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July 2004 - September 2004
Welcome to the July - September 2004 ISAC Communiqué – the electronic edition of your Communiqué, which is a quarterly compilation of e-Messages sent through College Zone’s e-Messaging service throughout July, August and September. While this e-Messaging service is currently being offered in addition to the printed ISAC Communiqué newsletters, it will soon replace both printed newsletters and special e-mail lists as ISAC’s primary means of communicating information to you. The articles in this Communiqué have been organized according to the Counselor Zone subscription groups to which the messages were distributed via College Zone’s e-Messaging service. Questions? Questions regarding information in this Communiqué 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 Yes, Your Students Can Go to College! ...And College Zone Has The Resources to Help Many factors should be taken into account by college-bound high school students in the process of choosing their college. Encourage your students and their families to visit College Zone (collegezone.com), powered by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC), to research key pieces of information for the college(s) being considered, such as programs of study offered, geographic location, and overall costs. Since it will likely be at least a year before your students actually attend college, they and their parents should be prepared for some things to change - for example, certain programs of study may be added or discontinued, and the cost of tuition and fees is likely to increase each academic year. The best approach is to use information about the college(s) of choice for the current academic year as an estimate of what the situation will be when the student is enrolled. Several areas of College Zone reflect 2004-05 academic year information. Your students will find links to each of the below resources within the 9th-12th Grades area of the Student Zone.
Along with the above resources, students and their families can find all the college planning, finding and applying, and financing information they need at College Zone, the trusted source for college information.  Changes in Illinois Veteran Grant Program: Illinois Reserve and Illinois National Guard Members May Qualify In an effort to provide educational benefits to those individuals in the Illinois Reserves and Illinois National Guard who have been called to federal active duty, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) will be filing emergency rules to modify the eligibility criteria for the Illinois Veteran Grant (IVG) Program. When in effect, the rules will allow those in the Illinois Reserves and Illinois National Guard who meet the eligibility requirements to qualify for the IVG Program, along with Illinois veterans or members of the U.S. Armed Forces. While details regarding these changes are still being finalized, preliminary information is provided in an August 20, 2004 press release. Once specifics are available, IVG Program pages will be updated and a revised Illinois Veteran Grant Application will be posted at the College Zone Web site. At this time, ISAC anticipates the IVG Program changes taking effect on September 15, 2004. Governor Signs FY2005 Budget Into Law Governor Blagojevich signed the fiscal year 2005 (FY2005) budget into law on Friday, July 30, 2004. The FY2005 budget provides for the administration of ISAC's programs for the upcoming year. College Zone's ISAC State Legislative Updates page will be updated early next week to reflect bills signed by the Governor, including the public act number assigned to each. Be sure to periodically access the ISAC State Legislative Update, as well as Program News pages within the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area, to follow the impact of the implementation of the budget and other new legislation affecting our programs. ISAC State Legislative Update: General Assembly Passes State Budget A July 26, 2004 ISAC State Legislative Update provides information regarding the fact that the Illinois General Assembly has adjourned, having agreed upon a budget plan for fiscal year 2005 (FY2005). All bills that have passed both houses, including the budget, are with Governor Blagojevich for action. The Governor is expected to take action on the budget within a few days since the current interim budget will expire July 31st. Please be aware that none of the items included in the budget are final until the Governor has acted. As the Governor signs bills impacting student financial aid, including the FY2005 budget, we will continue to share information via the ISAC State Legislative Update. Be sure to periodically access College Zone's ISAC State Legislative Updates page, and the Program News pages within the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area, to follow the progress of pending legislation.
High School Counselors/Teachers Mark Your Calendar Labor Day Holiday – September 6th Due to the Labor Day holiday, ISAC offices will be closed on Monday, September 6, 2004, and will reopen on Tuesday, September 7th. College Zone is available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week - even when the ISAC offices are closed. Also, questions or inquiries may be submitted at any time by sending an e-mail message to ISAC's School Services staff. With the exception of holidays (such as Labor Day), ISAC staff will review and respond to messages during regular business hours (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. CT). FAFSA and Financial Aid Chat Event – September 7th High School Counselors: Please share the following information with any families who might benefit from it. On Tuesday, September 7, 2004, Mapping Your Future will offer a "FAFSA and Financial Aid" chat from 2 to 3 p.m. (CT). The chat is designed to help students, parents, and high school counselors understand the college application and financial aid process, including how to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). During the "FAFSA and Financial Aid" Chat Event, participants will learn more about:
Students can use the link on the right side of the Student Zone front page. Mapping Your Future can also be accessed directly at http://www.mapping-your-future.org/. The calendar of upcoming Chat Events is in the Outreach Activities section of College Zone, which can be accessed in the center of the College Zone home page. Archived "Questions and Answers" from earlier chats can be accessed by visiting the section entitled "Previous Chat Events" at www.mapping-your-future.org/services/chatnight.htm. The above is based on information from a Mapping Your Future E-Update. Mapping Your Future is a national collaborative public service project of the financial aid industry, including ISAC - bringing together the expertise of the industry to provide free college, career, financial aid, and financial literacy services for schools, students, and families. New Poster Available to Publicize Chat Events to Your Students To help you promote upcoming 2004-05 Chat Events to your students, a poster (in .pdf format) is available at the Mapping Your Future Web site. You may wish to consider printing (on 8½" x 11" paper, in color or black & white) and displaying this poster, which can be accessed via Mapping Your Future's "Middle and High School Counselor" and "Live Chat Events" pages, in areas of your school that can be easily viewed by students seeking information about the college process.
