FALL 2004

WELCOME to the first issueof the new Bits and Bytes.After considerable discus-sion about the possible dis-continuation of the publica-tion, it was decided to makeone more attempt to reviveBit and Bytes. I hope youfind the changes in focus,style and tone to be moreinteresting and informa-tional.

As part of this change, I

have created a review com-mittee with a member fromthe public sector, the privatesector, and the proprietarysector. Their charge is to re-view each issue to makesure that articles submittedcontain content of interestto the ISFAA membershipwithout endorsing specificproducts. This step is in re-sponse to numerous com-plaints from readers of Bits

and Bytes. If an articlecrosses the line from newsto advertising, the commit-tee can choose to withholdthe article from publication.

Our goal is to make Bits andBytes more interesting, in-formative and perhaps en-tertaining. With that said, Ihope you will read on andenjoy this issue of Bits andBytes.

Vote in November!

President�s Perspective

Looking Back on His TermJeff Pethick speaks about his presidency

For the 2004-2005 schoolyear, each edition of Bitsand Bytes will have an in-terview with someone im-portant to the ISFAA mem-bership. Our first interviewchoice was easy. We se-lected the Past President ofISFAA, Jeff Pethick. Wethank Jeff for giving of histime for the interview.

Q. Jeff, your term asPresident started a littlesooner than you ex-pected. Talk about that.

A. Vikki Goeke was the2002/2003 ISFAA Presidentand she decided to leavethe financial aid professionin November 2002. As theISFAA President-Elect, I as-sumed the responsibilitiesof President for the remain-der of the 2002/2003 year.ISFAA is fortunate to have

Vikki back in the financialaid profession. Vikki servedas the 2003/2004 PastPresident and the 2004/2005 Governmental Rela-tions Commissioner.

Q. Did the extra time asPresident help you onceyour regular term began?

A. Surprisingly, this madethe regular term more chal-lenging. I was a member ofthe ISFAA Executive Com-mittee for four years prior toassuming the role of Presi-dent-Elect, so I was very fa-miliar with the association.Serving as President, how-ever, is a different experi-

I N T H I S I S S U E

1 J. PethickLooks Back on hisISFAA Presidency

4 Think Spring!

� meetings of minds

5 College GoalSunday to ReachStudents in 35States

6 USA FundsAwards Scholar-ships to IndianaResidents

7 CGS Indiana2005 is Feb 13

8 NASFAA�s NewOn-Line Classes

11 �and Finally...�

� bursting into song

2 BITS AND BITES

ence and different set of challenges.The President-Elect year is often forthe purpose of observing the associa-tion from a new perspective in prepa-ration for the year as President andplanning for the upcoming year.

During my scheduled President-Electyear, I was the President of my NotreDame Alumni Association. I did not ex-pect to be the President of two asso-ciations at the same time, but it wasmanageable. I regret missing the re-flection and planning associated withthe President-Elect year.

Q. What are you proudest aboutwhen you think back to your timeas President?

A. I am proud of the fact that I endedthe term as President with all of myhair and that it did not turn grey! Seri-ously, I am proud of the quality of ser-vices that we provided to the mem-bership. We continued to provide af-fordable, quality conferences. I amthrilled at our success with CollegeGoal Sunday. This is a flagship pro-gram in the nation. Many associationshave observed this program and haveimplemented similar programs in theirareas.

As ISFAA President, you realize thatwe have a talented and dedicatedmembership. The success of ISFAAis truly a reflection of the amazing sup-

port from the entire membership.

Q. What are your thoughts on thestate of financial aid here in Indi-ana?

These economicallydisadvantaged

students often donot have anyonelobbying for theirbest interests.

A. In Indiana, we are very fortunateto have significant grant support fromthe state of Indiana. The state grantprogram and Twenty-First CenturyScholars program has made a signifi-cant impact on the affordability of acollege education in Indiana.

During this difficult financial time theState of Indiana has demonstrated se-rious efforts to support the state grantprogram at a time when many stateshave significantly reduced their stategrant programs.

