[Oasfaa] FW: [SWASFAA Team Chatter] The Great Wolf in You!

Wed Aug 23 10:57:49 CDT 2017

I'm getting excited about the SWASFAA conference at Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine. What about you?

Hope your Fall semester has gotten off to a wonderful start! 

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/ 

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-----Original Message-----
From: SWASFAA Team Chatter [mailto:blog at swasfaa.org] 
Sent: Tuesday, August 22, 2017 4:54 PM
To: Schmerer, Mendy M. (HSC) <Mendy-Schmerer at ouhsc.edu>
Subject: [SWASFAA Team Chatter] The Great Wolf in You!

SWASFAA Team Chatter has posted a new item, 'The Great Wolf in You!'

Sent on behalf of Harold Whitis, Conference Chair

So, you see the 2017 SWASFAA Conference theme of “The Great Wolf in You” and then you see the logo!  Those wolf eyes are scary looking, huh?  Well, let me talk to you about the theme a little.  I personally think that choosing the theme is one of the hardest things to do when you are on a conference committee.  It drives everything about the conference from activities to food to advertising, etc.  It has to be a little catchy but not too corny.  We chose “The Great Wolf in You” for a couple of reasons, the obvious of which is the location.  The Great Wolf Lodge!  When you check in, believe me, you won’t be scared.  Everyone gets to wear a set of wolf ears.  Nothing says “I’m not scary” like a set of wolf ears!

But back to the theme.  Here are some “wolf facts” that are symbolic of what student financial aid is all about and what led us to this theme.

 	A wolf is a symbol of guardianship, ritual, loyalty, and spirit. A wolf has the ability to make quick and firm emotional attachments, and often needs to trust their own instincts.  Thus they teach us to do the same, to trust our hearts and minds, and have control over our own lives.

 	As financial aid administrators we are guardians of federal, state and institutional resources. We are loyal to the cause and often have to trust our instincts, hearts and minds to guide our students as they strive to control their own lives.

 	Wolves are very social animals. They live and hunt together in groups called packs, which is another name for a family of wolves.

 	FAAs are social! We come together to learn and become experts in our craft but also to enjoy the company of our peers and student financial aid family.

 	For the most part, they mate for life although some males may bond to different females in different years, destroying the long-held “mate for life” myth.

 	Enough said….

 	Younger wolves do not overthrow the “alpha” male in the pack. They are dispersed from their parent’s packs, pair off with other dispersed wolves and start their own pack.

 	We train our staff to go out and have blossoming careers and enjoy watching them do so. The Sir Richard Branson quote (paraphrased) goes:  “We train them so well they can leave but treat them so well they don’t want to.”  I take pride in the fact that many of those I have hired went on to have successful, if not extraordinary careers.

 	There are only about 200,000 wolves in the world with about 5,000 in the lower
48 and 7,000 to 11,000 in Alaska.

 	Checking the NASFAA website it says they have about 20,000 financial assistance professionals in their membership. This is close to the 16,000 wolves in the lower 48 but who can get an accurate count anyway.

In my next installment I’ll give you some more interesting “wolf facts”. If you haven’t registered for the conference yet, you still have time!  If you want to present, be sure to complete a “Proposal Submission” that can be found on the front page of the SWASFAA website.

We look forward to seeing you in Grapevine!

The SWASFAA Fall Conference Committee

You may view the latest post at
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__swasfaa.org_b_conference_the-2Dgreat-2Dwolf-2Din-2Dyou_&d=DwIDaQ&c=qRnFByZajCb3ogDwk-HidsbrxD-31vTsTBEIa6TCCEk&r=-Lnq0C7sCiFyP0whbJJ3dxf5JnVjhYZXejVPgZDRGLk&m=zHhzL7Ozxf25N_BzsV3-dcXCOrfEJaWidRFadzHcLN0&s=0Vz_VM6QKFrZigFtDpb19Zw8RTPeghXUMsXcg5ZEWGo&e= 

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