COORDINATION
2.0 OVERVIEW
Because eligibility determination and delivery of student aid involves complex requirements for verifying, monitoring and coordination of student awards, the Financial Aid Office works closely with many on-campus offices and off-campus agencies to ensure both strict compliance with regulatory requirements and efficient service for students.
Following is a brief description of the interaction other offices and agencies have with the financial aid process, their major responsibilities as they relate to financial aid, and how the Financial Aid Office interfaces with their functions.
2.1 BUSINESS AND ACCOUNTING OFFICES
The Business and Accounting Offices carefully coordinate a number of functions with relation to the financial aid process including:
A. Disburses student aid and payroll checks.
B. Reconciles student accounts and tracks and bills on student owed debts.
C. Accounts for funds and performs all G5 functions including filing quarterly cash transaction reports (GAPS).
D. Reconciles financial aid transmittals before processing refunds to students.
E. Manages cash requests and cash returns of federal funds through G5 on request of the FAO.
F. Prepares and submits financial aid refund records and bank wire transfers to Higher One, Inc. for disbursement of aid to students.
G. Coordinates the dispensation of undelivered financial aid refunds with the FAO and Higher One, Inc.
H. Provides annual tuition and fee, FSEOG, and FWS figures for the FISAP.
I. Ensures federal funds are properly identified as federal funds in College bank accounts.
J. Ensures the College provides the appropriate fidelity bond for the federal programs.
K. Produces a monthly payroll report to the FAO for reconciliation of Work Study.
L. Reconciles program expenditures with the FAO.
M. Reports delinquent student-owed debts to the Financial Aid Office for reporting to the State Franchise Tax Board through the COTOP program.
N. Places a hold on the student account for any student reported by the FAO as owing a Return of Title IV funds.
O. Coordinates the yearly independent audit and submits the audit report to the U.S. Department of Education via the eZ-Audit website.
2.2 ADMISSIONS AND RECORDS
The Admissions and Records Office keeps the primary system file on student academic and demographic data. Any changes in student enrollment status is updated in Colleague.
The Admissions and Records Office controls student enrollment in appropriate coursework by requiring admitted students to take assessment tests through the Student Success and Support Program (SSSP) process. (SEE: "Ability to Benefit Procedures")
Admissions and Records updates student majors in Colleague. Financial aid rules in Colleague are then used to flag students with undecided or ineligible majors prior to awarding and/or disbursement. Students must declareand be enrolled in an eligible program leading to a degree or certificate to receive financial aid.
The FAO and Admissions and Records Office also cooperate on informational services and evening services. Admissions and Records notifies the FAO when grades are posted and verified at the end of each semester to enable the FAO’s monitoring of satisfactory academic progress.
Information provided for total student enrollment reporting on the FISAP is furnished to the FAO by the Admissions and Records Office or Information Technology.
2.3 EXTENDED OPPORTUNITY PROGRAMS AND SERVICES (EOPS)
EOPS provides additional grant funding sources, book awards, and extended services to students identified as economically and educationally disadvantaged. The EOPS Office functions as a part of the Financial Aid Office and counselors report directly to the Dean of Financial Aid and EOPS. Eligible students are identified either as part of the Financial Aid process or through the BOGW A & BOGW B eligibility determining process.
Grant awards and Book Awards are made by EOPS and entered into the Colleague system by a Financial Aid Specialist or Technician.
2.4 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Computing Services provides support services for the Colleague Financial Aid system by:
1. Maintaining the Colleague system and loading program updates on a regular schedule or as needed for critical system patches. 2. Providing reports that are are not provided through Colleague.
3. Dedicating personnel on a by-need basis to assist with special report data extraction, website maintenance and development, computer installation, maintenance and repair, and other assistance as warranted.
4. Maintaining backups of the financial aid and Colleague servers for data recovery.
5. Information provided for total student enrollment reporting on the FISAP is furnished to the FAO by Information Technology or the Admissions and Records Office.
2.5 CAREER RE-ENTRY CENTER: JOB LOCATOR
The Career Re-Entry Center provides career testing, a career library and a career identification component to the orientation process. The FAO coordinates with the Career Center by supporting the Job Locator and Development Coordinator in that Center who provides off-campus part-time and limited full-time job placement for students and graduates. The FAO provides a portion of the funding for that position from its annual Federal Work-Study allocation and reviews the annual report of JLD activities for the FISAP.
2.6 NAPA VALLEY COLLEGE FOUNDATION
The Napa Valley College Foundation (NVC Foundation) raises or coordinates a majority of the $ awards made for scholarships annually. The scholarship program is administered through a collaboration between the FAO and the NVC Foundation with the FAO managing the student side and the NVC Foundation managing the donor side of the process. Scholarship awards are made by Scholarship Committee which is comprised of faculty and staff and includes the Dean of Financial Aid. (SEE: Scholarships)
2.7 DISABLED STUDENTS PROGRAMS AND SERVICES (DSPS)
The Financial Aid Office confirms sources of external funding with DSPS prior to making budget adjustments related to a student's disability. The Financial Aid Office also works closely with the Learning Disability Specialist with relation to Ability to Benefit students.
2.8 PAYROLL OFFICE
The Payroll Office performs data entry of student payroll into the District payroll system, oversees the production of Work Study payroll checks and electronic payroll deposits, and produces W-2 and 1098-T forms for tax purposes.
2.9 CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER
The College maintains an on-campus day care center for students with children. Services are free to low-income students and provided on a sliding scale to other students based on the income level of the student. Priority is given to students who are receiving CalWORKs and TANF. The FAO requires verification that a student parent is ineligible for on-campus day care prior to making budget adjustments for day care costs. The Child Development Center submits monthly reports to the FAO to verify services to eligible CalWORKs families for CalWORKs child care fund administration.
2.10 TANF/CalWORKs
The Financial Aid Office/EOPS Office maintains a CalWORKs Counselor/Coordinator and CalWORKs secretary who assists with the coordination of eligibility and requirements and liaison with eligibility workers from the Welfare Office. The CalWORKs counselor ensures eligibility workers are aware that grants, loans, and Federal Work-Study do not reduce TANF grants. The counselor and secretary coordinate with the Child Development Center to ensure CalWORKs compliance.
2.11 VETERANS OFFICE
The Financial Aid Office provides a Veteran's Coordinator as part of the FAO staff to coordinate eligibility determination and certification of benefits for Veterans with the financial aid process. The FAO manages the Veterans Resource Center and the services provided to Veterans at that location. (SEE: Veterans)
2.12 VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION
The FAO requires students flagged for verification to provide documentation of amounts and types of benefits received through Voc Rehab on the untaxed income verification form.
2.13 PRESIDENT'S OFFICE
Accreditation documentation is also housed in the President's Office.
2.14 STUDENT SERVICES COUNCIL
The Dean of Financial Aid coordinates the financial aid process with SSSP (formerly matriculation) and retention issues through a monthly meeting of the Student Services Council. Proposals for major changes in the financial aid process that have the potential for campus-wide impact or need for interdepartmental coordination are reviewed and discussed in this committee.
Coordination – Updated 01/2015
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