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VOL. 27, NO. 4IGSL, 4B
October 2009
Welcome to the October 2009 ISAC Update for financial aid administrators and business officers. This version of the electronic ISAC Update is a compilation of e-Messages sent through College Zone’s e-Messaging service throughout October. This e-Messaging service has replaced ISAC’s use of printed newsletters, the ILASFAA ListServ, and special e-mail lists as our primary means of communicating information to you.
The articles in this Update have been organized according to the FAA Zone subscription groups to which the messages were distributed via College Zone’s e-Messaging service.
Questions? Questions regarding information in this ISAC Update can be directed to School Services at 866.247.2172 or at schoolservices@isac.org. On occasion, you may be directed to a specific contact person or area; when this occurs, we will provide the appropriate information in the individual article or message.
MULTIPLE SUBSCRIPTION GROUPS
Thank You from ISAC's Executive Director
Sent to Financial Aid Directors, Financial Aid Administrators, MAPnet Users and Business Officers on October 28, 2009
Dear Colleague:
For all of us who serve the college students of Illinois, the past several months have been challenging ones. Although challenges are nothing new to the financial aid community, an upcoming second half of the academic year with no Monetary Award Program (MAP) funding was one we had never faced before. Thanks in large part, however, to all of you, that challenge was overcome when the General Assembly overwhelmingly passed, and the Governor signed, legislation that restored MAP funding for the remainder of the 2009-10 academic year.
To say that the campaign to save Illinois MAP grants would not have been successful without your involvement is an understatement. You rallied with us to direct attention to the issue, you opened your campuses to us for events and activities, you encouraged your students to get involved and you carried the message to your local lawmakers. You worked hard for the students and families of Illinois and your efforts were rewarded.
On behalf of the Commissioners and staff of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, we offer our sincere gratitude for your support and dedication throughout the campaign. Our hope is that we can build on these efforts and sustain this momentum during the difficult budget years ahead. As has been the case so many times in the past, working together we accomplish great things. We know that your continued partnership will strengthen our ability to meet the challenges to come.
Andy Davis
Executive Director
New State Legislative Update Posted (October 19, 2009)
Sent to Financial Aid Directors and Financial Aid Administrators on October 20, 2009
A new State Legislative Update has been posted for your reference at collegezone.com. This Update, dated October 19, 2009, contains the status of bills that pertain to ISAC-administered programs and higher education in general. The General Assembly has completed the first week of its fall veto session and will return for the remainder October 28th - 30th. As part of the activity during the past week, an additional $205 million was appropriated to ISAC for the current fiscal year, to restore Monetary Award Program (MAP) funding for the remainder of the 2009-10 academic year. The bill was signed by Governor Quinn on Sunday, October 18th and becomes effective immediately.
The remainder of the Update provides information about the impact of the restored MAP funding on an already strained State budget and possible solutions to offsetting this part of the deficit. Also included is a summary of legislation considered during the spring session that affects student financial aid and/or ISAC. The bills are arranged first by the bills' status: Amendatorily Vetoed, Not Yet Approved by Both Chambers and Public Acts (those that have become law). Within each status, they are further arranged by topic.
The State Legislative Update can be accessed through College Zone's e-Library, #13, ISAC Announcements, Press Releases & State Legislative Updates. We will notify you when a new Update is posted.
Governor Expected to Sign Bill for Additional MAP Funding Sunday
Sent to Financial Aid Directors, Financial Aid Administrators, MAPnet Users and Business Officers on October 16, 2009 Governor Quinn is expected to sign Senate Bill 1180 on Sunday afternoon. Passed by the General Assembly on Thursday, the bill appropriates an additional $205 million to ISAC for the current fiscal year, to restore funding for the Monetary Award Program (MAP) for the remainder of the 2009-2010 academic year.
The passage of the bill coincided with a visit to Springfield by more than 2,000 college students and supporters from around the state, who rallied for restoration of MAP, and visited legislators to outline the potential consequences of financial aid cuts.
ISAC staff are working to implement the necessary programming changes to the MAPnet system to accommodate full year awards. First term payment processing will continue while these modifications are underway. We will notify you when the system is able/ready to accept payment requests for second and third terms.
