees (Treat, Ford, Allen, Brooks, Ellis, Garrison). SB 1639// Senator Brian Bingman and Representative Elise Hall// The legislation creates the Quality Workforce Act. This act allows businesses that receive approval from the Oklahoma Department of Commerce to receive tax rebates if they pay for an employee to receive their associate degree, an industrial or vocational license or to complete a certification program. UPDATE: The legislation passed out of the House on April 24, 2014 with a vote of 53-44. SB 2080// Senator Nathan Dahm and Representative Ken Walker// The legislation creates the ?Memorandum of Understanding Act. The act requires agencies to post on a website and provide copies to appropriate legislative committee chairs any memorandum of understanding agreement entered into by the agencies. UPDATE: The legislation passed out of the House on April 24, 2014 with a vote of 56-13. Representative Walked amended the legislation to exempt Higher Education, Career Tech and Common Education. Carryover legislation No pending legislation. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cmckinney at carlalbert.edu Tue May 6 10:44:48 2014 From: cmckinney at carlalbert.edu (Crystle McKinney) Date: Tue, 6 May 2014 10:44:48 -0500 Subject: [Oasfaa] Suggestions on how to reduce R2T4's Message-ID: <9fe56278fab06b18c5ef2b768199825a@mail.gmail.com> We are looking for any suggestions on how to reduce our R2T4?s. We have a high amount of R2T4?s and if any of you have any comments or advice on this issue it would be greatly appreciated. Crystle McKinney DL Loan Officer / Default Management Carl Albert State College 918-647-1343 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Mendy-Schmerer at ouhsc.edu Wed May 7 11:03:30 2014 From: Mendy-Schmerer at ouhsc.edu (Schmerer, Mendy M. (HSC)) Date: Wed, 7 May 2014 16:03:30 +0000 Subject: [Oasfaa] OK-CAN Professional Development Opportunity Message-ID: On behalf of our colleagues at OCAP, please see below. *************************************************************************************** The Oklahoma College Access Network (OK-CAN), an initiative of the Oklahoma College Assistance Program, would like to extend an invitation to you to sign up as a member and join us for an informative webinar on May 13th on the topic of assisting homeless and unaccompanied youth (details are included below). If you have other co-workers, colleagues or trading partners who support or promote college access that you think may be interested in participating, please forward this email to them. There are no fees or charges to become a member or to participate in our professional development opportunities, so we hope you'll take us up on our offer. *************************************************************************************** OK-CAN Professional Development Opportunity: Webinar on Resources for Assisting Homeless and Unaccompanied Youth We are pleased to announce an exciting opportunity to participate in a one-hour video webinar hosted by OK-CAN! Our webinar speaker is Cyekeia Lee, the National Higher Education Liaison for Homeless Youth, based in Taylor, Michigan. Join us on Tuesday, May 13, 2014, at 1:30 p.m. (CST) for information about helping our nation's homeless youth overcome the challenges they encounter as they consider higher education. Webinar Description: This webinar will provide an overview of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA), which allows McKinney-Vento eligible students who are unaccompanied homeless youth (UHY) to apply for financial aid independently without parental information. Cyekeia will discuss the four types of McKinney-Vento professionals that can determine a student's unaccompanied homeless youth status. Best practices will be shared for high school and college counselors working with unaccompanied homeless youth. National, state, and local resources will be provided to better assist unaccompanied homeless youth, and to eliminate barriers these youth experience when transitioning from high school to post-secondary education programs. OK-CAN members can register for this informative webinar by clicking on this survey link. If you're not an OK-CAN member, sign up today so that you can participate in this webinar, as well as other opportunities that are provided to network members throughout the year. Membership is free! The week before the meeting, we'll send you the link needed to access the webinar. You should be able to see and hear the information using your current browser. We'll also send directions for listening in by phone if you don't have computer access at the time of the meeting, and we'll give you directions on how to access Cyekeia's PowerPoint on the OK-CAN website. This will be our first of several webinars that will be offered to share information with our members as an alternative method to in-person meetings. If you have an idea for a webinar that would be helpful to OK-CAN members, please let us know. Penny Gandy & Letha Huddleston Outreach Services Oklahoma College Assistance Program (OCAP) A division of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education 405.234.4239 Note: This communication and attachments, if any, are intended solely for the use of the addressee hereof. In addition, this information and attachments, if any, may contain information that is confidential, privileged and exempt from disclosure under applicable law including, but not limited to, the Privacy Act of 1974. If you are not the intended recipient of this information, you are prohibited from reading, disclosing, reproducing, distributing, disseminating, or otherwise using this information. If you have received this message in error, please promptly notify the sender and immediately delete this communication from your system. Mendy Schmerer, M.Ed. Assistant Director Office of Student Financial Aid University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center 1106 N. Stonewall, Rm 301 Oklahoma City, OK 73117 (405) 271-2118, x 48817 (p) (405) 271-5446 (f) Mendy-Schmerer at ouhsc.edu http://www.ouhsc.edu/financialservices/SFA/ [FB-f-Logo__blue_29] Become our fan on Facebook: www.facebook.com/OUHSCFinancialAid -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.png Type: image/png Size: 1364 bytes Desc: image003.png URL: From Mendy-Schmerer at ouhsc.edu Fri May 9 13:37:59 2014 From: Mendy-Schmerer at ouhsc.edu (Schmerer, Mendy M. (HSC)) Date: Fri, 9 May 2014 18:37:59 +0000 Subject: [Oasfaa] SWASFAA Board Meeting Message-ID: Your SWASFAA Board met in Arlington, Texas on Monday, April 28th and Tuesday, April 29th. Oklahoma is well represented this year on the SWASFAA Board, with: Andrew Hammontree, President Me, Delegate At Large and Leadership Development Chair Lori Boyd, OASFAA President Audra Main, Conference Chair Scott DeBoard, Training Chair Not to mention several others from the state serving on committees! Andrew's responsibilities as President keep him busy. He has been actively blogging about his travels to the other SWASFAA states' conferences and NASFAA Board meetings and other SWASFAA activities. If you haven't signed up to follow the blog yet, I highly recommend that you do at http://swasfaa.org/b/. Andrew is going to continue to keep us informed, but the various committee chairs are going to begin posting updates on their committees' goings on as well. SWASFAA's goal is to increase communication to the membership, so be prepared for additional activity on the SWASFAA listserv, on the blog, and on the SWASFAA Facebook page. The SWASFAA Facebook page has changed and the old Facebook page won't be active for much longer, so you'll want to make sure you like the new page. The easiest way to find the right one is to first visit www.swasfaa.org and then click on the Facebook icon towards the bottom of the page. You'll want to stay in the loop because soon we are going to have some specific details about upcoming events, several of which are brand new initiatives that SWASFAA feels is important to offer to its members. Each state, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, provides a state report during the meeting. This is the opportunity for the state Presidents and Delegates at Large to share with our colleague the things in our respective states that have been keeping us busy. We tend to borrow conference presentation ideas from one another, ruminate over common struggles such as reduced state funding, frustration over ED reporting issues, and various other things that tend to make the life of an aid administrator difficult, and we collaborate and connect in ways that wouldn't otherwise be possible if we weren't involved. Details about a new "Best Practices" webinar will be forthcoming, as will details regarding a Leadership Institute we are going to offer just prior to the annual conference. You will want to make sure your institution's membership is current, as only SWASFAA member schools are allowed to register for events. Conference planning is well underway, so if you have any topic suggestions, presenter ideas, or would like to volunteer to moderate a session, I know Audra Main would love to hear from you. The Board will meet again in September, via conference call. If there are any issues you would like for me, as your Delegate At Large, to take to the SWASFAA Board between now and then, please let me know. One of SWASFAA's chief concerns is that it act as a resource for the members, and that in doing so, a sense of community is fostered and nurtured. If, at any time, you feel moved to get involved with OASFAA, SWASFAA, or NASFAA, there are always opportunities, so don't be afraid to ask what they are! It can be so easy to forget how much goes on outside of our own office walls, so just like with OASFAA activities, the SWASFAA Board meetings are a great reminder of how active our colleagues are in NASFAA, SWASFAA, and state level activities, working in a myriad of ways to better the lives of our students and to ensure that ours continues to be a profession in which we are all proud to serve. While ours can be a frustrating, sometimes thankless job, great things happen in financial aid. Even on the difficult days-or rather, especially on the difficult days-remember that, and take pride in what you do every day. Remember that as you see students graduate this time of year. Thank you for what you do, and enjoy this rare, beautiful day! Mendy Schmerer, M.Ed. Assistant Director Office of Student Financial Aid University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center 1106 N. Stonewall, Rm 301 Oklahoma City, OK 73117 (405) 271-2118, x 48817 (p) (405) 271-5446 (f) Mendy-Schmerer at ouhsc.edu http://www.ouhsc.edu/financialservices/SFA/ [FB-f-Logo__blue_29] Become our fan on Facebook: www.facebook.com/OUHSCFinancialAid -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.png Type: image/png Size: 1364 bytes Desc: image002.png URL: From bfair at osrhe.edu Fri May 9 16:45:19 2014 From: bfair at osrhe.edu (Fair, Bryce) Date: Fri, 9 May 2014 21:45:19 +0000 Subject: [Oasfaa] =?windows-1252?q?FW=3A_State_Legislative_Update_=96_May_?