Lecture 2, EDUC 360
January 13th, 2013
Your Class Leads
Elisa Tran
Office Hours: Mondays 11:30-12:20pm in MGH 274
Email: Elisalt@uw.edu
Luwam Alemayehu
Office Hours: Thursdays 12:30-1:20pm in MGH 274
Email: luwama@uw.edu
Scholarship Saturday!
What? Scholarship Saturday is an event that mentees can attend to work on
scholarships, finishing the FAFSA, and finding other ways to pay for college. SSquared counts as one event credit.
Who? The mentees!
 It’s encouraged you come only if you’re mentee is attending.
When? February 1st, 2014
12:30 PM – 5:30 PM (mentors)
1:00 PM – 5:00 PM (mentees)
Where? Mary Gates Hall
RSVP on DreamSIS (https://dreamsis.org/rsvp/event/1552).
Questions or concerns?
Alyssa: hatsukami@gmail.com
Charlene: chsia@uw.edu
Will: wkittel@uw.edu
Snacks will be provided.
Pipeline’s Literacy Art Alternative
Spring Break
Announcements
W-credit
 Read an article  Develop research questions Write about
mentoring (5 pages)  Three drafts with feedback
 Can make special arrangements for more credit if you are
going to multiple high school visits each week
 Learn more and sign up at www.dreamproject.org/wcredit
ROTC Scholarship deadline
 Navy Scholarship-January 31st
United Way Free Tax Preparation
 Starting January 14th
Cookie Friday: January 24th
 Time TBA
Sign up for the International Seminar
 EDUC 361C-Thursdays 1:30-2:20
Sign up for a College Goal Washington Event
 Dreamsis.org
FAFSA Workshop
 Today, 6:30-8:00pm MGH 430
Recruit friends to Dream Project
Dream Project on GLEE
Nicole Guenther
Assistant Director of Curriculum & Student Services
Email: npg324@uw.edu
Office: MGH 274
DIFFERENT FAFSA SCENARIOS
 What you will learn today:
 How to support students who have specific or
unusual situations for FAFSA that may complicate
the filing process
 How to support students in petitioning if necessary
 HEADS UP: Lots of (life-changing) details coming
your way! Take notes!
DIVORCED OR UNMARRIED PARENTS?
 If your mentee’s parents are divorced or unmarried, they
only include ONE parent’s financial information on their
FAFSA. Which parent?
 The parent they lived with more during the previous year.
 If they live exactly equally with both parents, they are
supposed to report the information of the parent who
provided more financial support.
 Contrary to common myth: it is NOT relevant who claims
them as a dependent on taxes.
PARENTS REMARRIED?
 If your mentee’s
custodial parent has
remarries, he or she
must report the stepparent’s income along
with the custodial
parent.
 This is true whether or
not he or she is
financially contributing
to the mentee’s
education.
SAME SEX PARENTS?
 If your mentee’s parents are a same
sex couple:
 NEW this year! Due to DOMA being
overturned – they report both parents’
financial information if the parents are
legally married in ANY state or country.
 “Mother” and “Father” will be revised
to “Parent 1” and “Parent 2” in April;
until then, disregard the labels.
 If they are not legally married, only
report the legal or biological parent’s
information (same as heterosexual
parents)
HOMELESS OR AT RISK OF BEING
HOMELESS?
Children and youth facing homelessness lack a fixed,
regular, and adequate nighttime residence:
 Sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or
similar reason
 Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, camping grounds due to lack of adequate
alternative accommodations
 Living in emergency or transitional shelters
 Awaiting foster care placement
 Living in a public or private place not designed for humans to live
 Living in cars, parks, abandoned buildings, bus or train stations, etc.
 Unaccompanied Youth
 Youth experiencing homelessness and not in the physical
custody of a parent or guardian
STUDENTS FACING HOMELESSNESS
 McKinney-Vento Act:
 Federal law providing resources & stability to students facing homelessness.
 For FAFSA, the most important component is that homeless students may file
the FAFSA as independents, without parent information.
 This is a HUGE DEAL.
 Must be verified as homeless during the year in which the application is
submitted.
 District Liaisons – these people will provide the required letter for the FAFSA
verifying the student’s situation.
 OR a Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) provider
 OR a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provider
 National Association for the Education of Homeless Children & Youth:
www.naehcy.org
 LOTS OF RESOURCES – including the LeTendre Scholarship
STUDENTS WITH CHILDREN?
If a mentee (male or female) has a child:
He or she file the FAFSA as an independent
 IF he or she will provide at least 50% of the support for the
child.
 Note that government welfare programs such as TANF
and WIC count as support provided by the parent
STUDENTS WHO ARE PREGNANT
If the mentee is pregnant now:
 She can file as an independent
 IF she will be providing at least 50% of the support
for the child during the following school year.