Copy of e-Message Sent to Students and Parents
Governor Blagojevich Signs State Budget
The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) strives to make postsecondary education accessible for the students and families of Illinois by offering a variety of programs, including scholarships, grants, and loans. The number of scholarships and grants made through programs administered by ISAC, as well as the individual dollar amount awarded, are subject to sufficient annual appropriations (i.e., funding levels) by the Illinois General Assembly and the Governor. Governor Rod Blagojevich signed the fiscal year 2005 (FY2005) budget into law on July 30, 2004. The FY2005 budget determines the amount of funding available for all ISAC-administered scholarship and grant programs during the 2004-05 academic year. Now that this information is available, ISAC's College Zone Web site has been updated to reflect the current processing status for each of our scholarship and grant programs. To access information about the status of a specific program, simply select that program from the list below. Once the appropriate College Zone page has launched, scroll down to the section entitled Processing Updates. Scholarship Programs Administered by ISAC (listed in alphabetical order)
Grant Programs Administered by ISAC (listed in alphabetical order)
ISAC routinely updates these pages within the Student Zone as new information becomes available throughout the year. Be sure to check back periodically for the current processing status. Suspension of 2004-05 MAP and IIA Grant Announcements Suspension Effective August 16, 2004 Due to current trends in the number of eligible applicants and anticipated payment claim rates, the appropriations for the 2004-05 Monetary Award Program (MAP) and Silas Purnell Illinois Incentive for Access (IIA) Program are fully committed. As a result, ISAC will suspend the announcement of MAP and IIA grants for all students whose initial 2004-05 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is received by the Central Processing System (CPS) on or after August 16, 2004. This affects new and continuing students regardless of enrollment status. ISAC will evaluate the status of suspended awards after the first-term claim deadline date has passed in January, and if application volume and claim rates support such action, may release some suspended awards. Student Award Announcements Schools will need to suspend announcements of MAP and IIA awards to students whose initial FAFSA receipt date is on or after August 16, 2004. ISAC will be notifying all affected applicants that their awards have been placed in suspension status. A sample copy of this notification will be available within the MAP section of College Zone's ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area prior to the first letters being sent to applicants. Identifying Records in Suspension Status MAP records in suspension status will be indicated by an Eligibility Code of "S" ("Suspended -- indicates student is temporarily suspended from processing due to insufficient funding. Not eligible for payment for any terms") on MAPnet and in the Eligibility Status File (ESF). Student records with IIA awards in suspension status will be notated in MAPnet and the Eligibility Status File (ESF) by a code of "S" in the "IIA Suspend" field, and IIA records not in suspension status will show a code of "N" in this field. Questions? The Suspension of Award Announcements pages within the MAP and IIA areas have been updated, and include a sample copy of the notification that will be sent to affected applicants. If you have any questions regarding the suspension of MAP and IIA awards, please contact a School Services Representative at schoolservices@isac.org or 866.247.2172. Important Reminders: School-Generated Sixth Semester Data Rosters for HSSP, Chat Event, and Holiday Schedule 2004-05 MRS Award Notifications - On Hold Until FY2005 Budget Finalized Award notifications for the 2004-05 Merit Recognition Scholarship (MRS) Program will be sent to applicants after the FY2005 (i.e., for the 2004-05 academic year) budget has been approved by the Illinois General Assembly and signed into law by the Governor. 2005-06 School-Generated HSSP Rosters – Submit to ISAC by August 13th In order to begin the High School Scholarship Programs (HSSP) process for 2005-06, counselors who have not already done so are urged to create a roster containing accurate sixth semester data of students' class rank and grade point average (GPA) for submission to ISAC. Special care should be taken to ensure that only sixth semester data is submitted. Sixth semester is defined as the third semester prior to graduation. Details of the HSSP delivery process and timeframes are available at College Zone. Submitting a school-generated roster to ISAC on or before August 13, 2004 will prevent an ISAC-generated roster from being created and sent to the school. Student Loan Default Prevention Chat Event – August 10th The next Mapping Your Future online Chat Event, “Student Loan Default Prevention,” will take place on Tuesday, August 10th from 2 to 3 p.m. (CT). Watch for more information to be posted to the Message Board on the Counselor Zone front page as this date approaches. Labor Day Holiday – September 6th Due to the Labor Day holiday, ISAC offices will be closed on Monday, September 6, 2004, and will reopen on Tuesday, September 7th. College Zone is available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week - even when the ISAC offices are closed. Also, questions or inquiries may be submitted at any time by sending an e-mail message to ISAC's School Services staff. With the exception of holidays (such as Labor Day), ISAC staff will review and respond to messages during regular business hours (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. CT). Financial Aid Scam Warning Issued by the U.S. Department of Education In an electronic announcement dated July 13, 2004, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) issued a warning regarding an individual or individuals calling students on the telephone and impersonating an ED staff member. The student is asked to provide bank account information so that the individual(s) can charge processing fees for "a program to replace student loans with an $8,000 grant." In reality, no such program exists, and students are not charged fees to receive Title IV federal grants. The electronic announcement includes steps that can be taken by students who have been impacted by this scam. Students and families should never provide bank account numbers, or any other financial or personal information, to an unknown, unsolicited caller. Additional information regarding how to avoid scams is provided to students at College Zone's Financial Aid Scams page, as well as at the Federal Trade Commission's Scholarship Scams Web site.
ISAC Communiqué New ISAC Communique Available at College Zone The latest “electronic-only” edition of the ISAC Communiqué is now available for your review within the ISAC Publications section of College Zone's e-Library. This electronic version of ISAC's newsletter is a quarterly compilation of information provided to Counselor Zone partners via College Zone's e-Messaging service during the months of April, May, and June. Topics covered in this electronic Communiqué include:
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© 2003-2007 Illinois Student Assistance Commission