We need to serve as advocates for fi-nancial aid with our institutions, thestate and federal government. With re-authorization hopefully on the horizon,it is critical that we share our thoughtswith our members in Congress. Finan-cial aid professionals are best posi-tioned to understand and relay rec-ommendation to increase the effec-tiveness of financial aid resources.

Q. Tell us one hope you have forfinancial aid as a whole, over thenext ten years.

A. I hope that financial aid returns toa core principle of need-based finan-cial aid (i.e. providing access for allstudents, regardless of their economicbackground, to receive a college edu-cation). In recent years, a significantphilosophical and financial shift hasoccurred in the financial aid profes-sion. Substantial scholarship re-sources have been redirected to non-need-based, merit only scholarships.

I often speak of the importance for allof us to serve as an advocate for themost needy students. These economi-cally disadvantaged students often donot have anyone lobbying for theirbest interests.

I recently had a conversation with agraduate, Dustin. Dustin came toNotre Dame from a low income fam-ily in Los Angeles. He received a fi-nancial aid package that includedloans, work and scholarships. Dustinwas overwhelmed that donors wouldprovide him with scholarship assis-tance. He indicated that he must tryto payback the scholarship as soonas possible by helping others in need.He said that he would work diligentlyin the summer and would donate $500a year to a scholarship fund to helpanother student in need. I thoughtDustin was crazy! He was borrowingeducational loans and donating ascholarship to help others??!! Dustinsaid that once he graduates, his toppriority will be to endow a scholarship.

About a month ago, I learned thatDustin had a wonderful meeting withhis donor in late 2003. During my re-cent conversation with Dustin, henever mentioned his meeting with thedonor. At the end of our conversationI told him I had learned of the meet-ing between himself and his donor.

I thought Dustin wascrazy! He was

borrowing educationalloans and donating

a scholarship.

Dustin shared some additional detailswith me. He had sent the donor a let-ter of appreciation. The donor�s wifewrote Dustin a note indicating howuplifting the letter had been to thedonor. The donor was terminally ill,and it was a really miracle that thedonor was still alive.

Dustin called the family and made ar-

Bits and Bytes

William M. Wozniak, Editor

Bits and Bytes is publishedquarterly on behalf of the

Indiana State Financial AidAssociation

Phone 317-715-9010

Fax 317-715-9001

www.isfaa.org

LOOKING BACK ON HIS TERM

FALL 2004 3

ing in events on campus and through-out the country. I am most impressedwith Joe Russo, the person. Joe is afather to the 23 members in the NotreDame Office of Financial Aid. At 8:00every morning Joe walks around theoffice. He shares a personal greetingwith every staff member and alwaysmentions their names. When Joe is inthe office he is always available forquestions and advice. Although he isbusy with many projects, he makesstaff members feel like their problemis the most important issue for him.He always passes accolades to hisstaff members and is genuinely proudof their accomplishments.

I have some other stories, but I can�ttell you them until after my perfor-mance review!

Thank you, Jeff, for your time! Bitsand Bytes will be back in touchAFTER your review!

LOOKING BACK ON HIS TERM

rangements to visit the donor inFlorida. He spent time with the donorand his family and shared many sto-ries about his college experience.Within two weeks following the visit thedonor passed away.

This story gave me chills. Dustin hadexcelled academically at Notre Dame;however, the quality of his admissionapplication was near the bottom of

those admitted into the Classof 2004. Without need-basedscholarship assistance, thisamazing story would not haveoccurred.

Working in the financial aidprofession, we have an amaz-ing opportunity to create ac-cess and opportunities for stu-dents to overcome financialobstacles to their receiving aneducation. Whether we real-ize it or not, we make a differ-

ence in the lives of students everyday.That�s why I come to work everyday.

Q. In conclusion, is there any waywe can pry a Joe Russo story outof you for the membership?

A. I am amazed by Joe Russo. In thefinancial aid and Notre Dame commu-nities, he is known for his expertise.He is always speaking or participat-

4 BITS AND BITES

Plans are underway for the Spring meetings to be held April10-12 at the Holiday Inn Lakeview, 505 Marriott Drive,Clarksville, Indiana 47129. You should be receiving an e-notein the near future for your input regarding interest sessions forthis meeting. It is the hope of the program committee that allindividuals and institutions will find something of interest inthese meetings.

