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Ethics in the Financial Aid Office What to do?!? Spring 2015 WVASFAA Conference Presentation WVASFAA2 2

Where Regulation & Knowledge Collide What is an ethical dilemma? Conflicting Data, Verification, Regulation Policy & Procedure WVASFAA3

Think about it FIRST! FERPA considerations Source of information – Reliability of source Who? What? WHY??? – Availability of documentation Inter-Office Communication Effect on Aid WVASFAA44

Discussions Ethical dilemma, Conflicting Data or Gossip? First, let’s quickly review the provided scenarios and decide which ones – if any – are truly examples of ethical dilemmas…. WVASFAA5 5

Discussions Ethical dilemma, Conflicting Data or Gossip? A non-working married student with 2 children asks if they would receive more grant aid if they separated from their spouse…. And then you receive an updated ISIR reporting “separated” status. The student is not flagged for verification, but the correction results in a sizeable increase in grant eligibility… WVASFAA6 6

Discussions Ethical dilemma, Conflicting Data or Gossip? You receive a call – NOT from the student - informing you that a particular student plans to leave college after receiving their financial aid refunds for the semester… WVASFAA7 7

Discussions Ethical dilemma, Conflicting Data or Gossip? A 19 year old student’s “0” EFC ISIR indicates that she is single with a child, lives at home with her parents, and has no income, child support, or benefits reported; the ISIR is not flagged for verification… WVASFAA8 8

Discussions Ethical dilemma, Conflicting Data or Gossip? On your way to work, you find yourself parked next to a new Toyota RAV4 at the convenience store… 3 hours later, the driver of that same vehicle is in your office to provide some requested documents, and you notice that the student appears to live on $7500 per year… WVASFAA9 9

Discussions Ethical dilemma, Conflicting Data or Gossip? A dependent student lives at home with her never-married mother – her ISIR has been verified and was determined to be correct. Your institution routinely collects documentation of health insurance, and it comes to your attention that the student’s health insurance is under her father’s name, and indicates his address as the same address the student’s mother has… WVASFAA10 WVASFAA10

Discussions Ethical dilemma, Conflicting Data or Gossip? Ted arrives in your office to report that 25 year old student, Susie, should not be receiving “all that financial aid” because she lives with her boyfriend, Tony, who provides her with “everything”… Susie reported taxable income of $4500 on her ISIR. Ted identifies himself as Susie’s father, and Tony happens to be your dentist… WVASFAA11 WVASFAA11

Discussions Ethical dilemma, Conflicting Data or Gossip? Church gossip has it that the Jones boy has a really good “off-the-books” job paying him $1000 per week – the Jones’ are SO proud of him – working AND going to school!! The boy is a student at your school with a full aid package that indicates no income… WVASFAA12 WVASFAA12

Discussions Ethical dilemma, Conflicting Data or Gossip? Now, let’s break into smaller groups and decide what to do with the scenarios we’ve identified as ethical dilemmas: – What procedure would you follow? – What documentation would you request? – What action would you take? – Who – in your office – should address this? WVASFAA13 WVASFAA13

WVASFAA Spring 2015 Conference Presented by Diann Clothier, Student Financial Aid Consultant (cell) WVASFAA14 WVASFAA14