Executive Board Meeting
December 9, 2003
MEMBERS PRESENT: Katy Kelley,
Julia Reisinger, Barb Griesel, Jeff Svejcar, Kat Kordon, Tracey Lehman,
Crisanne Werner, Kathy McCutchen, Theresa Bosworth, Susan Degen, Tracy
Reisinger, Randy Jones, Elizabeth Bickford, Mickey Jacobson, Patrick Downey,
Jim Eddy, Michele O’Leary, and via phone, Laurie Neil and Jane Reynolds
The meeting was called to order by President Jim Eddy.
The
following corrections were made to the minutes of the previous meeting: Michele O’Leary’s name has one “L”; Tracy
Lehman, not Theresa Bosworth, seconded the motion to accept the corrected
minutes; the words, “At a previous meeting” were added to the third paragraph
of the Treasurer’s Report; and the spelling of
Tracy
Reisinger moved to accept the minutes as corrected. Crisanne Werner seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Pat
Downey asked for copies of the corrected minutes for the OASFAA archives. Katy Kelley will get these to him and will
work with Suzie Peterson to get copies of last year’s minutes to Pat.
The OASFAA bank accounts were balanced as of November,
2003.
Checking Account Balance:
$3,248.19
Outstanding bills:
$308.74
Outstanding deposits:
$40
Money Market balance:
$65,294.43
Theresa
Bosworth re-deposited $26,000 into the money market account. She wanted feedback about whether those funds
should be re-invested. The Board decided that the funds should be re-invested.
Theresa
made several changes to the actual income and expense report for the
committees. The contract services line
item for the Technology committee was changed to $2240. The original report showed $2425. The travel line item for the Executive Board
was changed to $3800.86. The original report
showed $3853.31.
The
re-imbursement form on the web needs to be corrected to show the accurate
re-imbursement rate for mileage.
A
discussion ensued regarding room re-imbursement for Annual Conference committee
members. It was decided that for
committee members that MUST be at Salishan early, OASFAA will pay for their
room at half of the double occupancy rate for the extra night. Tracy Reisinger moved to pay for the room of
those conference members. This was
seconded by Mickey Jacobson. Theresa Bosworth
moved to amend the motion by adding that OASFAA will also pay for the meals of
those committee members that must be at Salishan early. Motion passed unanimously. Michele O’Leary will send a list to Theresa
of the committee members that will be at Salishan early.
Tracy
Lehman moved to accept the Treasurer’s Report.
Julia Reisinger seconded the motion.
The motion passed unanimously.
Membership: Jane Reynolds
reported that as of December 8, 2003 the membership roles listed 203 current
OASFAA members and 224 inactive members.
The
Board discussed membership dues and when membership would expire for members
who paid at different times. In the past
if an existing member paid their dues at the Annual Conference, their
membership would be good through the following year (i.e., pay dues at the 2003
Annual Conference, membership is valid through May, 2004). If a non-member paid their dues at the Annual
Conference, their membership was good only through the current budget year
(i.e., pay dues at the 2003 Annual Conference, membership is valid through May,
2003).
The Board decided that renewing dues needed to be separated from registration for OASFAA events. Theresa Bosworth suggested that the registration forms have two options: 1) I am a member, and 2) I am not a member (no dues will be collected). It was also decided that non-members need to be given the option of going to the website and joining OASFAA before the register for an event. Julia Reisinger will update the registration form for the Annual Conference and that language will be used on all future OASFAA event registrations.
No reminders are currently being sent to members whose memberships are about to expire. Jane will begin sending out targeted messages to members who have expired memberships, or have memberships that are soon to expire.
Ford Family Foundation: Barb Griesel gave the Board an update of news
at the Ford Family Foundation. The
Foundation has moved into their own office. The new address is
They have begun to disburse funds via ACH. So far, this has gone fairly smooth. They are disbursing about $7 million in scholarship funds.
The financial aid packaging forms are still on the Oregon Student Assistance Commission’s web site. The Foundation is hoping to have the forms moved to their own site (www.tfff.org) by June.
Barb wanted some feedback from the Board about the information release forms they are currently using. Currently students must sign four different information release forms. These are 1) when the student submits the OSAC application, 2) on the award acceptance form, 3) on the renewal form, and 4) on the award notification. Barb and the Foundation needed to know if the generic release they are using is okay or if it needed to be school specific. The school is listed on the form in other places, but not in the wording of the information release. The Board felt that the information releases used now are enough. Barb also wanted to make sure that sending the information releases out when they request grades was good timing for schools. The Board thought this was fine.
The Ford Family Foundation is also working on several outreach efforts. Community colleges are contacting Barb and asking for presentations. The Foundation is also working with the ASPIRE program in the high schools. Barb is training former Ford Family scholarship winners to do these presentations.