 As long as she is NOT: giving the child up for
adoption, functioning as a surrogate, or terminating
the pregnancy.
TRANSGENDER STUDENTS &
SELECTIVE SERVICE
 All male students are required to register for the Selective Service before
receiving federal financial aid.
 If a student is transgendered, it may not be clear whether they are required to
register.
 The rule is that they have to register for Selective Service based on their sex
at birth.
 A student who was born male and now identifies as female will check the
“female” box on FAFSA. HOWEVER, then FAFSA does not ask them to register for
the Selective Service. More information here
 In this situation, the mentee needs to register for the Selective Service
separately online at www.sss.gov
 Will be a sensitive conversation
FINANCIAL AID PETITIONS
 Sometimes the Estimated Family Contribution may not accurately
reflect the family’s capacity.
 Students may be able to petition!
 These petitions are submitted directly to the college financial aid
office, NOT the federal government through the FAFSA website.
 Each school will have their own individual paperwork.
 Example of UW Financial Aid Office forms site
 The paperwork can take weeks or months to process, so submit as
soon as possible.
REASONS TO PETITION





Decrease in parent income
Decrease in student income
Divorce or separation
Death of a parent
Additional expenses, including:
 Extra course fees
 Extra expensive books and supplies
 Computer
 Student medical/dental expenses
 Unusual transportation costs
 Childcare costs
 Parent attending college
 Sibling attending private K-12
DECREASE IN INCOME
 If the parent OR student stopped working, that income can
be removed from the EFC
 Must be at least a 25% decrease from the previous year in
order to petition for recalculation
 Petitioning can dramatically
change the student’s EFC and aid
offered – they may suddenly
become eligible for Pell grant and
State Need Grant, etc
ADDITIONAL EXPENSES
 Computer
 At UW, up to $2200 one time during undergraduate years.
 Likely loan money.
 Medical/dental expenses
 For the student or family members
 Not covered by insurance
 Non elective surgery/medically necessary
 Extra course fees
 ELL courses, Discovery seminars, etc
 Extra expensive books and supplies
 If beyond the amount assumed in FAFSA
ADDITIONAL EXPENSES
 Childcare costs
 Kids are expensive!
 Students who are parents can get financial aid to help with the cost of
childcare.
 Parent attending college
 Must be at least half time in a degree-seeking program
 The student’s sibling attending private K-12 school
 If there is a compelling reason that private school is essential
YOU NOW KNOW A LOT ABOUT
FAFSA AND FINANCIAL AID!
 I know that was a lot of information! Thank you for paying
attention!
 Now… College Bound Scholarship time!
College Bound Scholarship!
Luoncé the First
What is the College Bound
Scholarship?
 Created in 2007 to improving high school graduation and
college enrollment rates for low-income students.
 An early promise of financial aid to qualifying 7th and 8th
graders.
 Covers tuition and a small book allowance.
 It can be used at two- or four-year public and private
colleges and universities in Washington that administer
State Need Grant funds.
Eligibility
 Middle school
 Student must have submitted the application by June 30th of
8th grade.
 Includes pledge
 Includes indication that they meet one of the following
income standards:
 Student is eligible for free-or-reduced-price lunch
program
 Student’s family receives basic food/TANF benefits
 Family income is below the standards on the
application chart
 Student was in foster care
Eligibility
 High school
 Must comply to the pledge!
“I pledge that I will:
 Graduate with a cumulative high school grade point
average of 2.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
 Be a good citizen in school and in my community, and not
be convicted of a felony.
 Apply for financial aid by completing the FAFSA in a timely
manner when I apply for college. “
 Must be admitted, and enroll within one year of high school
graduation in one of the 68 eligible institutions in Washington.
 MUST file the FAFSA by Feb. 1 to receive any money!
Question 1
What are three details that you hadn’t considered about
the FAFSA?
What are some other nontraditional scenarios that your
mentees may be facing?
Question 2
Scenario:
Your mentee is very shy and hasn’t shared much personal
information with you. While working on the FAFSA you hear
that your mentee has been staying at their friend’s house.
Question:
How would you approach this situation?
Breakout Locations
ACE
BAG 108
HS3
MGH 238
Chief Sealth
MGH 288
Foster
SMI 309
Cleveland
MGH 228
Federal Way
MLR 302A
Ingraham
MGH 082A
Global
MGH 251
Odyssey
MGH 242
Ida B. Wells
MLR 302B
Rainier Beach
MLR 316
Youth Force
MGH 284
Kent-Meridian
GLD 435
Renton
MGH 258
Auburn
MGH 248
AAA
MGH 278
TEC
MGH 234