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Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016
FAFSA filing period adjusted Sam Malone Staff writer
DeKALB | The Illinois Student Assistance Commission is declaring October as College Changes Everything month as a result of the new Oct. 1 opening date for FAFSA. FAFSA is a form prepared and submitted by college students to determine the amount of financial aid they are eligible to receive from the government. FAFSA previously opened on Jan. 1 for the following school year, but the new date will align FAFSA with most college application deadlines, including NIU. This will allow future students to be aware of their financial aid before committing to a college, said Lynne Baker, commission director of communications. “Students will have access to the IRS data retrieval service,” Baker said. “Now, when you file, you can use prior-prior year taxes, which means when you’re filing your 2017-18 FAFSA, you’re using your 2015 taxes.” The commission’s major initiative, College Changes Everything month, was created to help students adjust to these changes.
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The early FAFSA date is something that has been talked about in the financial aid world for a long time.” Heather Calvert College Access and Preparation committee chair for the Illinois Association of Student Financial Aid Administration
During October, the commission will partner with high schools to provide free services to students that will aid them in managing FAFSA and college applications. The initiative is also open to college students who need assistance in filing for their financial aid as the date change is implemented.
November
Oct. 1
Required activities and documents relating to FAFSA added to myNIU ‘to do list.’
FAFSA opened for 2017-18 school year.
February 2017
June 30, 2018
Federal deadline for 2017-18 FAFSA form due at midnight central time.
NIU begins sending financial aid awards.
FAFSA timeline Federal and NIU dates revised Infographic by Madison Kacer | Northern Star
“The date change is good [for incoming students],” said sophomore mathematics major Kevin McNeely. “If there’s a school [a student] really wanted to go to but they weren’t sure if they were financially able, now they can see if they get the aid that will allow them to go to that school, and they can make a more informed decision.” McNeely was unaware of the FAFSA date change until recently and said he wished he had known about it sooner. Heather Calvert, College Access and Preparations committee chair for the Illinois Association of Student Financial Aid Administration, said her organization is aware of this problem and is focused on informing students about the change. For NIU, this meant fliers posted around campus and online advertisement to students in an attempt to get the word out. Calvert said the administration is an advocate for financial aid, and student awareness is key in such an
FAFSA deadline FAFSA forms for the 2017-18 school year opened for submission on Oct. 1. The federal deadline for online applications is June 30, 2018.
may seem stressful to students now, it is a good thing. Students will no longer have to go back into their FAFSA in April to change their tax statements, and new students will have the ability to make a college decision based on their financial aid, because it will be received sooner. “One of the most important things for students to know is that if there’s a problem or if you have issues, your financial aid office should be able to help you along the way” Calvert said. “So if you get started and you’re having a hard time, call the office, set up an appointment, and take advantage of those things, and be sure to ask questions because our goal is to help you get your financial aid filed and not be held back from your education because of a financial decision.”
important change. “The early FAFSA date is something that has been talked about in the financial aid world for a long time,” Calvert said. “But when it was announced last year, it all went into effect a little more quickly than I, and many others in the profession, expected.” One of the ways the Aid Administration has been advertising is by reaching out to high schools and colleges by providing toolkits on how to promote the new date change to students and why it is important. The commission shares the same goal and is also trying to reach out to Read more students to make them aware of the new opening date and other changes Go to NorthernStar.info/Campus to read about the state of Monetary Baker said. Calvert said while the new date Award Program grants at NIU.
NIU offers degrees at Rock Valley College Julia Martinez Staff Writer
ROCKFORD, Ill. | Rock Valley College in Rockford has partnered with NIU to start an engineering program this semester that offers courses for students to earn a NIU bachelor’s and master’s degree in engineering, technology, aerospace and manufacturing fields. The purpose of this partnership is to offer students a study opportunity close to home that can meet the needs of Rockford’s manufacturing and innovation economy, according to the program’s website.
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This program was started to give more opportunity so our engineering industry can grow.” Maria Salazar Administrative assistant at Rock Valley College, Aviation Career Education Center
NIU’s enrollment had the biggest decline in the freshman class this fall, falling 5.5 percent, and officials hope this program will encourage students to spread a good word about NIU, said NIU President Doug Baker during a town hall meeting.
Courtesy RockValleyCollege.edu
Rock Valley College in Rockford has partnered with NIU to begin offering bachelor’s and master’s degrees this semester.
NIU has been recruiting at local community colleges in order to get its transfer student enrollment up, said Baker during a town hall meeting on Sept. 22. Rock Valley College reported a 100 student increase in their freshman class this semester because of interest in this program. “Rockford is an aerospace manufacturing community, so there’s a lot of companies there, and they are short on engineers,” Baker said during the town hall meeting. “Those companies approached Rock Valley [College] and us, and the industry
stepped up in about three and a half million dollars to help us get the engineering program going.” Baker said at the University Council meeting on Wednesday that Rock Valley College has named NIU its preferred provider, and the community college will direct its students to NIU. NIU administrators have worked on assigning three advisers to visit the Rock Valley College campus to interact with students and recruit them to DeKalb or the Rock Valley College engineering program, Baker said.
“This program was started to give more opportunity so our engineering industry can grow,” said Maria Salazar, administrative assistant at Rock Valley College, Aviation Career Education Center. “Location is key because it’s affordable and good driving distance, and I know we now have more students that come out of the district just to attend our technology building.” Rock Valley College got a remodeled engineering building through Woodward, an engineering and innovation company which is in need of more employees, and now, the Rock Valley engineering building will provide them with that, Salazar said. Freshman engineering major Noah Benson said he is from Rockford and would have gone through the program, but didn’t find out about it in time. “I definitely would have gone to Rock Valley [College] and worked on my major through the program NIU offers there, because that’s such a good idea,” Benson said. “That might have worked out easier for me, so I hope other incoming engineering freshman know about it or other NIU students pass along the word to their family and friends.”
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Fundraiser sets goal for end of year Nancy Galan Staff Writer
DeKALB | The non-profit organization Huskies Pull Together is collecting canned beverage tabs with the goal of collecting one million by the end of the school year. The money earned from recycling the tabs will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House Foundation, which supports programs that work to improve the health and wellbeing of children and helps families with ill children at the Advocate Children’s Hospital in Chicago. The money donated to the foundation will provide a more permanent, low-cost stay for the families so they can be close to their children, especially if they live out of state. More than 30 departments, individuals and student organizations have collected about 400,000 tabs since 2013, according to the Huskies Pull Together webLiz McKee site. If the goal Huskies Pull is reached, Together assistant Huskies Pull director Together will become a member of the Ronald McDonald House Foundation’s Thanks a Million club. “Huskies Pull Together shows small access service can make an impact,” said Assistant Program Director Liz McKee. The organization helps families who are going through the hardest parts of their lives, McKee said. The program also promotes student involvement and leadership within the NIU community. Huskies Pull Together wants to work with the Student Association, which could have students volunteer to collect tabs during tailgating.
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Huskies Pull Together shows small access service can make an impact.” Liz McKee Huskies Pull Together Assistant Director
McKee said that student organizations are encouraged to facilitate events focused on collecting tabs so NIU can reach its goal. Since the organization is a passive program, meaning it doesn’t have events, Huskies Pull Together tries to promote its initiative through its website and by working with the Huskie Food Pantry. “We work with the Huskie Food Pantry, and a lot of students come in wanting to volunteer,” McKee said. The program also hopes to work with residence halls to promote the initiative, McKee said. Students can go to the Campus Life Building lobby or Student Recreation Center to drop off tabs in the red, wooden boxes marked with posters about the foundation.