= =?windows-1252?q?9=2C_2014?= Message-ID: Below is the state legislative update for this week. On the House side, HB 3211 has been assigned to a conference committee. The Senate has yet to assigned the bill to a conference committee on its side. Bryce Fair The update below reflects the current status of major legislation concerning Higher Education during the week of May 5, 2014 ? May 9, 2014. If you have any questions, please contact Hollye Hunt at hhunt at osrhe.edu or 405.225.9424. Legislative Report May 5th ?May 9th Tuition No pending legislation. OKPromise HB 3211// Representative Jeff Hickman and Senator Jim Halligan// The legislation requires an OKPromise student to enroll in a minimum of thirty (30) credit hours each academic year. Each institution of higher education may establish a policy to approve exceptions to this requirement for hardship circumstances as determined by the institution. The institution shall provide a copy of the policy to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. After the end of each academic year, each institution shall submit a report to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education providing the total number of exceptions approved and a summary of the exceptions by type of hardship; UPDATE: The House assigned the legislation to the Higher Education and CareerTech Conference Committee. Remediation No pending legislation. Tuition Waivers/ Scholarships SB 1829// Senator Corey Brooks and Representative Lisa Billy// The legislation allows a student to be eligible for resident tuition if the student presents to the institution valid documentation of participation in the Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps, Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps or the Navy/Marines Reserve Officers' Training Corps. UPDATE: Governor Fallin signed the measure on April 25, 2014. Governance/ Board Make-up No pending legislation. Higher Education Shell Bills No pending legislation. Concurrent Enrollment No pending legislation. Guns on Campus HJR 1026// Representative Dan Fisher and Senator Greg Treat// The joint resolution affirms that it is the fundamental right of each individual citizen to keep and to bear arms. It restricts the state from imposing laws on licensure, registration or special taxation on the acquisition, ownership or possession of arms, ammunition, or the components of arms or ammunition. UPDATE: The House assigned the legislation to the States Rights Conference Committee. The Senate named conferees (Treat, Griffin, Schulz, Barrington, Burrage and Sparks). Administrative Procedures Act SB 1694// Senator Eddie Fields and Representative Harold Wright// The legislation eliminates language regarding the expulsion of a student. UPDATE: Governor Fallin signed the measure on April 9, 2014. Accreditation No pending legislation. Teacher Prep HB 2885// Representative Ann Coody// The legislation directs the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation to work with the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and the various institutions of higher education to establish a paid teacher internship program at each institution for prospective teachers. The purpose of each program shall be to provide mentorship and support for prospective teachers. Students enrolled in a teacher education program and students enrolled in an alternative placement program shall be eligible to participate in the program. UPDATE: Governor Fallin signed the measure on April 22, 2014. Pension/ Retirement HB 2611// Representative Randy McDaniel// The legislation amends the definition section of ?regular annual compensation? to exclude clinical related activity performed in Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences (OSU-CHS) Professional Practice Plan. UPDATE: Governor Fallin signed the measure on April 22, 2014. Open Records SB 1577// Senator Sean Burrage// The legislation creates an exemption to the Open Records Act. It allows higher education institutions to keep confidential 1) business plans, feasibility studies, financing proposals, marketing plans, financial statements or trade secrets submitted by a person or entity seeking economic advice, business development or customized training from such Departments or school districts, and 2) proprietary information of the business submitted to the Department or school districts for the purpose of business development or customized training, and related confidentiality agreements detailing the information or records designated as confidential, and 3) information compiled by such Departments or school districts in response to those submissions. UPDATE: Governor Fallin vetoed the legislation. Task Forces/ Advisory Committees SB1181 // Senator Ron Sharp and Representative Justin Wood// The legislation establishes criteria for designation as a STEM Community or STEM Region. The application process shall be outlined by a subcommittee of an existing STEM education or workforce committee or board, to be identified by the Governor. The creation, sustainment and execution of the subcommittee shall be the responsibility of the Coalition for the Advancement of Science and Mathematics Education in Oklahoma (CASMEO). The application process shall be based on criteria established by the subcommittee. The criteria for designation as a STEM Community or STEM Region shall include a requirement that educators, administrators, business leaders, students, parents, government officials and business and industry groups within a community or region create awareness, promote partnerships with education and industry, develop and execute action plans for improving STEM education and training, identify and acquire the needed resources to improve STEM education and training and identify and accumulate STEM data within the community or region, including but not limited to kindergarten through twelfth grade test results, the number of STEM-related degree holders in the local workforce, the number of STEM-related degrees conferred and the number of STEM-related certifications or credentials obtained. The region or community shall also develop a plan to recognize and promote successes in both student and teacher accomplishments in the STEM area within the community or region. UPDATE: Governor Fallin signed the legislation on April 28, 2014. Athletics No pending legislation. Veterans/Military SB 1830// Senator Corey Brooks and Representative Gary Banz// The legislation allows men and women who are enrolled at a higher education institution and are in the active uniformed military services to take a leave of absence if called into active duty. If an institution within The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education fails to comply with the provisions of this act, the student may bring an action in district court for actual and compensatory damages for noncompliance and may be granted such relief as is just and proper under the circumstances. UPDATE: Governor Fallin signed the measure on April 7, 2014. Other SB 1505// Senator David Holt and Representative Leslie Osborn// The legislation authorizes state agencies, at their discretion, to offer their employees an option to voluntarily elect to be paid, one time annually, for a certain number of hours of unused accrued annual leave. This policy will be optional for all eligible employees, and the employee may choose the monthly pay period in which he or she elects to receive such payment. UPDATE: The Senate assigned the legislation to the General Conference Committee on Appropriations. SB 1966// Senator Anthony Sykes and Representative Jon Echols// The legislation requires Commissioners of the Land Office to employ only the Office of the Attorney General of Oklahoma in all matters. It also provides that funds that are not paid prior to certain time limits be calculated at a different rate of interest. UPDATE: The legislation passed out of the House on April 22, 2014 with a vote of 63-20. HB 2669// Representative David Derby// The legislation creates the Information Technology Act of 2014. The legislation state that unless a state agency has internal expertise to conduct the risk assessment and can submit certification of such expertise along with the annual information security risk assessment, the risk assessment shall be conducted by a third party. The Information Services Division of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services shall approve not less than two third-party firms which state agencies may choose from to conduct the information security risk assessment. A state agency with an information technology system that is not consolidated under the Information Technology Consolidation and Coordination Act or that is otherwise retained by the agency shall submit a final report of information security risk assessment to the Information Services Division by the first day of December of each year. UPDATE: The legislation passed out of the House on May 5, 2014 with a vote of 85 - 6 but the emergency failed 62 - 26. The legislation was sent to Governor Fallin for consideration. HB 2873// Representative Tom Newell and Senator Greg Treat// The legislation requires institutions of higher education not to take action or enforce a policy that would deny a religious student association any benefit available to any other student association. In addition, no higher education institution may substantially burden a student?s exercise of religion. UPDATE: The House assigned the legislation to the Judiciary Conference Committee. The Senate named conferees (Treat, Ford, Allen, Brooks, Ellis, Garrison). SB 1639// Senator Brian Bingman and Representative Elise Hall// The legislation creates the Quality Workforce Act. This act allows businesses that receive approval from the Oklahoma Department of Commerce to receive tax rebates if they pay for an employee to receive their associate degree, an industrial or vocational license or to complete a certification program. UPDATE: The Senate assigned the legislation to the General Conference Committee on Appropriations. SB 2080// Senator Nathan Dahm and Representative Ken Walker// The legislation creates the ?Memorandum of Understanding Act. The act requires agencies to post on a website and provide copies to appropriate legislative committee chairs any memorandum of understanding agreement entered into by the agencies. UPDATE: The legislation passed out of the House on April 24, 2014 with a vote of 56-13. Representative Walker amended the legislation to exempt Higher Education, CareerTech and Common Education. Carryover legislation No pending legislation. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From SPrater4 at uco.edu Tue May 13 08:19:55 2014 From: SPrater4 at uco.edu (Susan Prater) Date: Tue, 13 May 2014 08:19:55 -0500 Subject: [Oasfaa] FW: Certificate program requirement question In-Reply-To: <9038337E042E8F44A154E79848252F4E0114599A6BA7@EDUPTCEXMB01.ed.gov> References: <75671A9DCD21974888C9A2E5E4937B64B57FA7134B@EXCHANGE.uco.local> <9038337E042E8F44A154E79848252F4E0114599A6BA7@EDUPTCEXMB01.ed.gov> Message-ID: <75671A9DCD21974888C9A2E5E4937B64B57FC231F1@EXCHANGE.uco.local> Good Morning Fellow FAAs. Want to share an email response I received from DOE regarding minimum length of Certificate Programs we could offer, etc. Susan Prater Director UCO Student Financial Services 405.974.2300 From: Rhodes, Michael [mailto:Michael.Rhodes at ed.gov] Sent: Friday, May 02, 2014 3:48 PM To: Susan Prater Cc: Summers, Trevor Subject: RE: Certificate program requirement question Susan, As you cited from the Handbook, on page 2-4, we see the definitions of the three types of institutions: * Institution of Higher Education (IHE) - A public or private nonprofit educational institution located in a state * Proprietary Institution of Higher Education - a private for-profit educational institution located in a state * Postsecondary Vocational Institution (PVI) - A public or private nonprofit educational institution located in a state You and I agree your school meets the definition of the IHE. We also agree your school does not meet the definition of a proprietary school. Given these facts, let's concentrate on the PVI. PVI's can sometimes be considered only as a PVI. Examples would be those nonprofit schools that offer only vocational/certificate programs. They have no degrees, AA, BA, BS, MBA, etc. Because they otherwise meet the definition as mentioned above, these schools are allowed to offer certification programs less than one year in length, as long as these programs lead to gainful employment. Two-year and four-year schools may also be defined as PVI's if the certificate programs being offered also lead to gainful employment. The fact that an IHE offers degree programs does not prevent that school from also meeting the requirements of a PVI. Both types of schools are defined with the same basic language. For purposes of this discussion, the basic difference between an IHE and a PVI is the ability to grant degrees. Both types of schools qualify to offer certificate programs of less than one year. My only caution in creating new programs is to ensure your school is very familiar with the types of aid students may or may not be eligible for and the various responsibilities a school may have for programs of different length. For example: * Students in programs of 600 clock hours or longer (or its equivalent in credit hours) could qualify for both Pell Grants and Direct Loans, if otherwise eligible. Students enrolled in programs of 300 - 599 clock hours (which must be offered in clock hours, not credit hours) will only qualify for Direct Loans, no Pell Grants) * Programs of 300 - 599 clock hours, also termed as short term programs, must also meet what is called the 70/70 rule. These programs must o have verified completion and placement rates of at least 70%, o not be more than 50% longer than the minimum training period required by the state or federal agency, if any, for the occupation for which the program of instruction is intended, and o have been in existence for at least one year. I hope this is helpful. Please let me know if you have further questions. Thank you, Michael K Rhodes Institutional Improvement Specialist Federal Student Aid U.S. Education Department 1999 Bryan St Suite 1410 Dallas, TX 75201-6817 214-661-9484 214-661-9662 (fax) [cid:image001.png at 01CF661D.5EBF8C10] StudentAid.gov https://www.facebook.com/FederalStudentAid http://www.youtube.com/ FederalStudentAid http://twitter.com/FAFSA From: Susan Prater [mailto:SPrater4 at uco.edu] Sent: Friday, May 02, 2014 2:34 PM To: Rhodes, Michael Subject: FW: Certificate program requirement question Michael, Thank you for attempting to respond so quickly to my Certificate program question. My institution is in the process of considering offering more Certificate programs that would be eligible for financial aid and I have been invited to an Academic Affairs meeting next Tuesday to discuss the federal regulations involved. My understanding per Vol. 2, Ch. 2, p. 16 of the Student Federal Aid Handbook is that if you meet the definition of a post-secondary vocational or proprietary institution, you can offer a Certificate program less than one year, and additional guidance is provided in the handbook. But, if you don't meet the post-secondary vocational institution definition, a Certificate program offered at a 4 year public/private or 2 year community college must be at least one academic year in length. In both cases, the program must prepare for gainful employment. Upon review of our ECAR, #26G is checked that includes several bullets regarding undergraduate program information but doesn't include the differences of an institution of higher education versus meeting the definition of a postsecondary vocation institution. I did read the regulations 34 CFR 668.6 on Postsecondary vocational institution, if that is where the definition is supposed to be, but that really didn't clear up my question relating to what's stated in the SFA handbook and whether UCO meets that definition. Any guidance you could provide would be appreciated. My understanding was that for financial aid eligibility, our school could only offer Certificate programs of 1 academic year. What definition is the SFA Handbook referencing? Thank you. Susan Prater Director UCO Student Financial Services 405.974.2300 **Bronze+Blue=Green** The University of Central Oklahoma is Bronze, Blue, and Green! Please print this e-mail only if absolutely necessary! **CONFIDENTIALITY** -This e-mail (including any attachments) may contain confidential, proprietary and privileged information. Any unauthorized disclosure or use of this information is prohibited. **Bronze+Blue=Green** The University of Central Oklahoma is Bronze, Blue, and Green! Please print this e-mail only if absolutely necessary! **CONFIDENTIALITY** This e-mail (including any attachments) may contain confidential, proprietary and privileged information. Any unauthorized disclosure or use of this information is prohibited. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 7538 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: From bfair at osrhe.edu Fri May 16 17:05:00 2014 From: bfair at osrhe.edu (Fair, Bryce) Date: Fri, 16 May 2014 22:05:00 +0000 Subject: [Oasfaa] =?windows-1252?q?FW=3A_State_Legislative_Update_=96_May_?= =?windows-1252?q?16=2C_2014?= Message-ID: Below is the state legislative update for this week. So far there has not been any further action on HB 3211 related to the OKPromise program. Bryce Fair The update below reflects the current status of major legislation concerning Higher Education during the week of May 12, 2014 ? May 16, 2014. If you have any questions, please contact Hollye Hunt at hhunt at osrhe.edu or 405.225.9424. Legislative Report May 12th ?May 16th Tuition No pending legislation. OKPromise HB 3211// Representative Jeff Hickman and Senator Jim Halligan// The legislation requires an OKPromise student to enroll in a minimum of thirty (30) credit hours each academic year. Each institution of higher education may establish a policy to approve exceptions to this requirement for hardship circumstances as determined by the institution. The institution shall provide a copy of the policy to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. After the end of each academic year, each institution shall submit a report to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education providing the total number of exceptions approved and a summary of the exceptions by type of hardship; UPDATE: The House assigned the legislation to the Higher Education and CareerTech Conference Committee. The Senate assigned the legislation to the General Conference Committee on Appropriations. Remediation No pending legislation. Tuition Waivers/ Scholarships SB 1829// Senator Corey Brooks and Representative Lisa Billy// The legislation allows a student to be eligible for resident tuition if the student presents to the institution valid documentation of participation in the Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps, Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps or the Navy/Marines Reserve Officers' Training Corps. UPDATE: Governor Fallin signed the measure on April 25, 2014. Governance/ Board Make-up No pending legislation. Higher Education