 The relaxed theme of our spring meetings will be maintained,with ample learning opportunities. Please feel free to send yourinput and suggestions to either co-chair Kathy Borders(kborders@ismloans.org), or Jerry Lewis (glewis@pnc.edu).

Remember, ISFAA is your organization, and your inputis critical in terms of program substance.

Newsletter Staff DoublesBits and Bytes is happy to announcethat the team producing the publica-tion has grown from one member totwo! Also, the �new addition� to theteam will handle what is arguably themost popular part of the newsletter.

Debi Zoumis, the Director of FinancialAid at Calumet College of St. Josephhas been added as part of the ISFAANewsletter staff. We ask that anyonewith any information about someonecoming or going from the ISFAA fam-ily contact Debi with that news. Debi�semail is dzoumis@ccsj.edu.

Indiana is a big state, and ISFAA is abig family. With your help Debi will beinformed of as many changes in thefamily as possible. We look forwardto catching up on any changes thathave taken place since the last news-letter and keep pace with any goingforward. Email Debi when you knowof some news, and then you too willreally increase the size of the teamworking on the newsletter!

Think Spring!Clarksville is Site

for Spring Meetings

FALL 2004 5

One of the funders for College GoalSunday Indiana, Lumina Foundationfor Education, recently partnered withNASFAA to expand College Goal Sun-day to 15 more states for a total of 35states and the District of Columbia bythe end of 2007.

The $3.5 million investment will pro-vide grants to bring on the 15 newstates and support a national partner-ship to manage the daily operationsof the program so that it can be effec-tively expanded at a more rapid pace.College Goal Sunday is currently of-fered in the following states:

Alaska, Arizona, California, Delaware,Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Ken-tucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachu-

College Goal Sunday to ReachStudents in 35 States

New Video to Improve College Goal Sunday Efforts in IndianaJanet Trimble

setts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana,Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Wyo-ming, and the District of Columbia.

College Goal Sunday Indiana is cur-rently working toward a change thatwill increase reach within the state.Each year, kick-off assemblies havebeen offered at high schools in India-napolis, Fort Wayne, and the north-western corner of Indiana.

The assemblies not only inform stu-dents about College Goal Sunday, butincrease awareness about the benefitsof college and receiving financial aid.

In place of kick-off assemblies for Col-lege Goal Sunday Indiana 2005, aninformational video will be sent to highschools located in counties with a Col-

lege Goal Sunday site. The benefitsinclude allowing counselors to showthe video multiple times and at theirconvenience, eliminating travel andweather cancellation issues, and ex-panding reach to more high schools.

College Goal Sunday 2005 will markMichele Maskell�s fifth year as co-chairand Janet Trimble�s fourth. Each areplanning to take on new assignmentswithin ISFAA for the 2005-2006 year.One ISFAA member has already vol-unteered to be a co-chair.

Therefore, ISFAA will be searching foranother member to co-chair CollegeGoal Sunday 2006. If you are inter-ested, please contact Richard Nashat 317-738-8075.

6 BITS AND BITES

USA Funds® has awarded 415 newand renewal scholarships totaling$601,500 to deserving college-boundstudents in Indiana. USA Funds Ac-cess to Education Scholarships® as-sist students in financial need�par-ticularly students who are membersof ethnic-minority groups or are physi-cally disabled�as they finance theirhigher education.

Because USA Funds serves as thedesignated guarantor of federal edu-cation loans for Indiana, residents of

USA Funds Awards $601,500 in Scholarshipsto Indiana Residents

Kevin McKeown, USA Funds Services

the state receive priority considerationfor the scholarships.

The awards include 190 new scholar-ships totaling $276,750 and 225 re-newal scholarships totaling $324,750to Indiana residents.

The scholarships provide each full-time undergraduate and graduate stu-dent with $1,500; each half-time un-dergraduate receives $750. Studentswho maintain grade-point averages ofat least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale may receiverenewal scholarships annually until

the students receive their final degreesor certificates, or until the total awardto a student reaches $6,000.

Scholarship Management Services, aprogram of Scholarship America, thenation�s largest private-sector schol-arship and educational-support orga-nization, administers the program.

