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2. Advising Over Troubled Water Academic Suspension Financial Aid Eligibility

3. Internal and External Standards
What am I to do?
Adviser
(you)
Internal and External Standards
Student’s Real and Perceived Needs

4. Who am I? Advisers are agents of the university
Advisers are advocates for students
Advisers’ role includes both
Maintaining the integrity of the institution
Guiding students through a maze of evolving regulations
Difficult conversations:
Between advisers and other offices
Between advisers and students
Between advisers and parents

5. What is the Advising Organization in my unit?
Are you a faculty adviser or professional adviser?
How many students do you advise?
What are the expectations of you as an adviser? Could include
Scheduling
Mentoring
Triage
Assisting with various processes and appeals
What type of student population do you advise?
How are you to document your work?
How does your work articulate with that of others in your unit or outside of it (referrals)?

6. Advising in Troubled Waters
Get your facts right
Academic Probation and Suspension
Financial Aid
Scholarships
Appeals process
Help students make difficult decisions
Should I stay in school?
Where is the loophole?
Is a retroactive withdrawal appropriate?
How can I turn my academic career around?

7. Academic Probation and Suspension
How is your college, unit organized? What is expected of you?
DW Tools: Plan, GPA calculator, what if
Banner: SOAHOLD
SSC
Who are your resources for questions?
Catalog
College office
Registrar
Colleagues
AAC Website

8. Academic Probation Process
Registrar notifies students of Probation status after grades roll in December and in May
Students can be on probation multiple times
In January, each College organizes MYA for FTF with Provost’s support
For students on probation in the fall, Colleges design their own probation programs, which may include:
Contracts (useful for future appeals)
Advising hold
Mandatory class
Meetings
Coaching
Mandatory tutoring
Incoming transfer students can be on probation their 1st semester (plus/minus; remedial courses)

9. Academic Suspension Policies
May 2017—overall GPA/Attempted hours
1.4/28cr
1.7/58
1.9/88
2.0/89
May 2018: 2.0, regardless of attempted credits (SSC flag?)
Students can be suspended without ever being on probation
2.0 in December, 1.3 in May
Incoming transfer students can be suspended in May even if they come in January
There were 650 students with a GPA of between 1.4 and 2.0 that would have been suspendable in May of 2016

10. Academic Suspension Process
Registrar notifies students of Suspension status after grades roll in May
Three levels of suspension : AS (fall semester); A1 (July-July); A2 (5 years).
Students always start serving suspensions in the fall term
Appeals are made at the College level, and appeals are heard by the College Academic Standard Committee
Appeals need to be filed with the College by the beginning of June
College sends decisions to the Registrar by the end of the first week in July
Students cannot appeal after summer classes
A2 will increase every year. This will be the third year for 5-year suspension.

11. Outcome of Appeal Student loses: Suspension is enforced immediately
AS: August 15th-Nov. 15th
A1: August 15th to July 15th
A2: August 15th-July 15th (but 5 years later)
Deferred suspension
Colleges design their own deferment programs
If students do not meet the terms of their deferment contract, suspension is served starting in the spring semester
Example: A1 in May, Deferred for fall, serves A1 following spring and fall, can come back following spring
5-year deferments need to be approved at the Provost’s level
NOTE: after successful remediation, the sanction remains on their record and on their transcript: “Reinstated from Suspension for Spring”
For 5-year deferments, make sure that you have a plan attached and a strong rationale that the student can finish in one or two semesters

12. How can summer help? Students are able to register at WVU, PSC, Tech
Summer classes taken outside of the WVU system cannot be transferred back (GPA < 2.0)
Summer classes raise number of attempted hours, so GPA expectation may go up (May 2017 only)

13. Advising the suspended student
Should I appeal?
Why is the University punishing me?
Should I go to summer school and can I use my Financial Aid?
Should I take 14 credits in the summer (or more)?
Can I take easy classes in the summer to just bring my GPA up?
What will happen if I am deferred and I lose my Fin. Aid Appeal?
Should I take classes at another institution during suspension?
Can you advise me about classes at another school?
But I had an NR or an I, and the issue is now resolved?
What if I do a D/F repeat (WVU, PSC, Tech vs. a state school)?
What do I need to do when I come back?
What is Academic Forgiveness?
Should I go to RBA?

14. Advising and Financial Aid

15. “Financial aid is every advisor’s concern because it is every student’s concern. . . The (…) time it takes to become familiar with the financial aid system in one’s college will be amply repaid in time saved from advisee return visits.”

16. Financial Aid Eligibility starting in May 2017
Every student needs a 2.0, regardless of attempted hours
Every student needs a completion rate of 67%
Every student needs to complete within 150% of time (180 cr/120cr degree)
No Aid is withdrawn between fall and spring
No-surprise approach:
students are notified in December and March
Colleges are notified of Financial Aid warnings
Appeals process:
By the end of the first week of the term when aid is sought
If the student cannot be in compliance within 3 semesters, the appeal will be denied

17. Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal
If students do not fill narrative form correctly, advisers should not fill out the ASP

18. Assisting with the preparation of an appeal - Supporting Documentation
Third party supporting documentation is required
Acceptable documentation is typically a signed statement from a third party who has knowledge of the circumstances and can verify the student’s personal statement
Must include contact information and explain their relationship to the student
Must be from an objective third-party, such as: clergy, counselors, physicians, law enforcement officers, and social workers. Statements from other students and parent(s) are not acceptable. 
Other official documentation may also be considered, such as pay stubs, W-2s, leases, medical records, newspaper articles, etc.
Many appeals are submitted without the required supporting documentation. Advisors should help the student think of what documentation they can provide.

