Spring Break
HOPE changes made public in 2006
Processes differ among schools
AMANDA WOODRUFF
Issue date: 11/28/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
The Georgia Student Finance Commission sent all state universities and colleges a notice about the change to the HOPE application as early as Oct. 25, 2006, a representative said Tuesday.
Monét Robinson, communications specialist for the commission, said the regulation was changed to "validate the eligibility of students that receive state financial aid such as the HOPE, as well as other state scholarships, grants and service cancelable loan programs."
Robinson said "several notices" were sent to the University financial aid directors and officers.
Susan Little, director of student affairs in the office of financial aid, said the final regulations did not come out until May.
"We always depend on those regulations," Little said, because regulations change during the year.
The change in regulation that mandated students reapply for the HOPE scholarship using a GSFAPP application went into effect July 1, 2007.
Marie Mons, director of financial aid at Georgia Tech, said her school notified its students of the new regulation in August.
Mons said until students completed the application they did not receive their HOPE scholarship award.
"It was a communication challenge," she said.
Georgia Tech students were sent "multiple e-mails," Mons said, and were dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
"The process that would work for us I'm sure wouldn't work for the University of Georgia," she said.
Georgia Tech has 5,500 HOPE recipients and the University has more than 18,000 - the most in the state, according to the Georgia Student Finance Commission.
"It was a challenge for all schools to adjust their procedures. Timing was difficult," Mons said.
At Georgia Southern University, none of the 5,029 HOPE recipients enrolled have yet been notified about the change in regulation, said an official.
"We haven't done anything to inform students," said Elise Boyett, associate director of financial aid, in a phone interview Tuesday.
"Maybe we do need to pull ours and notify them."
The University of West Georgia financial aid office contacted students affected by the new regulation in late August, said Kimberly Jordan, the director of financial aid.
"We decided in mid-June how to implement things," Jordan said. "We knew our volume wouldn't be an issue."
In late February, she said, their office of financial aid called all 9,000 enrolled students at their university to notify them about financial aid renewal. They also recommended students apply for the GSFAPP at the time, before it became mandatory.
"We're still working with some students," she said.
Robinson said since Monday the commission received a high volume of calls from students and parents.
"We have been contacted by other colleges and universities about the new regulation," she wrote in an e-mail. "However, we are unaware of any problems they have had with implementation."
Monét Robinson, communications specialist for the commission, said the regulation was changed to "validate the eligibility of students that receive state financial aid such as the HOPE, as well as other state scholarships, grants and service cancelable loan programs."
Robinson said "several notices" were sent to the University financial aid directors and officers.
Susan Little, director of student affairs in the office of financial aid, said the final regulations did not come out until May.
"We always depend on those regulations," Little said, because regulations change during the year.
The change in regulation that mandated students reapply for the HOPE scholarship using a GSFAPP application went into effect July 1, 2007.
Marie Mons, director of financial aid at Georgia Tech, said her school notified its students of the new regulation in August.
Mons said until students completed the application they did not receive their HOPE scholarship award.
"It was a communication challenge," she said.
Georgia Tech students were sent "multiple e-mails," Mons said, and were dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
"The process that would work for us I'm sure wouldn't work for the University of Georgia," she said.
Georgia Tech has 5,500 HOPE recipients and the University has more than 18,000 - the most in the state, according to the Georgia Student Finance Commission.
"It was a challenge for all schools to adjust their procedures. Timing was difficult," Mons said.
At Georgia Southern University, none of the 5,029 HOPE recipients enrolled have yet been notified about the change in regulation, said an official.
"We haven't done anything to inform students," said Elise Boyett, associate director of financial aid, in a phone interview Tuesday.
"Maybe we do need to pull ours and notify them."
The University of West Georgia financial aid office contacted students affected by the new regulation in late August, said Kimberly Jordan, the director of financial aid.
"We decided in mid-June how to implement things," Jordan said. "We knew our volume wouldn't be an issue."
In late February, she said, their office of financial aid called all 9,000 enrolled students at their university to notify them about financial aid renewal. They also recommended students apply for the GSFAPP at the time, before it became mandatory.
"We're still working with some students," she said.
Robinson said since Monday the commission received a high volume of calls from students and parents.
"We have been contacted by other colleges and universities about the new regulation," she wrote in an e-mail. "However, we are unaware of any problems they have had with implementation."
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