Financial Aid Office Code of Conduct

• Demonstrates a commitment to remove financial barriers for those who wish to pursue postsecondary learning.
• Educate students and families through quality consumer information.
• Respect the dignity and protect the privacy of students, and assure the confidentiality of student records and personal circumstances.
• Ensure equity by applying all need analysis formulas and packaging policies consistently across the institution's full population of student financial aid applicants.
• Provide services that do not discriminate agains students on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, age or economic status.
• Submit award notifications and denials within a reasonable amount of time from the date of application.
• Ensure that the student has explored all other potential sources of aid and caution the student to borrow the minimum amount needed.
• Does not require the use of particular lenders or in any way limit the choice of lenders.
• Processes loan applications through any lender a student or parent chooses.
• Does not solicit or accept anything of value from any lender in exchange for any advantage sought by the lender to make educational loans to students enrolled at, or admitted to the college.
• Prohibits employees of the financial aid office, or any employee who otherwise has responsibilities with respect to educational loans, from taking from any lender any gift worth more than nominal value.
• Prohibits employees of the financial aid office, or any employee who otherwise has responsibilities with respect to educational loans, from entering into any type of consulting arrangement or other contract to provide to a lender services relating to educational loans.
• Prohibits employees of the financial aid office, or any employees who otherwise has reponsibilities with respect to educational loans, who serve on an advisory board (or commission or group) relating to educational loans established by a lender or group of lenders from receiving anything of value from the lender or group of lenders in connection with serving on such advisory board (or commission or group).
• Prohibits external lenders' employees, representatives, or agents from providing staffing services to the financial aid office.
• Prohibits external lenders' employees, representatives, or agents from identifying themselves to students of the College or their parents as employees, representatives or agents of the financial aid office.
• Does not assign for any borrower, through award packaging or other methods, a loan to a particular lender, and does not refuse to certify or delay certification of any loan based on the borrower's selection of a particular lender or guaranty agency.
• Alma College will not accept money, equipment or printing services from student loan providers.
• Alma College will continue to select lenders that Alma College determines provide the best combination of price, access to funds, and service to our students and families, and Alma College will tell students and families how those lenders were chosen.
• Alma College will choose lenders that do not sell their loans or who guarantee that all benefits the student or family thought they were getting when they took out their loan continue if their loan should be sold.
• Review the institutions's recommended lender list annually.

Student Profile

Melissa Boguslawski
Graduation: 2008
Major: Exercise Health Science, Chemistry
From: Madison Heights, Michigan
Interests: Sports, Heritage

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