19. Assisting with the preparation of an appeal Personal Statement
Advisers should ask for the student’s personal statement
The statement MUST tell us:
Why the student hasn’t been academically successful
What they have done and/or will do differently so they CAN now be successful
If students do not fill out the personal statement correctly, advisors should not complete the academic success plan
We recommend the personal statement is typed, not hand-written.

20. The Academic Success Plan
Include the next 3 terms of enrollment
Format:
WVU-Morgantown: Complete in Degree Works
WVU-Keyser & WVU-Beckley: paper form until DW is available
Plan must set minimum term GPAs – GPAs must allow students to reach standards within 3 terms, but should be reasonable
Students who are meeting the GPA requirement should have minimum term GPAs of a 2.0
with subject line “Amended ASP” after a change
If the student cannot come into compliance within 3 terms, their appeal will be denied
Use the Standards in 3 Terms calculator to help develop a plan and sufficient minimum term GPAs. If a student cannot come into compliance in 3 terms, they must improve on their own, utilizing other payment arrangements. They can then appeal once they improved enough that they can reach the standards in 3 terms.

21. Institutional Scholarship Appeals
Scholarship Exception Request Form
Deferral (military, co-op experience, etc.)
Exception for renewal criteria due to extenuating circumstances
Utilizing scholarship though part time (final term, must have at least 6 hours)
Utilizing scholarship during the summer term (final summer, must have at least 6 hours)
New form will be available on the website soon.

22. PROMISE Scholarship
Institutional and overall GPAs in Banner and in DW may differ from the GPA used to determine PROMISE eligibility
Hours and grades from terms prior to the student’s first full-time semester in which they received PROMISE must be excluded
PROMISE appeals are submitted first to the institution
If appeal is denied, the student has the option to forward the appeal to the state office for review
Refer questions to the Mountaineer Hub or visit cfwv.com
First time freshmen are notified at the end of the fall term if they are at risk for not meeting the PROMISE renewal criteria.

23. Unofficial Withdrawal: Unearned Fs
An unearned F is one that is assigned for non-attendance
When instructors post grades, they are required for every unearned F to indicate the last date of attendance
Students who have all unearned Fs and/or Ws for a term, must return a portion of their Financial Aid
WVU repays the aid to the Federal Government and State and then WVU must try to collect the funds from the students
We are moving toward requiring the return of institutional funds
How can advisers help: encourage your students to continue to be engaged in their classes
The amount of aid that needs returned depends on the date the student last participated in an academically related activity. If unknown, the midpoint of the term will be used to prorate the aid.
2) We will explore adding a statement to the syllabus attendance policy to alert students about unearned Fs.

24. Repeated Course Work and Financial Aid
Previously passed classes (D or better) may only be repeated one time and still be included when determining enrollment status (full-time, half-time, less than half-time)
Impacts eligibility for certain programs (Pell, WV Higher Ed Grant, etc.)
Impacts cost of attendance for financial aid – the cost associated with the repeated courses are excluded
Withdrawals are not considered repeats
For PROMISE students repeating courses in the same review period, earned hours only count once toward 30 hour requirement for renewal
All attempts (original, withdrawals, and repeats) are included towards completion rate and maximum time frame when evaluating satisfactory academic progress for financial aid eligibility

25. Financial Aid for the Graduating Student
The semester before students reach 120 credits, the academic college may be asked to perform a Financial Aid Degree Audit
Federal Aid (grants, loans): 12 credits must be degree pursuant for 1st degree; may include officially declared dual degree majors. Students can be part-time.
State Aid (WVHEG, PROMISE) and Institutional Scholarships: may be used toward dual degree or minor requirements
Direct Loans are required to be prorated for the Fall term if students are graduating in December
Once 1st undergraduate degree has been earned, students are considered 2nd degree and are eligible for Direct Loans, Work Study and Perkins Loans, though available funds may be limited
This is subject to change to comply with federal and state regulations `better
Eligibility for a certain program does not guarantee an award will be made -- Direct Loan aggregate limits, on-time vs. late FAFSA filers, etc.

26. Financial Aid and Advising
Will my aid be affected if I add a second major, a minor, or change my major?
What if I don’t want to graduate, because I use my FA to pay for rent next term?
Can I want drop out for the semester and come back in the fall (avoid suspension)
(From current HS student) Should I take as many AP tests as I can?
Can I complete my first major, drop it, pick up a second one to keep my FA?
Should I just focus on the classes I know I can do well in and stop working on my other class(es)?
What if I repeat classes?
Can I use my Financial Aid in the summer?
As a transfer student, can my choice of major affect my Financial Aid?

27. The Ever Changing World of Advising
Internal and external policies and regulations are all subject to change at any time
Many policies and regulations are independent of a student’s catalog year
As advisers, we need to be involved in the design of processes
Professional development activities are crucial

28. Resources for Advisors
SFSS Advisors’ Website – Best viewed in Google Chrome
View power point presentations from previous workshops
Download the Standards in 3 Terms Calculator to assist with preparing an academic success plan
Find the point of contact in your college who works with SFS&S
View training calendar for upcoming workshops
Financial Hardship & Student Employment March 14th and 17th
Aid Renewal & Federal Loan Limits April 11th and 21st
We are available to come to your college and provide training upon request
Calculator is for staff use only and was not designed to be shared with students.

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