Our sincere thanks to those of you who lent your voices, your campuses, your students, your involvement in rallying activities, and most of all, your unflagging support as the Save Illinois MAP Grants campaign moved forward. Tens of thousands of Illinois college students are now one step closer to achieving their education goals as a result of your dedicated efforts.
New State Legislative Update Posted (October 12, 2009)
Sent to Financial Aid Directors and Financial Aid Administrators on October 13, 2009 A new State Legislative Update has been posted for your reference at collegezone.com. This Update, dated
October 12, 2009, contains the status of bills that pertain to ISAC-administered programs and higher education in general.
The General Assembly is scheduled to meet in Springfield (October 14th-16th and October 28th-30th) to consider vetoed bills and other matters. This “Veto Session” is currently the only scheduled opportunity for legislators to restore funding for ISAC's need-based Monetary Award Program (MAP) before the new calendar year begins. As has been widely reported, student aid funding for ISAC was cut roughly in half for fiscal year 2010 (FY2010), from a proposed $440 million to $220 million. These cuts severely limited ISAC’s ability to make awards for the 2009-2010 academic year, and resulted in MAP funds being available for only the first half of the year.
The Governor and members of the General Assembly have offered a number of possible solutions to this crisis, including the following:
- The Governor has proposed raising the cigarette tax by one dollar per pack, which could raise an estimated $365 million.
- House Bill (HB) 4622 (Pritchard) would establish a tax amnesty period during which those who owe state taxes could repay them without penalties or interest. If approved, that plan is expected to bring in approximately $104.9 million in back taxes, all of which would be put towards funding MAP for the second half of the year.
- House Joint Resolution (HJR) 75 (McCarthy) would mandate a study of MAP to determine whether funds are distributed in the most efficient way.
- The House Higher Education and House Higher Education Appropriations Committees plan to hold a joint hearing on the MAP shortfall on Thursday, October 15th, at 4 p.m. in Room 114 of the Capitol Building.
October 13th is MAP call-in day. ISAC urges MAP supporters to call or visit their state legislators to urge them to find a funding solution for the state's Monetary Award Program. A legislator lookup may be found at www.elections.il.gov/DistrictLocator/SelectSearchType.aspx?NavLink=1.
In addition, students from all over the state plan to converge for a Springfield rally on October 15th to urge lawmakers and the Governor to reinstate MAP funding for the remainder of the school year. Details on this event, as well as resources for concerned citizens interested in the restoration of MAP funding, are available online at www.saveillinoismapgrants.org/.
The remainder of the Update provides a summary of legislation considered during the 96th General Assembly that affects student financial aid and/or ISAC, arranged first by each bill's status: Amendatorily Vetoed, Not Yet Approved by Both Chambers, and Public Acts (i.e., those that have become law).
The State Legislative Update can be accessed through College Zone's e-Library, #13, ISAC Announcements, Press Releases & State Legislative Updates. We will notify you when a new Update is posted.
Mark Your Calendar for Upcoming Important Dates
Sent to Financial Aid Directors, Financial Aid Administrators, Public Schools - Participating in the ING Grant and IVG Programs, MAPnet Users, Business Officers and FFELP Participants on October 9, 2009 The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) would like to make you aware of the following information, which may be of interest to you and/or your students.
You may either scroll through the entire message, or click on the appropriate link(s) to go directly to details about a specific topic:
UPDATES
Save Illinois MAP Grants campaign, upcoming operational dates, College Illinois!® enrollment, and the next Commission meeting
TRAINING EVENTS
Financial Aid 101 Workshops
UPCOMING SCHEDULES
Processing schedules for upcoming days when the ISAC offices will be closed
UPDATES
October 15th: Student Rally for Save Illinois MAP Grants Campaign
In September, ISAC and numerous other higher education entities kicked off the Save Illinois MAP Grants campaign, which is aimed at rallying public support to urge state lawmakers to restore full-year awards made under the Monetary Award Program (MAP) for the 2009-10 academic year. MAP is ISAC's need-based aid program, which aids in paying tuition and mandatory fee expenses and helps pave the way to college for many Illinois students who might not otherwise be able to afford to attend.
Encourage your students to make their voices heard at a student rally which is planned for 12:30 p.m. (CT) on Thursday, October 15th in the parking lot of the Illinois Education Association (100 E. Edwards) in Springfield, Illinois.