Barb was wondering if a Ford Foundation forum was on the agenda for the Annual Conference. Michele O’Leary said that she would have Laurie Franklin contact Barb.
Jim Eddy expressed gratitude for the work and scholarships
that the Ford Family Foundation provides to
High School Counselor Training: Elizabeth Bickford reported that she just finished the high school counselor training. She has been working with the Oregon University System’s (OUS) High School Counselor’s Day. This is a regional training session. Over the last few years, there have been a large number of retirements among high school counselors, so there are a lot of new counselors who need more extensive financial aid training than what has been offered.
The “Getting Started in Financial Aid” video has not been updated for 2 years. It was suggested that a PowerPoint presentation could be put together and burned onto DVDs that could then be distributed to high school counselors. The cost of this program would be $4000-$5000. Perhaps OASFAA and OSAC could work with other vendors to pay for this project.
OSAC Update: Jeff Svejcar reported that they have had to cut $300,000 from their budget. They are not filling 3 ˝ positions. OSAC has set up a Voluntary Flexible Agreement with the Department of Education.
Jeff reported that the Measure 30 vote in February, 2004 could effect the Oregon Opportunity Grant. If the ballot measure passes, a legislative bill will be introduced that list funds that will need to be reduced. Currently the Opportunity Grant is not listed in that bill, but the legislature could call a special session and reduce the funding then. For the 2004-2005 academic year, the Opportunity Grant will cover 11% of the cost of attendance at individual schools. The awarding criteria will be 55% of the median family income. If the legislature cuts funding to the Grant, OSAC will save those funds by making the FAFSA filing cut-off date earlier. OSAC will not commit to any awards until the final funding has been determined.
The OSAC Scholarship booklet is being mailed to schools. The website will be ready by December 15, 2003. If students apply for scholarships online, they can apply for an unlimited number. If students use the paper application, they will be able to apply for 10 scholarships on one form.
OSAC received 17 applications for the Grant Director position. They will be interviewing as soon as possible.
The
Development: Randy Jones and Kathy McCutchen reported that contributions have increased by about $3000 over the 2002-2003 budget year. During that year there were 15 Precious Metals vendors, during the 2003-2004 year there are 16.
Pat Downey and ATAC have worked to create a sponsor page. This page includes training and sponsorship information. It is still missing information on buying just a table at the Annual Conference. Kathy and Randy are working one-on-one with vendors who want just a table.
In the past, the cost to rent a table was $450. The board decided that $450 was a good price for this year, but that an increase might be due for next year. It was decided that the deadline for table cancellations should be earlier than conference cancellations. The last day that vendors can cancel their table is January 9, 2004. The tables at the Annual Conference will be arrange the same as last year.
NELA has offered to provide four $500 scholarships to the OASFAA Annual Conference. Tracy Reisinger noted that accepting the money now bypasses the vendor development process. It would also give NELA extra recognition. Some discussion ensued about accepting the funds anonymously or asking for funds from our other vendors. Katy Kelley moved to accept the funds from NELA if they were willing to give the funds to OASFAA without asking for additional recognition. If NELA is not willing to accept these terms, we would decline the funds this year. Katy also moved that if NELA writes a check to OASFAA the funds should be moved to the Executive Board line item. The motion was seconded by Tracy Reisinger and passed unanimously.
Annual Conference: Michele O’Leary reported that the committee met in October. The meeting was very efficient and a lot of work was accomplished. The theme for the conference will be quilting, using colors and textures to create something beautiful. Currently, the agenda has some holes. There are a couple of key notes which need to be confirmed. The preliminary agenda will be published in the web in about a week.
There will be four tracks based on expertise level. The meals will be multicultural dishes. The sit-down meal will be lunch on Sunday, the rest of the meals will be buffet meals. Guests will be required to wear a name tag with dots for any meals that they have purchased.
The entertainment on Monday evening will be a no-host bar, karaoke, and interactive games. OASFAA is holding several rooms for the conference committee and the Executive Board.
The Board decided that it would be ideal if Jane Reynolds, Membership Chair, could be at the registration table in case anyone had questions about their membership.
OPB: The financial aid show on OPB will be broadcast on December 11, 2003 from 9:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. The phones will be available from 9:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Training for volunteers will begin at 8:00 p.m. Tracy Reisinger currently has 25 volunteers to answer the phones. She likes to have at least that many volunteers. The on-screen presenter have been confirmed.
FA101:
Crisanne Werner reported that the next FA101 would be held at
Support Staff
Workshop: Jim Eddy reported for Heidi Elder and Judy
Gjesdal. About 35 people attended the
workshop. When the evaluation forms were
tabulated, the overall rating for the workshop was 4.52 on a 5 point
scale. All attendees seemed to enjoy themselves.