Shell Bills No pending legislation. Concurrent Enrollment No pending legislation. Guns on Campus HJR 1026// Representative Dan Fisher and Senator Greg Treat// The joint resolution affirms that it is the fundamental right of each individual citizen to keep and to bear arms. It restricts the state from imposing laws on licensure, registration or special taxation on the acquisition, ownership or possession of arms, ammunition, or the components of arms or ammunition. UPDATE: The House assigned the legislation to the States Rights Conference Committee. The Senate named conferees (Treat, Griffin, Schulz, Barrington, Burrage and Sparks). Administrative Procedures Act SB 1694// Senator Eddie Fields and Representative Harold Wright// The legislation eliminates language regarding the expulsion of a student. UPDATE: Governor Fallin signed the measure on April 9, 2014. Accreditation No pending legislation. Teacher Prep HB 2885// Representative Ann Coody// The legislation directs the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation to work with the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and the various institutions of higher education to establish a paid teacher internship program at each institution for prospective teachers. The purpose of each program shall be to provide mentorship and support for prospective teachers. Students enrolled in a teacher education program and students enrolled in an alternative placement program shall be eligible to participate in the program. UPDATE: Governor Fallin signed the measure on April 22, 2014. Pension/ Retirement HB 2611// Representative Randy McDaniel// The legislation amends the definition section of ?regular annual compensation? to exclude clinical related activity performed in Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences (OSU-CHS) Professional Practice Plan. UPDATE: Governor Fallin signed the measure on April 22, 2014. Open Records SB 1577// Senator Sean Burrage// The legislation creates an exemption to the Open Records Act. It allows higher education institutions to keep confidential 1) business plans, feasibility studies, financing proposals, marketing plans, financial statements or trade secrets submitted by a person or entity seeking economic advice, business development or customized training from such Departments or school districts, and 2) proprietary information of the business submitted to the Department or school districts for the purpose of business development or customized training, and related confidentiality agreements detailing the information or records designated as confidential, and 3) information compiled by such Departments or school districts in response to those submissions. UPDATE: Governor Fallin vetoed the legislation. Task Forces/ Advisory Committees SB1181 // Senator Ron Sharp and Representative Justin Wood// The legislation establishes criteria for designation as a STEM Community or STEM Region. The application process shall be outlined by a subcommittee of an existing STEM education or workforce committee or board, to be identified by the Governor. The creation, sustainment and execution of the subcommittee shall be the responsibility of the Coalition for the Advancement of Science and Mathematics Education in Oklahoma (CASMEO). The application process shall be based on criteria established by the subcommittee. The criteria for designation as a STEM Community or STEM Region shall include a requirement that educators, administrators, business leaders, students, parents, government officials and business and industry groups within a community or region create awareness, promote partnerships with education and industry, develop and execute action plans for improving STEM education and training, identify and acquire the needed resources to improve STEM education and training and identify and accumulate STEM data within the community or region, including but not limited to kindergarten through twelfth grade test results, the number of STEM-related degree holders in the local workforce, the number of STEM-related degrees conferred and the number of STEM-related certifications or credentials obtained. The region or community shall also develop a plan to recognize and promote successes in both student and teacher accomplishments in the STEM area within the community or region. UPDATE: Governor Fallin signed the legislation on April 28, 2014. Athletics No pending legislation. Veterans/Military SB 1830// Senator Corey Brooks and Representative Gary Banz// The legislation allows men and women who are enrolled at a higher education institution and are in the active uniformed military services to take a leave of absence if called into active duty. If an institution within The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education fails to comply with the provisions of this act, the student may bring an action in district court for actual and compensatory damages for noncompliance and may be granted such relief as is just and proper under the circumstances. UPDATE: Governor Fallin signed the measure on April 7, 2014. Other SB 1505// Senator David Holt and Representative Leslie Osborn// The legislation authorizes state agencies, at their discretion, to offer their employees an option to voluntarily elect to be paid, one time annually, for a certain number of hours of unused accrued annual leave. This policy will be optional for all eligible employees, and the employee may choose the monthly pay period in which he or she elects to receive such payment. UPDATE: The House assigned the legislation to the General Conference Committee on Appropriations. The Senate assigned the legislation to the General Conference Committee on Appropriations. SB 1966// Senator Anthony Sykes and Representative Jon Echols// The legislation requires Commissioners of the Land Office to employ only the Office of the Attorney General of Oklahoma in all matters. It also provides that funds that are not paid prior to certain time limits be calculated at a different rate of interest. UPDATE: The legislation passed out of the House on April 22, 2014 with a vote of 63-20. HB 2669// Representative David Derby// The legislation creates the Information Technology Act of 2014. The legislation state that unless a state agency has internal expertise to conduct the risk assessment and can submit certification of such expertise along with the annual information security risk assessment, the risk assessment shall be conducted by a third party. The Information Services Division of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services shall approve not less than two third-party firms which state agencies may choose from to conduct the information security risk assessment. A state agency with an information technology system that is not consolidated under the Information Technology Consolidation and Coordination Act or that is otherwise retained by the agency shall submit a final report of information security risk assessment to the Information Services Division by the first day of December of each year. UPDATE: Governor Fallin signed the measure on May 13, 2014. HB 2873// Representative Tom Newell and Senator Greg Treat// The legislation requires institutions of higher education not to take action or enforce a policy that would deny a religious student association any benefit available to any other student association. In addition, no higher education institution may substantially burden a student?s exercise of religion. UPDATE: The House assigned the legislation to the Judiciary Conference Committee. The Senate named conferees (Treat, Ford, Allen, Brooks, Ellis, Garrison). SB 1639// Senator Brian Bingman and Representative Elise Hall// The legislation creates the Quality Workforce Act. This act allows businesses that receive approval from the Oklahoma Department of Commerce to receive tax rebates if they pay for an employee to receive their associate degree, an industrial or vocational license or to complete a certification program. UPDATE: The Senate assigned the legislation to the General Conference Committee on Appropriations. The House assigned the legislation to the General Conference Committee on Appropriations. SB 2080// Senator Nathan Dahm and Representative Ken Walker// The legislation creates the ?Memorandum of Understanding Act. The act requires agencies to post on a website and provide copies to appropriate legislative committee chairs any memorandum of understanding agreement entered into by the agencies. UPDATE: The legislation has been sent to Governor Fallin for her consideration. Carryover legislation No pending legislation. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From lcoponiti at usao.edu Mon May 19 10:05:43 2014 From: lcoponiti at usao.edu (Laura Coponiti) Date: Mon, 19 May 2014 10:05:43 -0500 Subject: [Oasfaa] OASFAA Conference Message-ID: <009101cf7373$ce48e230$6adaa690$@edu> Hello All, I hope you are having a great Monday! I wanted to let everyone know that almost all of the handouts from the conference have been posted to the OASFAA website (thanks Mendy), this includes the handouts from all three of Trevor sessions. All our presenters did a great job so if you didn't get to go to a session because there were too many to choose from you can go check out the slides to see what you missed. Here is the link to provide feedback to Tervor and his supervisor, https://s.zoomerang.com/s/TrevorSummers. Please take a few minutes to complete this so the Department of Ed. will know how much we appreciate them sending someone to our conference and how important it is to have face to face training. Have a great week! Laura Coponiti cid:16D7802A-BD66-411D-B03E-8C59B4BF1350 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 10002 bytes Desc: not available URL: From Mendy-Schmerer at ouhsc.edu Mon May 19 10:22:01 2014 From: Mendy-Schmerer at ouhsc.edu (Schmerer, Mendy M. (HSC)) Date: Mon, 19 May 2014 15:22:01 +0000 Subject: [Oasfaa] OASFAA Conference In-Reply-To: <009101cf7373$ce48e230$6adaa690$@edu> References: <009101cf7373$ce48e230$6adaa690$@edu> Message-ID: My pleasure, Laura! All, the conference handouts are found here. Mendy Schmerer, M.Ed. Assistant Director Office of Student Financial Aid University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center 1106 N. Stonewall, Rm 301 Oklahoma City, OK 73117 (405) 271-2118, x 48817 (p) (405) 271-5446 (f) Mendy-Schmerer at ouhsc.edu http://www.ouhsc.edu/financialservices/SFA/ [FB-f-Logo__blue_29] Become our fan on Facebook: www.facebook.com/OUHSCFinancialAid From: oasfaa-bounces at lists.onenet.net [mailto:oasfaa-bounces at lists.onenet.net] On Behalf Of Laura Coponiti Sent: Monday, May 19, 2014 10:06 AM To: oasfaa at lists.onenet.net Subject: [Oasfaa] OASFAA Conference Hello All, I hope you are having a great Monday! I wanted to let everyone know that almost all of the handouts from the conference have been posted to the OASFAA website (thanks Mendy), this includes the handouts from all three of Trevor sessions. All our presenters did a great job so if you didn't get to go to a session because there were too many to choose from you can go check out the slides to see what you missed. Here is the link to provide feedback to Tervor and his supervisor, https://s.zoomerang.com/s/TrevorSummers. Please take a few minutes to complete this so the Department of Ed. will know how much we appreciate them sending someone to our conference and how important it is to have face to face training. Have a great week! Laura Coponiti [cid:16D7802A-BD66-411D-B03E-8C59B4BF1350] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image004.