Information about USA Funds� 2005scholarship program will be posted onthe USA Funds Web site �www.usafunds.org � beginning Oc-tober 1.

FALL 2004 7

The past support from ISFAA�s membership has madeCollege Goal Sunday a huge success.

College Goal Sunday Indiana 2005will be held on Sunday, February 13,at 2:00 p.m. As ISFAA enters the six-teenth year co-sponsoring CollegeGoal Sunday, I would like to thank themembership for its continued supportof this worthwhile event.

The financial aid process is some-times perceived as complicated andoverwhelming to families of college-bound students. Through CollegeGoal Sunday, we can help familiescomplete the most important piece ofthe process, the Free Application forFederal Student Aid, accurately andon-time. By volunteering at one of 34sites across the state of Indiana, yourfinancial aid expertise will help hun-dreds of Indiana families qualify fornecessary funding for college.

The past support from ISFAA�s mem-bership has made College Goal Sun-day a huge success. Over the years,we have assisted more than 63,000Indiana residents through the CollegeGoal Sunday event.

Our success is evident by the fact thatthe Lumina Foundation for HigherEducation is working with NASFAA toimplement College Goal Sundayevents in numerous states.

The Indianapolis Chapter of the Inter-national Association of BusinessCommunicators recognized CollegeGoal Sunday Indiana for its aware-ness campaign with an Award of Meritat their 2004 Awards. The ISFAA mem-bership has been instrumental in thesuccess of College Goal Sunday In-diana.

We need qualified financial aid expertsand friendly helpers. Volunteers areneeded from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. to staffregistration tables, supervise seating,answer financial aid questions, and or-ganize the day�s events.

Please consider volunteering. Theonline volunteer form is currently be-ing updated. A message will be sent

February 13 is College Goal Sunday Indiana 2005Janet Trimble

to the ISFAA listserv when the volun-teer form is available for submission.

College Goal Sunday Indiana 2005 isa joint effort of:

Indiana Student Financial AidAssociation (ISFAA)

Learn More Indiana (formerlyIndiana Career andPostsecondary AdvancementCenter)

State Student Assistance Commis-sion of Indiana (SSACI)

Office of Twenty-first CenturyScholars

College Goal Sunday Indiana isfunded by:

Lilly Endowment Inc.Lumina Foundation For Higher

EducationUSA Funds

College Goal Sunday Indiana is ad-ministered by Michele Neff, Ivy TechState College � Central, Co-chair;Janet Trimble, Ball State University,Co-chair; and Jacki Switzer,Edamerica.

8 BITS AND BITES

Member FDIC. ©2004 SunTrust Banks, Inc. SunTrust is a federally register ed service mark of SunTrust Banks, Inc.

Thank you, thank you.

Best creative writing student in her class.

And now a best screenplay.

If you’re not thanked by name, it’s OK.

She knows the role you played in her education.

Loans that flowed so words could flow.

Thank you for letting SunTrust help.

1-800-552-3006

www.SunTrustEducation.com

Washington, D.C. (September 24,2004) � LearnStudentAid.org,NASFAA�s new learning communityon the Web, is now accepting on-lineenrollment from individuals atNASFAA Member institutions forclasses that will begin October 1, 2004and beyond.

Enrollment for the September 1classes was very encouraging withover 50 learners and 10 experiencedaid administrators serving as mentors.�We are very pleased with the re-sponse to LearnStudentAid so far,�said Ellen Blackmun, the program�sdirector. �There is a real need for moretraining options in the financial aidcommunity and we believe LearnStudentAid is going to help fill thatvoid.�

The four initial course offerings, whichtogether constitute the �Financial AidFundamentals� series, include:

FA 101: Overview of the StudentFinancial Aid Programs

FA 102: Application ProcessingFA 103: Cost of AttendanceFA 104: Need Analysis

These courses are designed for newaid administrators and support staffmembers who need to understand thebasics of student financial aid admin-istration, but may also appeal to thosewith more experience who need a re-fresher.

�This is a great opportunity for newaid administrators to become part ofthe NASFAA community and feel con-nected to others in the profession,�

says Blackmun. �When you first startout in financial aid, you don�t alwaysknow where to go for help or answersto questions. We believe LearnStudentAid is going to make a big dif-ference in how new aid professionalstackle the first years on the job.�

About The Program� Courses begin once a month, on

or about the first of the month.

