Chyrl Ayers

Michelle, Your idea about doing a mixed of online/in person counseling for students is a good way to update the exit processing. It will give different types of students the ability to experience the process in a manner that is comfortable to them. As more students enter the college arena with extensive computer and internet skills the more beneficial the process with be in a combo mode. Best wishes in your continued education online in FA. Sincerely, Chyrl

Edith, That is a very instersting way to look at characteristics of financial aid. If you complete the process accurately the first time, you would be delivering timely and the service would be considered better.Excellent point! Best wishes in your continued education online in the area of financial aid. Sincerely, Chyrl

Donney, Your practice on keeping your records current is one of the best methods to insure that the auditors are working off of the current and accurate data. Another good idea is to have all files in a standard format (regardless of storage paper or electronic). This will enable auditors to quickly work through their process of review. Also, it gives the physical appearance of organization and thorough processing. Best wishes in your continued success in online education. Sincerely, Chyrl

Linda, Being new to the financial aid arena may make the annual audit or other types of review more difficult initially; however, there are several documents (SFA Handbook, Audit Guide, etc.) that are available to you that may answer any questions that may come up. This information will provide guidance on processing of FAFSA's and satifying requirements of ISIR's also. The process of financial aid is exciting from all aspects. Sincerely, Chyrl

Linda, You are correct all three aspects are important to servicing your students. There is not a correct answer since each item really is only successful if all 3 are present. It is extremely important to timely process your students to insure that their funding is available as they have a need. Best of luck in your continued online education. Sincerely, Chyrl

Janet. It has been my experience that reporting can be a great tool as long as it is set up in a way to measure your key performance indicators (KPI). However, reporting has to be reviewed periodically to determine the effectiveness of the reporting. Have a good afternoon. Sincerely, Chyrl

Janet, It is difficult for most people to be absolutely committed to which one is more important since both timeliness and accuracy plays an important role in servicing students. I always recommend that each task that one undertakes be evaluated and processed according to that specific task. There will be times that accuracy will require more focus and timeliness will have to take a backseat; however, there should never be a time that accuracy must be sacrificed. Best wishes in your continued online education experience. Sincerely, Chyrl

Joshua, It is important to understand the mind-set of your students and recognize that Financial Aid may seem harmless to us (since we do it everyday all day long); however, it can be overwhelming to students. A good relationship with your student and placing the student at ease is very important. All three items have an important place in meeting the needs of the studnet. Best wishes in your continued online education experience. Sincerely, Chyrl

Teresa, I think that is a very good observation. The misunderstanding could be on either side - the person delivering the message or the interpretation of the message. Whenever you do not understand the auditor's point of view you should ask for it in writing with the auditor's regulatory references. This will enable you to review the written word and the regulations to determine if you are hearing their concern correctly or they are misstating the issue. Hope that your online education experience has been positive and that you continue your education. Sincerely, Chyrl

Jennifer, That is an excellent idea and in my experience a single workflow to a file is a great way to enable auditors to quickly navigate the student file. Thanks, Chyrl