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 10002 bytes Desc: image004.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 1364 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: From Mendy-Schmerer at ouhsc.edu Mon May 19 10:30:36 2014 From: Mendy-Schmerer at ouhsc.edu (Schmerer, Mendy M. (HSC)) Date: Mon, 19 May 2014 15:30:36 +0000 Subject: [Oasfaa] FW: [swasfaaL] OASFAA Blog Article In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: More than one post to the OASFAA listserv in a day? What? It must be some sort of pre-Memorial Day weekend craziness around here! I cannot encourage you enough to sign up to receive the SWASFAA blog updates at www.swasfaa.org/b. Andrew, Francis Tuttle Financial Aid Director and this year's SWASFAA President, is doing a fantastic job of reaching out to the community. You'll want to hear about the latest goings-on with SWASFAA, and not to mention all of Andrew's adventures this year. This blog entry highlights our very own OASFAA conference. It was only a couple of weeks ago, but it was nice to think about our wonderful conference again, especially the Thursday night entertainment event! Mendy Schmerer, M.Ed. Assistant Director Office of Student Financial Aid University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center 1106 N. Stonewall, Rm 301 Oklahoma City, OK? 73117 (405) 271-2118, x 48817?(p) (405) 271-5446?(f) Mendy-Schmerer at ouhsc.edu http://www.ouhsc.edu/financialservices/SFA/ Become our fan on Facebook: www.facebook.com/OUHSCFinancialAid -----Original Message----- From: SwasfaaL [mailto:swasfaal-bounces at swasfaa.org] On Behalf Of swasfaal at swasfaa.org Sent: Monday, May 19, 2014 10:20 AM To: swasfaal at swasfaa.org Subject: [swasfaaL] OASFAA Blog Article Subject: OASFAA Blog Article List: swasfaaL Date: May 19, 2014 From: Erika Cox erika.cox at utsa.edu ------------------------- Check out the latest blog article detailing the great conference OASFAA had! http://swasfaa.org/b/general/oasfaa/ Erika Cox Director of Enrollment Services The University of Texas at San Antonio 1 UTSA Circle San Antonio, Texas 78249 210.458.4859 ------------------------------------------- REPLY: To reply to the person sending this message, use the email address in the 'From' section of message above. Messages replied back to this list will be discarded. POST/MANAGE SUBSCRIPTION: To post a message to this list go to http://www.swasfaa.org. Select 'Listserv' in the 'Member Services' section and follow the instructions for posting or managing your subscription. You will be asked for your SWASFAA username and password. QUESTIONS: Contact support at swasfaa.org ------------------------------------------- From Mendy-Schmerer at ouhsc.edu Mon May 19 10:58:08 2014 From: Mendy-Schmerer at ouhsc.edu (Schmerer, Mendy M. (HSC)) Date: Mon, 19 May 2014 15:58:08 +0000 Subject: [Oasfaa] FW: [swasfaaL] SWASFAA Webinar Announcement In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: So much activity today! SWASFAA is presenting its first webinar, at no charge for SWASFAA members, on May 29th. See the details below! Mendy Schmerer Oklahoma Delegate-At-Large -----Original Message----- From: SwasfaaL [mailto:swasfaal-bounces at swasfaa.org] On Behalf Of swasfaal at swasfaa.org Sent: Monday, May 19, 2014 10:04 AM To: swasfaal at swasfaa.org Subject: [swasfaaL] SWASFAA Webinar Announcement Subject: SWASFAA Webinar Announcement List: swasfaaL Date: May 19, 2014 From: Scott DeBoard sdeboard at ocap.org ------------------------- One of SWASFAA's primary goals is to bring high quality training opportunities to its members. In an effort to expand those options SWASAFAA will hold its first webinar on May 29th. The topic for this session will be Best Practices - Professional Judgment. Three financial aid administrators, representing three different types of institutions (2-Year, 4-Year, and Grad/Professional), will offer case studies along with insight into common challenges associated with PJ. This session will be offered on May 29th from 10:30-11:30 AM (Central Time). There is no charge for this training for SWASFAA members but registration is required. You can register for this webinar here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1749517971879285250 If your institution has not yet renewed its membership for 2014 this is a great time to do that. The membership page can be found here: http://swasfaa.org/docs/forms/memApp.html If you have questions about these training opportunities please contact Scott DeBoard at sdeboard at ocap.org. Thanks, Scott DeBoard Training Specialist Oklahoma College Assistance Program 405-234-4233 -------------- next part -------------- An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed... Name: ATT00001.txt URL: From jonna.raney at okbu.edu Tue May 20 09:51:22 2014 From: jonna.raney at okbu.edu (Jonna Raney) Date: Tue, 20 May 2014 10:51:22 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Oasfaa] Atlanta rules conference?? Message-ID: I'm at the athletic rules conference in Atlanta. Anyone else here from oasfaa and want to meet for a lunch or dinner so we can pick your brain? (Not literally but trying to learn as much as we can about how to do things if we are accepted into the NCAA div II later this summer). If you don't know much, that's ok, we can still hang out. :) Sent from my iPhone From myrna.cross at wosc.edu Wed May 21 09:54:56 2014 From: myrna.cross at wosc.edu (myrna cross) Date: Wed, 21 May 2014 09:54:56 -0500 Subject: [Oasfaa] proof of death Message-ID: Good Morning, I'm trying to get a student loan forgiven for a student who was killed last year in January. I called the loan servicer at the time and they said they would make note. They asked for the name of the funeral home etc. He is still showing up on our delinquent borrower list and his loan is about to default. I have attempted to call his mother who lives out of state but have had no response from her. The lady from PHEAA said they must have an original death certificate. This is very frustrating!!! Someone at OASFAA said they look up death's on a Soc. Sec. website. Do any of you remember who said that or know what website that would be? There has to be some other way to certify to the servicer that this student is deceased. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated!! *Myrna Cross* *Director, Financial Aid* *Western Oklahoma State College* *2801 N. Main* *Altus, OK 73521* *580-477-7712* *580-477-7716 fax* -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mellis at mscok.edu Wed May 21 11:19:16 2014 From: mellis at mscok.edu (Machelle Ellis) Date: Wed, 21 May 2014 11:19:16 -0500 Subject: [Oasfaa] proof of death In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: This is the website we are using at MSC, http://www.genealogybank.com/gbnk/ssdi/ Hope this helps! On Wed, May 21, 2014 at 9:54 AM, myrna cross wrote: > Good Morning, > I'm trying to get a student loan forgiven for a student who was killed > last year in January. I called the loan servicer at the time and they said > they would make note. They asked for the name of the funeral home etc. > > He is still showing up on our delinquent borrower list and his loan is > about to default. I have attempted to call his mother who lives out of > state but have had no response from her. The lady from PHEAA said they > must have an original death certificate. > > This is very frustrating!!! Someone at OASFAA said they look up death's > on a Soc. Sec. website. Do any of you remember who said that or know what > website that would be? There has to be some other way to certify to the > servicer that this student is deceased. > > Any help or suggestions would be appreciated!! > > *Myrna Cross* > *Director, Financial Aid* > *Western Oklahoma State College* > *2801 N. Main* > *Altus, OK 73521* > *580-477-7712 <580-477-7712>* > *580-477-7716 <580-477-7716> fax* > -- Machelle Ellis Director Financial Aid Murray State College One Murray Campus Tishomingo, OK 73460 580-371-2371 ext. 147 580-371-9528 fax "Mission Statement: Murray State College Provides Opportunities for Student Learning, Personal Growth, Professional Success, and Community Enhancement" *Confidentiality Statement:** The information contained in this message (or any attachment) may be confidential. If the reader is not the intended recipient, dissemination, copying, or using such information is prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify me by replying to the sender's email address or by telephone.* -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bfair at osrhe.edu Tue May 27 09:09:57 2014 From: bfair at osrhe.edu (Fair, Bryce) Date: Tue, 27 May 2014 14:09:57 +0000 Subject: [Oasfaa] =?windows-1252?q?FW=3A_State_Legislative_Update_=96_May_?