Be sure to visit the campaign Web site at www.saveillinoismapgrants.org/ to learn about more scheduled events in which concerned citizens can participate (including an ISAC public hearing on October 12th at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale), as well as to access resources available for use in calling, writing or visiting your legislators to encourage their pursuit and support of restoring funding for MAP.
October 15th: 2009-10 STS Summer Term Payment Claim Deadline
The summer term payment claim deadline date for the 2009-10 Student to Student Program of Matching Grants (STS) is October 15, 2009. Specific details are available at the STS Payment Procedures page of the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area.
October 30th: 2009-10 NESP Eligibility Certification/Payment Request Rosters Due
Completed 2009-10 Nurse Educator Scholarship Program (NESP) Eligibility Certification/Payment Request Rosters are due at ISAC on or before October 30, 2009.
October 30th: Compliance Rosters for 2008-09 Teacher Education Programs Due
Enrollment Status Verification for Compliance Rosters are due on October 30, 2009 for colleges with students who received funds from the the following ISAC-administered programs during the 2008-09 academic year: the Illinois Future Teacher Corps (IFTC) Program, the Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship Program, the Illinois Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver (SETTW) Program, and the Nurse Educator Scholarship Program (NESP). Details are provided in an August 12th e-Message.
November 1st: College Illinois!® Enrollment Opens
College Illinois! enrollment opens on Sunday,
November 1, 2009. Beginning in November, contracts for Illinois' 529 prepaid tuition program (which allows families to lock in future college tuition and fee costs today) will be available for purchase year-round, rather than during a limited enrollment period. Access the College Illinois! Web site for more information.
Updated informational brochures can be ordered through the Order Materials area of collegezone.com, beginning the first week of November.
November 13th: Next Commission Meeting
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission is set for Friday,
November 13, 2009, at North Central College in Naperville.
TRAINING EVENTS
Financial Aid 101: Building a Solid Foundation Workshops
As was announced in an October 7th e-Message, the next quarterly Financial Aid 101: Building a Solid Foundation workshops will take place on October 26th (Prairie State College) and October 28th (ISAC's Springfield office). Further details are available at the e-Library's Partner Training area at collegezone.com.
UPCOMING SCHEDULES
The following are upcoming dates on which the National Disbursement Network (NDN) and/or ISAC offices will be closed:
- Wednesday, November 11, 2009 (Veterans Day Observation) - both ISAC and NDN offices closed
- Wednesday, November 25, 2009 (Furlough Day Closure) - ISAC offices only closed
- Thursday, November 26, 2009 (Thanksgiving Day) - both ISAC and NDN offices closed
- Friday, November 27, 2009 (Day after Thanksgiving) - both ISAC and NDN offices closed
- Thursday, December 24, 2009 (Furlough Day Closure) - ISAC offices only closed
- Friday, December 25, 2009 (Christmas Day) - both ISAC and NDN offices closed
- Friday, January 1, 2010 (New Year's Day) - both ISAC and NDN offices closed
Note that ELM Resources will continue to process and transmit files on all of the dates listed above.
Remember that you can access collegezone.com anytime, or send an e-mail message to ISAC's School Services Department. With the exception of days when the ISAC offices are closed, ISAC staff will review and respond to messages during regular business hours (Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. CT).
Processing Schedules
Click on the appropriate link(s) to access holiday processing schedules for loan records [CommonLine and Common Account Maintenance (CAM) files] and/or Monetary Award Program (MAP) and Silas Purnell Illinois Incentive for Access (IIA) Program records.
Financial Aid 101: Building a Solid Foundation - October 2009 Workshops
Sent to Financial Aid Directors, Financial Aid Administrators, Public Schools - participating in the ING Grant and IVG Programs, MAPnet Users, Business Offices and FFELP Participants on October 7, 2009 The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) will offer its Financial Aid 101: Building a Solid Foundation Workshop twice in October. The dates and locations are:
- Monday, October 26 at Prairie State College and
- Wednesday, October 28 in ISAC's Springfield Office, 3rd Floor Conference Room.
This free, full-day (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) workshop is designed to introduce new financial aid professionals to financial aid concepts, programs and processes and help them develop a solid foundation on which to build their careers. The workshop will provide an overview of the following topics:
- basic financial aid principles,
- the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA),
- need analysis and the Expected Family Contribution (EFC),
- federal financial aid programs,
- student loan basics, and
- ISAC's scholarship and grant programs.