Technology: Pat Downey reported that he had been busy updating the website. He has updated the awards page, letters from the President, expense forms, workshop pages and the sponsor’s page. The Executive Board history page will be posted soon. The cost for this page is $175. The cost to have the special election for President Elect will b $400 if we decide to do it online.
Legislative: Susan Degen reported that the House has voted to approve the fiscal year 2004 budget. The Pell Grant is expected to remain at $4050 for the 2004-2005 academic year. Funding for other programs is also expected to remain the same. The Senate has yet to approve a spending bill.
Reauthorization might be postponed into 2005. The House has introduced four bills, but expecting to introduce a total of seven bills. This will be an election issue.
Several more Dear Colleague letters have been released by the Department of Education. These have to do with natural disasters and student loan borrowers.
The IRS match will potentially be included in reauthorization. The Congress will have to pass additional laws before the match can happen. A bill introduced in November, 2003 began this process.
Loan limits are expected to be increased during reauthorization even though the bill will need to be sent to the General Accounting Office before it can be introduced.
Susan noted that the financial aid handbook has sub-regulation guidance in it. Susan will put a note in her weekly email about this topic.
Vendor Liaison: Kate Bligh reported that she is preparing an email to the vendors regarding the Annual conference and goodies for events.
Kate did some research on bags with OASFAA logos. Paper bags will cost $500 for 1000 bags or $300 for 500 bags. The Executive Board will need to add this line item to the budget for 2004-2005 if we decide to purchase bags.
OLD BUSINESS
OASFAA Scholarships: Kathy Goff has resigned as OASFAA President-Elect. Jim Eddy will be responsible for awarding the scholarships to the Annual Conference. He has posted the application to the web site and sent an email to the listserv. The deadline for submitting applications is December 25, 2003. Jim will work with the Vice-Presidents to do the final awarding.
NEW BUSINESS
Next Executive Board meeting: Earlier in the year, the Board decided to meet after the Annual Conference. This will not work for several of the Board members. It was decided that the Board would meet on Sunday afternoon. Michele will reserve a room for the meeting.
Passing the gavel at the Annual Conference: It was decided that it did not make sense to pas the gavel to the President-Elect at the Annual Conference.
Treasurer’s Reports on the Web: The Treasurer’s Reports are not currently on the web. It was decided that they do not need to be on the web.
Candidates for 2004-2005 Elected Offices: The Board felt comfortable with the nominees for the 2004-2005 ballot. It was decided that the Board would not solicit additional names for the ballot.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Tracy Reisinger moved to proceed to the Executive Session. The motion was seconded by Mickey and passed unanimously.
Tracy Reisinger moved to adjourn from the Executive Session. Laurie Neil seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
ADJOURNMENT
Tracy Reisinger moved to adjourn the meeting. Tracy Lehman seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
Executive Board Meeting, Executive Session
December 9, 2003
NOMINATIONS – AWARDS
One OASFAA member sent a
nomination to Tracy Reisinger.
The nominees for the Unsung Hero Award are: Kathy Campbell and Andrea Maison.
No nominees were given for the Friends of OASFAA Award. The board discussed possibly moving Andrea’s nomination to the Friends award, but decided against it.
The nominee for the Distinguished Service Award was Dan Preston.
The nominee for the Lifetime Member Award was Jim Beyer.
Tracy Reisinger moved to accept Kathy Campbell, Dan Preston and Jim Beyer as nominees for their respective awards. Tracy Lehman seconded the motion. It passed unanimously.
Tracy Reisinger will work on getting the plaques together. Jim Eddy will work with Jeff Svejcar to make sure that Jim Beyer is at the conference.
PRESIDENT-ELECT POSITION
Jim Eddy has had conversation with Crisanne Werner, David Allen, and Mickey Jacobson about potentially running for President-Elect. Mickey and Crisanne have declined. Jim has not heard from David yet. Other names mentioned were, Theresa Bosworth, Corbett Gottfried, Sue Gano, Paul Krull, Burt Logan, Mary Jo Jackson, Rod Boettcher, Leslie Limper, Glendi Gaddis, and Elizabeth Bickford.
Theresa Bosworth said that she would need the support of her school before she would be able to run. She will notify Jim of her decision as soon as possible.
It was decided that Leslie Limper and Glendi Gaddis were strong candidates along with David Allen. If, after talking to these people, there are not two names on the ballot, Jim will talk to Mary Jo Jackson and Rod Boettcher about running for the 2003-2004 year and asking Corbett Gottfried to be an alternate on the 2004-2005 ballot.
APPROVAL OF CANDIDATES
Crisanne Werner moved to accept the candidates for President-Elect and Secretary for the 2004-2005 year. Julia Reisinger offered an amendment to revisit the ballot if two names are not found for the 2003-2004 President-Elect position. Mickey Jacobson seconded the motion. It was unanimously approved.