= =?windows-1252?q?23=2C_2014?= Message-ID: Below is the state legislative update for action through Friday, May 23, the last day of the session (they finished one week earlier than the constitutional deadline). As you will see, there was no further action on HB 3211, the bill that would have required OKPromise college students to enroll in 30 credit hours per year. Consequently, HB 3211 did not pass. SB 2127, the general appropriations bill that implements most of the announced budget agreement contains a section (section 144) that would reduce funding for OKPromise in 2014-15 by nearly $7.9 million and require that amount to be expended from the program?s trust fund reserve. We are currently analyzing this provision to determine the impact on the trust fund and the ability of the program to fully fund projected scholarship obligations in 2014-15. The Governor has 15 days from the last day of the legislative session to take action on all bills that were passed and sent to her during the last 5 days of the legislative session. There will probably be one more legislative update once the Governor has taken action on all pending bills. Let me know if you have any questions. Bryce Fair The update below reflects the current status of major legislation concerning Higher Education during the week of May 19, 2014 ? May 23, 2014. If you have any questions, please contact Hollye Hunt at hhunt at osrhe.edu or 405.225.9424. Legislative Report May 19th ?May 23rd Appropriations SB 2127// Representative Scott Martin and Senator Clark Jolley// The legislation is the general appropriations bill which includes the 2015 budget for the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. UPDATE: The legislation passed out of the Senate on May 20, 2014 with a vote of 31-9. The legislation passed out of the House on May 22, 2014 with a vote of 56-39. Common Education HB 3399// Speaker Jeff Hickman and Senator Josh Brecheen// The bill repeals the implementation of Common Core. The legislation also stipulates that subject matter standards adopted by the State Board of Education must be designed to prepare all students for active citizenship, employment, and/or successful completion of postsecondary education with the need for remedial coursework at the postsecondary level. English Language Arts Standards (ELA) must give Classic and nonfiction literature equal consideration to other literature. Students must master standard algorithms in mathematics and attain fluency in Euclidian geometry. Additionally, subject matter standards will no longer be promulgated as rules or subject to the Article I of the APA. The measure stipulates that by August 1, 2016, the State Board of Education, in consultation with the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, the State Board of Career and Technology Education, and the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, must adopt standards for ELA and mathematics that are considered college and career ready to replace current standards. In the meantime, the Board will implement the standards for ELA and math that were in place prior to the revisions adopted in June 2010. The Board will seek certification from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education that the standards for ELA and math in place prior to June 2010 are considered college and career ready as defined by the Federal government. By the 2017-2018 school year, the Board must develop statewide student assessments for the ELA and math standards. Assessments utilized prior to June 2010 will be used until the new assessments are implemented. Furthermore, the Board must compare the ELA and math standards to those that were in place prior to the implementation of this measure. The Board must submit a report outlining their results to the Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and the minority leader of the House and Senate. Any rule that conflicts with this measure must be amended or repealed. The measure stipulates that all standards and revisions will be subject to legislative review and cannot be implemented until the review process is completed. Adoption of the standards will be by joint resolution. Upon approval, the Board will submit a copy of the standards to the Secretary of State, who will include them in the administrative code, and they will have the same force and effect of law as agency rules promulgated through the APA. The measure requires school districts to develop and adopt policies for the inspection of instructional materials by parents or guardians enrolled in the school. It amends the RSA by adding pre-kindergarten and students that have been granted an exemption for medical emergencies by the State Department of Education to the good-cause exemptions. UPDATE: The legislation passed out of the House on May 23, 2014 with a vote of 71-18. The legislation passed out of the Senate on May 23, 2014 with a vote of 35-3. Tuition No pending legislation. OKPromise HB 3211// Representative Jeff Hickman and Senator Jim Halligan// The legislation requires an OKPromise student to enroll in a minimum of thirty (30) credit hours each academic year. Each institution of higher education may establish a policy to approve exceptions to this requirement for hardship circumstances as determined by the institution. The institution shall provide a copy of the policy to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. After the end of each academic year, each institution shall submit a report to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education providing the total number of exceptions approved and a summary of the exceptions by type of hardship; UPDATE: The House assigned the legislation to the Higher Education and Career Tech Conference Committee. The Senate assigned the legislation to the General Conference Committee on Appropriations. Remediation No pending legislation. Tuition Waivers/ Scholarships SB 1829// Senator Corey Brooks and Representative Lisa Billy// The legislation allows a student to be eligible for resident tuition if the student presents to the institution valid documentation of participation in the Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps, Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps or the Navy/Marines Reserve Officers' Training Corps. UPDATE: Governor Fallin signed the measure on April 25, 2014. Governance/ Board Make-up No pending legislation. Higher Education Shell Bills No pending legislation. Concurrent Enrollment No pending legislation. Guns on Campus HJR 1026// Representative Dan Fisher and Senator Greg Treat// The joint resolution affirms that it is the fundamental right of each individual citizen to keep and to bear arms. It restricts the state from imposing laws on licensure, registration or special taxation on the acquisition, ownership or possession of arms, ammunition, or the components of arms or ammunition. UPDATE: The House assigned the legislation to the States Rights Conference Committee. The Senate named conferees (Treat, Griffin, Schulz, Barrington, Burrage and Sparks). Administrative Procedures Act SB 1694// Senator Eddie Fields and Representative Harold Wright// The legislation eliminates language regarding the expulsion of a student. UPDATE: Governor Fallin signed the measure on April 9, 2014. Accreditation No pending legislation. Teacher Prep HB 2885// Representative Ann Coody// The legislation directs the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation to work with the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and the various institutions of higher education to establish a paid teacher internship program at each institution for prospective teachers. The purpose of each program shall be to provide mentorship and support for prospective teachers. Students enrolled in a teacher education program and students enrolled in an alternative placement program shall be eligible to participate in the program. UPDATE: Governor Fallin signed the measure on April 22, 2014. Pension/ Retirement HB 2611// Representative Randy McDaniel// The legislation amends the definition section of ?regular annual compensation? to exclude clinical related activity performed in Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences (OSU-CHS) Professional Practice Plan. UPDATE: Governor Fallin signed the measure on April 22, 2014. Open Records SB 1577// Senator Sean Burrage// The legislation creates an exemption to the Open Records Act. It allows higher education institutions to keep confidential 1) business plans, feasibility studies, financing proposals, marketing plans, financial statements or trade secrets submitted by a person or entity seeking economic advice, business development or customized training from such Departments or school districts, and 2) proprietary information of the business submitted to the Department or school districts for the purpose of business development or customized training, and related confidentiality agreements detailing the information or records designated as confidential, and 3) information compiled by such Departments or school districts in response to those submissions. UPDATE: Governor Fallin vetoed the legislation. Task Forces/ Advisory Committees SB1181 // Senator Ron Sharp and Representative Justin Wood// The legislation establishes criteria for designation as a STEM Community or STEM Region. The application process shall be outlined by a subcommittee of an existing STEM education or workforce committee or board, to be identified by the Governor. The creation, sustainment and execution of the subcommittee shall be the responsibility of the Coalition for the Advancement of Science and Mathematics Education in Oklahoma (CASMEO). The application process shall be based on criteria established by the subcommittee. The criteria for designation as a STEM Community or STEM Region shall include a requirement that educators, administrators, business leaders, students, parents, government officials and business and industry groups within a community or region create awareness, promote partnerships with