Greetings CASFAA!

by Barbara Bicket, CASFAA President

I know it has been a while since we have communicated with you. One of my strategic goals for CASFAA this year is to increase member engagement through more frequent communication, regarding activities of the association and opportunities for participation. In that vein, I am pleased to announce this first edition of the “CASFAA Chronicle”. The CASFAA Chronicle will go out on a monthly basis and will be web and mobile friendly (platform development currently underway). This will allow you to easily view and catch up on the latest CASFAA news. This is an exciting change and we hope to hear from you, our members, as we continue to improve our member engagement.

We have some exciting upcoming events. In this edition, you will hear about CASFAA’s Day at the Capitol, high school counselor workshops, and the annual conference. We look forward to seeing you at our training events and wish you a pleasant summer season.

Tax Training

by Kim Thomas

Hello CASFAA community! Every year we set out to deliver a comprehensive, informative training series that will enable you to provide the best solutions for your financial aid office. Over 400 of you attended and participated at in-person workshops and online webinars this year. Our subject matter expert, Robert Weinerman, delivered core and critical content, from information on tax filing requirements to resolving conflicting information.  

Extensive planning goes into scheduling our workshops, finding school sites, and the collaborative efforts of working alongside our amazing school hosts to ensure a seamless workshop! My deepest thanks to our financial aid school hosts at CSU Sacramento, DeAnza College, Chabot College, California Lutheran Univ, Pepperdine Univ Graziadio, La Sierra Univ, Pitzer College, Golden West College & Univ of San Diego! CASFAA could not pull these important trainings off without your graciousness & flexibility to welcome the CASFAA community on campus.

If your campus is interested in hosting one of the workshops next year, please feel free to reach out to me.

Making a Difference at the Day at the Capitol

by Bronwyn Garrison, VP of State Issues

As Vice President of State Issues I am excited to share highlights from our annual Day at the Capitol (DATC), along with information on other legislative actions affecting you and your campuses.

On April 25, 2019 your 2019 CASFAA Executive Council partnered with CCCSFAAA, spending the day speaking with various stakeholders and legislatures.

Thank you to all who made this day possible, in particular Tina Lent, CCCSFAAA’s VP of State Issues. The day’s events included:

•  Updates from the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC), including staff changes, upcoming CSAC desk audits, the Grant Delivery system (look out for updates on the Student Dashboard!) and Cal Grant reform.

• A presentation on the state legislative process, budget and advocacy from Laura Szabo-Kubitz at The Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS).

•  A State Issues Discussion Panel with a diverse segmental representatives including: Shawn Brick from University of California Office of the President, Justin Salenik Governmental Relations Analyst from the Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, Gloria Bonilla, Lead FA Assistant for Cal State L.A and for a Proprietary perspective CASFAA’s own Barbara Bickett, Devry University.

The second half of the day saw members visits with several lawmakers, discussing topics ranging from Cal Grant Reform to 529 plans. There is a lot of movement right now on these bills but a few to watch out for include:

• Assembly Bill 1314: Cal Grant Reform. There are many Cal Grant bills but this one is the one to keep your eye on. It also incorporates aspects of other proposed Cal Grant bills.

• Assembly Bill 2: Community Colleges California College Promise: One of our CASFAA EC members, Christina Tangalakis, discussed text changes which were included in the latest version of this bill…an example of CASFAA making a difference!

High School Relations

by Anafe Robinson, CASFAA President-elect/High School Relations Co-Chair & Dennis Schroeder, High School Relations Co-Chair

The 2019 High School Relations Committee (HSRC) provides opportunities to CASFAA members for professional development, meeting with high school counselors, and conducting workshops.  The biggest project the committee has is the High School Counselors Workshop series, co-sponsored by CASFAA, CSAC, ECMC, and CCCSFAAA.  

With CSAC providing infrastructure and logistics (including the online registration system and centralized coordination for workbook printing and distribution), the HSRC focuses on the development of a "Federal Update and FAFSA" presentation and providing presenters for all of the workshops.  Due to the growing interest in the workshops, the CASFAA HSRC and CSAC have coordinated to hold over 40 workshops this fall, starting August 22nd and ending November 1st.  Last year over 4,200 counselors attended workshops across the state!

As Anafe (incoming CASFAA President) and Dennis (incoming CCCSFAAA President-Elect) move into their new positions within our state associations, this year provides a wonderful opportunity for CASFAA members to co-chair the HSRC into the future!  If you are interested, please reach out to Anafe or Dennis.  The experiences you'll have working wth CSAC, CCCSFAAA, ECMC, and the thousands of high school counselors is priceless.