� Each individual who enrolls willbe assigned to a small group oflearners with whom he or shecompletes lessons and partici-pates in Web-based discussionforums. Individuals also takequizzes on the content in thoselessons and monitor their ownprogress through the courses.

NASFAA�s New LearnStudentAid.org is AcceptingStudents for October 1 and Beyond

On-line classes off to a great start

FALL 2004 9

� Learners will be supported byNASFAA staff and by volunteermentors from NASFAA Memberinstitutions who will share theirexperience and expertise withthose in training.

� Learners will be given NASFAAWeb IDs and passwords, if theydon�t already have them. Also,learners will have access to theNASFAA Encyclopedia on theWeb while enrolled.

Pricing� The introductory price for the

package of four courses (FA 101,102, 103, and 104) is $240.00. Toqualify for the package price, theindividual must enroll in all fourcourses at the same time, pay forthem at the same time, and takeeach class in the recommendedorder.

Designed for new aidadministrators and

support staff

� Enrollment in individual coursesand/or in a customized schedulewill be at the rate of $65 percourse. Enrollment on a custom-ized schedule is limited to 2courses per month.

How to Enroll� Complete the on-line registration

form found under �How to Enroll�at LearnStudentAid.org.

� Print and submit (by fax or postalmail) the Payment Form. Includea check or credit card information(Visa or MasterCard only).

� Individuals will be assigned tospecific courses once payment or

an institutional purchase order isreceived and processed.

� Enrollment in courses will beconfirmed via e-mail to theindividual enrolling in thecourses.� Access to courses is grantedon the date the first coursebegins.

Additional details about the programare available at LearnStudentAid.org.If you have questions, please emailLearnStudentAid@nasfaa.org or call202-785-0453 ext. 161.

The National Association of Student FinancialAid Administrators (NASFAA) is a nonprofitmembership organization that represents morethan 10,000 financial aid professionals at nearly3,000 colleges, universities, and careerschools across the country. Based in Washing-ton, D.C., NASFAA is the only national associa-tion with a primary focus on student aid legis-lation, regulatory analysis, and training for fi-nancial aid administrators. Each year, membershelp more than 8 million students receive fund-ing for postsecondary education.

NEW LEARNSTUDENTAID.ORG

10 BITS AND BITES

MASFAA 2004MASFAA 2004October 24-27Indianapolis

ISFAA Winter ConferenceISFAA Winter ConferenceDecember 12-14

Indianapolis

MARK YOURCALENDAR

FALL 2004 11

�and Finally�In all the FA offices across Indiana,we are well aware of the long daysand heavy workload. There are, how-ever, those wonderful moments thatyou will remember for a long, longtime. One of those moments hap-pened recently at Indiana State Uni-versity.

Her name is Patty Yamashita. She tra-ditionally sings �Happy Birthday� toeach staff member on their specialday. But who could sing to her be-came a pressing question. As you allcan see, none other than ThomasRatliff (Director of Financial Aid at ISU)stepped up and sang for Patty!

We have been told by an unidentifiedsource that Patty said she wasspeechless for the first time in fiveyears! Mr. Ratliff has not confirmed ordenied that claim. Also, no staff mem-

ber has sent in a �review� of the sing-ing by Mr. Ratliff, but it is a story wehope to have a follow up on in De-cember! (Thank you to Thomas Ratliff,Patty Yamashita, and Janis Coopriderfor being such good sports and giv-ing us all a good chuckle.)

Input Welcomeand Encouraged!

It is well known that if ten peopleare put in a room, you will prob-ably find eleven (or more) opin-ions on a given topic in thatroom. For Bits and Bytes, that�sa good thing!

The next edition of the newslet-ter will be sent out in the begin-ning of December. Please donot hesitate to send anythoughts or story ideas towwozniak@ismloans.org .There is no promise that everystory can be done, but everyidea will be read and consid-ered!

Negative and positive input isgreatly appreciated. It is hoped,with your comments and storyideas, we can produce a news-letter that all can be proud of!