education and industry, develop and execute action plans for improving STEM education and training, identify and acquire the needed resources to improve STEM education and training and identify and accumulate STEM data within the community or region, including but not limited to kindergarten through twelfth grade test results, the number of STEM-related degree holders in the local workforce, the number of STEM-related degrees conferred and the number of STEM-related certifications or credentials obtained. The region or community shall also develop a plan to recognize and promote successes in both student and teacher accomplishments in the STEM area within the community or region. UPDATE: Governor Fallin signed the legislation on April 28, 2014. Athletics No pending legislation. Veterans/Military SB 1830// Senator Corey Brooks and Representative Gary Banz// The legislation allows men and women who are enrolled at a higher education institution and are in the active uniformed military services to take a leave of absence if called into active duty. If an institution within The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education fails to comply with the provisions of this act, the student may bring an action in district court for actual and compensatory damages for noncompliance and may be granted such relief as is just and proper under the circumstances. UPDATE: Governor Fallin signed the measure on April 7, 2014. Other SB 1505// Senator David Holt and Representative Leslie Osborn// The legislation authorizes state agencies, at their discretion, to offer their employees an option to voluntarily elect to be paid, one time annually, for a certain number of hours of unused accrued annual leave. This policy will be optional for all eligible employees, and the employee may choose the monthly pay period in which he or she elects to receive such payment. UPDATE: The legislation has been sent to Governor Fallin for her consideration. SB 1966// Senator Anthony Sykes and Representative Jon Echols// The legislation requires Commissioners of the Land Office to employ only the Office of the Attorney General of Oklahoma in all matters. It also provides that funds that are not paid prior to certain time limits be calculated at a different rate of interest. UPDATE: The legislation passed out of the House on April 22, 2014 with a vote of 63-20. HB 2669// Representative David Derby// The legislation creates the Information Technology Act of 2014. The legislation state that unless a state agency has internal expertise to conduct the risk assessment and can submit certification of such expertise along with the annual information security risk assessment, the risk assessment shall be conducted by a third party. The Information Services Division of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services shall approve not less than two third-party firms which state agencies may choose from to conduct the information security risk assessment. A state agency with an information technology system that is not consolidated under the Information Technology Consolidation and Coordination Act or that is otherwise retained by the agency shall submit a final report of information security risk assessment to the Information Services Division by the first day of December of each year. UPDATE: Governor Fallin signed the measure on May 13, 2014. HB 2873// Representative Tom Newell and Senator Greg Treat// The legislation requires institutions of higher education not to take action or enforce a policy that would deny a religious student association any benefit available to any other student association. In addition, no higher education institution may substantially burden a student?s exercise of religion. UPDATE: The legislation has been sent to Governor Fallin for her consideration. SB 1639// Senator Brian Bingman and Representative Elise Hall// The legislation creates the Quality Workforce Act. This act allows businesses that receive approval from the Oklahoma Department of Commerce to receive tax rebates if they pay for an employee to receive their associate degree, an industrial or vocational license or to complete a certification program. UPDATE: The legislation passed out of the Senate on May 23, 2014 with a vote of 40-5. SB 2080// Senator Nathan Dahm and Representative Ken Walker// The legislation creates the ?Memorandum of Understanding Act. The act requires agencies to post on a website and provide copies to appropriate legislative committee chairs any memorandum of understanding agreement entered into by the agencies. UPDATE: Governor Fallin vetoed the measure on May 21, 2014. Carryover legislation No pending legislation. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From sbourbeau at osrhe.edu Tue May 27 10:30:45 2014 From: sbourbeau at osrhe.edu (Bourbeau, Sharon) Date: Tue, 27 May 2014 15:30:45 +0000 Subject: [Oasfaa] May 2014 Campus E-Clips is now available! In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: The May 2014 edition of Campus E-Clips newsletter is now available at http://www.okhighered.org/newsletter. May 2014 stories include: * Dr. Minks Stepping Down as Southeastern President * Downtown College Consortium Set to Close * OSU Names Oklahoma Native Gary Sandefur to Lead Academic Programs as Provost * NSU Breaks Ground on New Student Housing Project * OSU-CHS President Receives Outstanding and Distinguished Service Award * State Regents Unveil Redesigned College Planning Website * And more... visit www.okhighered.org/newsletter. To receive future e-mail notices of new issues of the Campus E-Clips online newsletter directly, subscribe to the Campus E-Clips listserve at http://lists.onenet.net/mailman/listinfo/campus-news/. Sharon Bourbeau Communications Coordinator II Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education 655 Research Parkway, Suite 200 Oklahoma City, OK 73104-3603 405.225.9182 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bfair at osrhe.edu Fri May 30 16:55:05 2014 From: bfair at osrhe.edu (Fair, Bryce) Date: Fri, 30 May 2014 21:55:05 +0000 Subject: [Oasfaa] =?windows-1252?q?FW=3A_Legislative_Update_=96_May_30=2C_?= =?windows-1252?q?2014?= In-Reply-To: <04A8951A98F471429444BFBA57D49B2C5E9C7C0F@Drake.osrhe.edu> References: <04A8951A98F471429444BFBA57D49B2C5E9C7C0F@Drake.osrhe.edu> Message-ID: Below is the state legislative update for this week. There are still a few bills upon which Gov. Fallin has not yet acted. She has until June 7 to take action. Bryce Fair The update below reflects the current status of major legislation concerning Higher Education during the week of May 26, 2014 ? May 30, 2014. If you have any questions, please contact Hollye Hunt at hhunt at osrhe.edu or 405.225.9424. Legislative Report May 26th ?May 30th Appropriations SB 2127// Representative Scott Martin and Senator Clark Jolley// The legislation is the general appropriations bill which includes the 2015 budget for the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. UPDATE: The legislation passed out of the Senate on May 20, 2014 with a vote of 31-9. The legislation passed out of the House on May 22, 2014 with a vote of 56-39. The legislation has been sent to Governor Fallin for her consideration. Common Education HB 3399// Speaker Jeff Hickman and Senator Josh Brecheen// The bill repeals the implementation of Common Core. The legislation also stipulates that subject matter standards adopted by the State Board of Education must be designed to prepare all students for active citizenship, employment, and/or successful completion of postsecondary education with the need for remedial coursework at the postsecondary level. English Language Arts Standards (ELA) must give Classic and nonfiction literature equal consideration to other literature. Students must master standard algorithms in mathematics and attain fluency in Euclidian geometry. Additionally, subject matter standards will no longer be promulgated as rules or subject to the Article I of the APA. The measure stipulates that by August 1, 2016, the State Board of Education, in consultation with the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, the State Board of Career and Technology Education, and the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, must adopt standards for ELA and mathematics that are considered college and career ready to replace current standards. In the meantime, the Board will implement the standards for ELA and math that were in place prior to the revisions adopted in June 2010. The Board will seek certification from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education that the standards for ELA and math in place prior to June 2010 are considered college and career ready as defined by the Federal government. By the 2017-2018 school year, the Board must develop statewide student assessments for the ELA and math standards. Assessments utilized prior to June 2010 will be used until the new assessments are implemented. Furthermore, the Board must compare the ELA and math standards to those that were in place prior to the implementation of this measure. The Board must submit a report outlining their results to the Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and the minority leader of the House and Senate. Any rule that conflicts with this measure must be amended or repealed. The measure stipulates that all standards and revisions will be subject to legislative review and cannot be implemented until the review process is completed. Adoption of the standards will be by joint resolution. Upon approval, the Board will submit a copy of the standards to the Secretary of State, who will include them in the administrative code, and they will have the same force and effect of law as agency rules promulgated through the APA. The measure requires school districts to develop and adopt policies for the inspection of instructional materials by parents or guardians enrolled in the school. It amends the RSA by adding pre-kindergarten and students that have been granted an exemption for medical emergencies by the State Department of Education to the good-cause exemptions. UPDATE: The legislation