For more details, visit the Partner Training section of the e-Library at collegezone.com.
If you are interested in attending one of these Financial Aid 101 Workshops, please send an e-mail to Kim Eck, Training Coordinator, at keck@isac.org indicating which session you would like to attend. Seating at each site is limited, so please register early.
Details regarding directions, parking, etc. will be provided to registered participants via e-mail a few days prior to the workshop.
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MAPNET USERS
2009-10 MAP and IIA Payment Processing Has Resumed,with Results Available via MAPnet
Sent on October 6, 2009 This message is to notify MAPnet Users that, effective
October 2, 2009, payment processing for the 2009-10 Monetary Award Program (MAP) and the Silas Purnell Illinois Incentive for Access (IIA) Program has resumed. Payment results may be accessed via the 2009-10 MAPnet system per the normal processing schedule.
Thank you for your patience while 2009-10 payment processing was temporarily postponed on October 1st.
No MAP or IIA Payment Processing on Thursday, October 1st
Sent on October 1, 2009 This message is to notify MAPnet Users that payment processing will not take place on Thursday evening,
October 1, 2009 for the 2009-10 Monetary Award Program (MAP) or the Silas Purnell Illinois Incentive for Access (IIA) Program.
Schools may continue to submit payment requests for these programs via MAPnet and/or File Transfer Protocol (FTP). However, no payment results will be available on Friday, October 2nd.
It is anticipated that normal payment processing for MAP and the IIA Program will resume on Friday evening, October 2nd, with payment results available on Saturday, October 3rd.
We apologize for any inconvenience that this delay in payment processing may cause. Your patience is greatly appreciated.
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FFELP PARTICIPANTS
Latest School DAAR Report Available
Sent on October 5, 2009 and October 19, 2009
The Notification of Student Loan Borrower DAAR Status report (School DAAR Report) for your school is now available on College Zone's My Zone.
The School DAAR Report is non-cumulative and is available twice a month to those institutions with students for whom ISAC, as the guarantor, has received a Default Aversion Assistance Request (DAAR) during the reporting time period. Each time a new School DAAR Report is made available online, an e-Message will be sent to the "FFELP Participants" e-Messaging subscription group.
Accessing School DAAR Reports at My Zone
My Zone is a portal available in the FAA Zone at collegezone.com that allows postsecondary schools online access to student-specific data in a secure environment. If you have not yet signed up to participate in My Zone, proceed to the FAA Zone front page and select the My Zone Quick Link.
For complete information and instructions to access your school's DAAR Report, proceed to the FAA Zone front page and select the My Zone Quick Link in the right margin of the page.
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ISAC UPDATE GROUP
Electronic ISAC Update for September 2009 Available at College Zone
Sent on October 1, 2009 The September 2009 edition of the ISAC Update is now available for your review within the ISAC Publications section of College Zone's e-Library. This version of the monthly electronic ISAC Update is a compilation of e-Messages sent to financial aid administrators and business officers in September via College Zone's e-Messaging service.
Topics covered in the September 2009 ISAC Update include:
- 2009-10 MAP and IIA Program Payment Processing Available
(sent September 30, 2009)
- Online Student Loan Counseling Among Mapping Your Future Products and Services
to be Unavailable October 10th-11th
(sent September 29, 2009)
- MAPnet Unavailable after 7 p.m. Thursday,
September 24th
(sent September 24, 2009)
- Summary of September 18th Commission Meeting -
MAP & IIA Priority Payment Claim Deadline Date Approved
(sent September 21, 2009)
- Updated Payment Processing Schedule for 2009-10 MAP, IIA, Byrd and TESP
(sent September 18, 2009)
- 2009-10 TESP Payment Request Rosters Available at My Zone
(sent September 17, 2009)
- Message from ISAC's Executive Director
(sent September 15, 2009)
- ISAC Launches Illinois Student Assistance Corps
(sent September 14, 2009)
- Commission Meeting to be Held Friday,
September 18, 2009
(sent September 11, 2009)
- Save Illinois MAP Grants
(sent September 8, 2009)
- Constitution Day Resources Available at College Zone
(sent September 4, 2009)
- Latest School DAAR Report Available
(sent September 3, 2009 and September 18, 2009)
- Electronic ISAC Update for August 2009 Available at College Zone
(sent September 1, 2009)
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