passed out of the House on May 23, 2014 with a vote of 71-18. The legislation passed out of the Senate on May 23, 2014 with a vote of 35-3. The legislation has been sent to Governor Fallin for her consideration. Tuition No pending legislation. OKPromise HB 3211// Representative Jeff Hickman and Senator Jim Halligan// The legislation requires an OKPromise student to enroll in a minimum of thirty (30) credit hours each academic year. Each institution of higher education may establish a policy to approve exceptions to this requirement for hardship circumstances as determined by the institution. The institution shall provide a copy of the policy to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. After the end of each academic year, each institution shall submit a report to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education providing the total number of exceptions approved and a summary of the exceptions by type of hardship; UPDATE: The House assigned the legislation to the Higher Education and Career Tech Conference Committee. The Senate assigned the legislation to the General Conference Committee on Appropriations. Remediation No pending legislation. Tuition Waivers/ Scholarships SB 1829// Senator Corey Brooks and Representative Lisa Billy// The legislation allows a student to be eligible for resident tuition if the student presents to the institution valid documentation of participation in the Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps, Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps or the Navy/Marines Reserve Officers' Training Corps. UPDATE: Governor Fallin signed the measure on April 25, 2014. Governance/ Board Make-up No pending legislation. Higher Education Shell Bills No pending legislation. Concurrent Enrollment No pending legislation. Guns on Campus HJR 1026// Representative Dan Fisher and Senator Greg Treat// The joint resolution affirms that it is the fundamental right of each individual citizen to keep and to bear arms. It restricts the state from imposing laws on licensure, registration or special taxation on the acquisition, ownership or possession of arms, ammunition, or the components of arms or ammunition. UPDATE: The House assigned the legislation to the States Rights Conference Committee. The Senate named conferees (Treat, Griffin, Schulz, Barrington, Burrage and Sparks). Administrative Procedures Act SB 1694// Senator Eddie Fields and Representative Harold Wright// The legislation eliminates language regarding the expulsion of a student. UPDATE: Governor Fallin signed the measure on April 9, 2014. Accreditation No pending legislation. Teacher Prep HB 2885// Representative Ann Coody// The legislation directs the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation to work with the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and the various institutions of higher education to establish a paid teacher internship program at each institution for prospective teachers. The purpose of each program shall be to provide mentorship and support for prospective teachers. Students enrolled in a teacher education program and students enrolled in an alternative placement program shall be eligible to participate in the program. UPDATE: Governor Fallin signed the measure on April 22, 2014. Pension/ Retirement HB 2611// Representative Randy McDaniel// The legislation amends the definition section of ?regular annual compensation? to exclude clinical related activity performed in Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences (OSU-CHS) Professional Practice Plan. UPDATE: Governor Fallin signed the measure on April 22, 2014. Open Records SB 1577// Senator Sean Burrage// The legislation creates an exemption to the Open Records Act. It allows higher education institutions to keep confidential 1) business plans, feasibility studies, financing proposals, marketing plans, financial statements or trade secrets submitted by a person or entity seeking economic advice, business development or customized training from such Departments or school districts, and 2) proprietary information of the business submitted to the Department or school districts for the purpose of business development or customized training, and related confidentiality agreements detailing the information or records designated as confidential, and 3) information compiled by such Departments or school districts in response to those submissions. UPDATE: Governor Fallin vetoed the legislation. Task Forces/ Advisory Committees SB1181 // Senator Ron Sharp and Representative Justin Wood// The legislation establishes criteria for designation as a STEM Community or STEM Region. The application process shall be outlined by a subcommittee of an existing STEM education or workforce committee or board, to be identified by the Governor. The creation, sustainment and execution of the subcommittee shall be the responsibility of the Coalition for the Advancement of Science and Mathematics Education in Oklahoma (CASMEO). The application process shall be based on criteria established by the subcommittee. The criteria for designation as a STEM Community or STEM Region shall include a requirement that educators, administrators, business leaders, students, parents, government officials and business and industry groups within a community or region create awareness, promote partnerships with education and industry, develop and execute action plans for improving STEM education and training, identify and acquire the needed resources to improve STEM education and training and identify and accumulate STEM data within the community or region, including but not limited to kindergarten through twelfth grade test results, the number of STEM-related degree holders in the local workforce, the number of STEM-related degrees conferred and the number of STEM-related certifications or credentials obtained. The region or community shall also develop a plan to recognize and promote successes in both student and teacher accomplishments in the STEM area within the community or region. UPDATE: Governor Fallin signed the legislation on April 28, 2014. Athletics No pending legislation. Veterans/Military SB 1830// Senator Corey Brooks and Representative Gary Banz// The legislation allows men and women who are enrolled at a higher education institution and are in the active uniformed military services to take a leave of absence if called into active duty. If an institution within The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education fails to comply with the provisions of this act, the student may bring an action in district court for actual and compensatory damages for noncompliance and may be granted such relief as is just and proper under the circumstances. UPDATE: Governor Fallin signed the measure on April 7, 2014. Other SB 1505// Senator David Holt and Representative Leslie Osborn// The legislation authorizes state agencies, at their discretion, to offer their employees an option to voluntarily elect to be paid, one time annually, for a certain number of hours of unused accrued annual leave. This policy will be optional for all eligible employees, and the employee may choose the monthly pay period in which he or she elects to receive such payment. UPDATE: The legislation has been sent to Governor Fallin for her consideration. SB 1966// Senator Anthony Sykes and Representative Jon Echols// The legislation requires Commissioners of the Land Office to employ only the Office of the Attorney General of Oklahoma in all matters. It also provides that funds that are not paid prior to certain time limits be calculated at a different rate of interest. UPDATE: The legislation passed out of the House on April 22, 2014 with a vote of 63-20. HB 2669// Representative David Derby// The legislation creates the Information Technology Act of 2014. The legislation state that unless a state agency has internal expertise to conduct the risk assessment and can submit certification of such expertise along with the annual information security risk assessment, the risk assessment shall be conducted by a third party. The Information Services Division of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services shall approve not less than two third-party firms which state agencies may choose from to conduct the information security risk assessment. A state agency with an information technology system that is not consolidated under the Information Technology Consolidation and Coordination Act or that is otherwise retained by the agency shall submit a final report of information security risk assessment to the Information Services Division by the first day of December of each year. UPDATE: Governor Fallin signed the measure on May 13, 2014. HB 2873// Representative Tom Newell and Senator Greg Treat// The legislation requires institutions of higher education not to take action or enforce a policy that would deny a religious student association any benefit available to any other student association. In addition, no higher education institution may substantially burden a student?s exercise of religion. UPDATE: Governor Fallin signed the legislation on May 28, 2014. SB 1639// Senator Brian Bingman and Representative Elise Hall// The legislation creates the Quality Workforce Act. This act allows businesses that receive approval from the Oklahoma Department of Commerce to receive tax rebates if they pay for an employee to receive their associate degree, an industrial or vocational license or to complete a certification program. UPDATE: The legislation passed out of the Senate on May 23, 2014 with a vote of 40-5. The House did not take up the legislation before adjournment on May 23, 2014. SB 2080// Senator Nathan Dahm and Representative Ken Walker// The legislation creates the ?Memorandum of Understanding Act. The act requires agencies to post on a website and provide copies to appropriate legislative committee chairs any memorandum of understanding agreement entered into by the agencies. UPDATE: Governor Fallin vetoed the measure on May 21, 2014. Carryover legislation No pending legislation. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: