Positioning Yourself

on Campus

Sara Beth Holman2014 MASFAA PresidentDirector of Financial AidLawrence UniversityAppleton, WI

sara.b.holman@lawrence.edu

If you learn just a single

thing Scout, you’ll get along

a lot better with all kinds of

folks. You never really

understand a person until

you consider things from his

point of view…until you

climb into his skin and walk

around in it.

Atticus Finch in “To Kill A

Mockingbird” (1962)

Positioning Yourself

on Campus

6:00 amTime to stop hitting snooze & get ready for work . . .

My Calendar• 8:30 am – Staff Meeting• 9:45 am – Appeals Committee

• 11:00 am – Conference Call• 11:30 am – Review Docs• 1:00 pm – Committee Meeting

• 2:30 pm – Open Office Hours

• 6:00 pm – Financial Aid Night

• 9:00 pm – Home at Last!

Shower thoughts . . . . I

wonder if I have time

for that massage today

during lunch? Not likely. Ugh, I forgot that I have a meeting

with the “Doomsday”

Committee. Maybe we’ll actually get something accomplished. Yeah,

right, and maybe the

Pell Grant will double.

I wonder if I can get Ryan to go for me . . .

that’s a thought. I probably should put something in the crockpot for dinner. Oh,

wait, guess not – I have

a financial aid night tonight . . .

What is Self Awareness?• Knowing yourself• Understanding why you

do what you do & why you feel the way you feel• Seeing yourself as

others see you• Solicit & be open to honest feedback from others

The Commute and my wondering mind . . . Why are some people so #^!@ frustrating to work with? Oops, that’s a quarter in the bad word jar at home. Good thing we don’t have one of those in the office - we could fund a few students with just that. Look at that jerk, he just cut right in front of me and it is not even Wednesday! I am definitely going to need to stop and get a large Diet coke today. . .

7:00 am Commute

Self Awareness• Benefits of Being Self Aware

• Find situations in which you

will be most effective

• Capitalize on your strengths

& manage your weaknesses

• Know what gets you excited

& motivated

• Know when to say “No”

“It takes courage to grow up and turn

out to be who you really are.”

-E.E. Cummings

8:30 amStaff Meeting

Build

ing

a So

lid

Team

Starts with solid leadership!

Lead

ersh

ip

a true leader has the confidence to stand alone,

the courage to make tough

decisions and the compassion to listen to the

needs of others. He doesn't

set out to be a leader, but

becomes one by the quality

of his actions and the integrity of his intent. In the

end, leaders are much like

eagles... they do not flock;

you find them one at a time.

Coming together is a beginning.

Keeping together is progress.

Working together is success.

- Henry Ford

Build

ing

a So

lid

Team

• Have a mission• Make sure your staff knows what is expected of them• Make their opinions

count- follow up on ideas• Do NOT micromanage!

• If you’re doing it all yourself, you’re doing it wrong!

Building a Solid Team

• Empower

• Share your goals & set clear

expectations

• Provide them with the training and

learning opportunities they need

to be successful

• Involve employees in decision

making – but give them the

resources they need to make a

decision

• Don’t just give them the grunt

work – give them the opportunity

to be involved and noticed!

"The basic building block of good

teambuilding is for a leader to promote

the feeling that every human being is

unique and adds value."

Building a Solid Team

• Delegate . . . successfully!

• If you have an outcome in

mind, tell them

• The big picture – are they

aware of it?

• Have you provided the

resources they need?

• Progress - what is your

expectation for feedback?

• Say thank you!

"A team is more than a

collection of people. It is a

process of give and take."

Building a Solid Team

• Know when to ask for help

• Asking for help is not a sign of

weakness or failure . . . but not

asking for help when you need it

is!

• Asking for help means you are

open to ideas, possibilities,

advice, etc.

• Tap into those who have the

resources you need

• Most people will do their best to

help – they want to help!

Leadership is knowing  when to ask for help,

accepting it with grace, and learning how to

offer it.  

~ Larysa Slobodian

Own Your MistakesBu

ildin

g a

Solid

Te

am • Take Responsibility

• Use Mistakes as a Learning Opportunity

Share the AccoladesBu

ildin

g a

Solid

Te

am• Recognize the work of others

• Show Appreciation

10:00 amAppeals Committee

It doesn’t hurt to ask . . .

A student's mother wanted us to

increase COA because a fraternity

had made a panty raid on the

sorority & stolen several of her

bras...,.."they were all from

Victoria's Secret and very

expensive."

In asking for a budget adjustment, a

student included their liquor stores

purchases for food...

I was a brand new financial aid counselor, listening to a law student share his sob story of why he needed a budget revision. His roommate was home all day, she didn't have a job, ate all his food, etc. I looked him right in the eye and said "Girlfriends are NOT an educational expense.“

Jayme Jarrett, Ohio Northern University

Defining “reasonable allowance” for personal expenses . . .

Reas

onab

le o

r Nec

essa

ry

Expe

nse?

I had a family who were in

tears in my office...they lost

their vacation home due to

hardship....never mind that

the home they resided was

paid for years ago....so they

wanted an increase in the

student's COA to take a family vacation....since they

no longer had their vacation

home....

11:00 amConference Call

Incr

ease

you

r Ar

sena

l • Build relationships with other financial aid professionals

• Get involved at the state, regional, and national level

Incr

ease

you

r Ar

sena

l

• Take advantage of opportunities for personal and professional growth

• Promote your awesomeness• Keep your supervisor informed • Validate your activities by

sharing results• Share your knowledge with

others

Incr

ease

you

r Ar

sena

l • Help others find success• What information or

expertise do you have that

will help others?• How can you share it with

them?

11:30 amReview Documents

Special

Circumstance

Form

I have a residency form that says “indicate each state that you have lived in and the time period you lived in those states”

The Challenging Questions We Ask On Forms . . .

Answer…MN 11/26/96 until “still living”

On the Common Application a student listed her father’s occupation as “Homemaker.” A call from the student requesting additional financial aid prompted us to look at this information. It didn’t make sense because the father had $40K+ of income.

Then we looked at the tax return. Dad is a self-employed contractor that builds homes.

“Here’s a copy of my award from the school I used to attend. Now you know what I should be awarded.”

Just In Case We Don’t Know What We Are Doing . . .

Hi there, I just turned in a final paper to finish an incomplete class. I look forward to the boost in financial aid now that I have achieved a junior-level amount of credits.

1:00 pm“Doomsday” Committee Meeting

People who enjoy meetings should not be in charge of anything.

Thomas Sowell

Meetings: Being an Active Participant

• Have a purpose• Make sure all invited know the what,

why, when, & where• What question do you want answered

or issue resolved?

• Be Prepared• Demonstrate that you value peoples

time by sending relevant information out ahead of time and staying on task

• Only invite those who are necessary• If you think you can “wing it” you risk

losing your planned focus• What do you expect of attendees?

There are 55 ceiling tiles in this meeting room and 6

fixtures with fluorescent

bulbs.

Meetings: Being an Active Participant

• Get input from all present• Don’t let a few people

dominate the discussion

• Don’t make assumptions or have unrealistic expectations• Be clear about actions,

outcomes, and expectations• Follow up

• Know when to move on

• Don’t hoard

information

• Be a team player

• Value is in sharing what

you know

“Being powerful is like being a lady . . . if you

have to tell people you are, you aren’t.”

Margaret Thatcher

Are you serious? We just sat hear for an hour rehashing the same thing we’ve talked about for the last 3 meetings and now you give us this information? Do you know how much time we’ve wasted, not to mention how much money each of these meetings is costing the university?

• How do you get what you need from Information Hoarders?• Ask Questions . . . lots of

questions!• Play Dumb• What exactly does that mean?• Can you give me an example?• What would happen if . . .?

Whe

n Qu

estio

ns

are

the

Answ

er

Beco

min

g a

“Go

To”

Pers

on o

n Ca

mpu

s

• Treat allies as equals, regardless of their position• Be the person willing

to go above & beyond• Don’t be the party

pooper• Choose your battles wisely

Misu

nder

stan

din g

Misunderstandings are a normal part of communication either

because we unintentionally

or intentionally use the wrong words or because we don’t understand what

is being said to us. To prevent misunderstanding

know who you’re talking to,

be respectful, and be sure

of what you want to say.

Deal

ing

with

Co

nflict

• Avoid Conflict Avoidance• Before confronting conflict,

know what you are looking for

in resolution• State the issue • Be Brief• Stick to facts • Do not be judgmental (stay away

from saying “I feel”)• Allow them to respond• Avoid arguing (which often

means avoid defending why you

feel the way you do)• Focus on the issue

2:30 pmOpen Office Hours

Having just started at a new institution as their new director, I jumped in to help the growing lines. I stepped out of my office and say "May I help the next person in line?" A lady near the front turned and looked at me and said "We want someone who DOES financial aid...". She laughed and turned back in line. I managed to help everyone in line before she made it in to see a specialist. She was too embarrassed to come see me. I have been "doing" financial aid for 20 years!

Pam Palermo Northwestern Michigan College

I Need to Speak to the Director . . .

Consumer

Information

“You mean I have to read

every line of every letter

you send to me?”

"No one told

me."

"Don't ask me, my parents do

everything."

"FAFSA, what is that?“

"I never got that e-mail...“

"What's the point of my student working so hard for a 4.0 in high school if it means he's not getting paid anything for college?"

"But I REALLY don't remember ever

taking out a student loan - wouldn't I

have had to sign something first?!" "It really takes that long to get an aid package? What do ya'll do all day?"

Parent: “Can you tell me what part of my son’s financial aid award is loans?”

FA: “He has a Subsidized Stafford of $4,500, an Unsubsidized Stafford of $2,000 and a Perkins of $2,100.”

Parent: “So which of those does he have to pay back?”

My student loan is not financial aid because I have to pay it back.

I just found a hidden law that

says if I don’t find a job in the

field I majored in, I don’t have to

pay back my student loans.

What do you mean I can't have that money if I drop out. I'm entitled to that money!

The student had a child, but it was questionable as to whether the student actually provided support for the child because he was living with the baby’s mother in her mother’s household (grandmother). The grandmother called trying to understand the situation and after a brief explanation, she asked, “ Is FAFSA going to force my daughter to marry this guy? Oh God no! Please say no.”

Don’t Hold Anything Back . . .

“I have a condition that you’re aggravating.”

One time in a SAP appeal at one of my former schools a student wrote that he could not complete his classes because of medical issues. He said he had been mugged and "beaten to death". I figured if God reinstated his life, who was I to deny him aid.

Ted Malone, Purdue University

" I really need help to pay for school - I completed the FAFSA and my EFC is below zero.“

Gayla Jenkins University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Occasionally, a Student May Exaggerate . . . Just a Little Bit

I wanted to report a neighbor who

used his financial aid money to buy a

horse trailer.

Can't I bring the papers in after I get back from the beach? I need my refund for my vacation.

Cynthia Hudok, Fairmont State University

What do you mean my student loan funds are not in yet, but today's Halloween. Now I don't know how I'll get my costume!

Christina Rose

Did you really just say that?

“I have a personal relationship with the financial aid director.”

4:00 pmThe phone rings . . . We have to

have WHAT done by WHEN?

Navig

atin

g In

stitu

tiona

l Pol

itics • Understand the campus

climate• Align office goals with institutional goals• Know the “hot button”

issues

Navig

atin

g In

stitu

tiona

l Pol

itics • Bring suggested solutions

– not just problems – to the table• Be aware of your

nonverbal communication• Do not blindside your

employee(s), your boss, or

a colleague

Desirability Factor:

Which One are You?

Low Desirability

• Can’t you just help

me with this?

• It will never get

done if we have to

call her.

• The thought of

working with that

office makes me

cringe.

• She is so negative.

Her glass isn’t

even half empty –

there is no glass!

High Desirability

• Oh, I know who we

can call!

• You can really

count on her to

get the job done

right and on time.

• That office is great

to work with!

• She has such a

“can do” attitude,

let’s definitely ask

her to help.

Navig

atin

g In

stitu

tiona

l Pol

itics

• Identify the Power Players

& the “Go To” people• Who are the holders of

information?• Who makes the decisions?• Who influences the decision

makers?• Observe interactions• Who collaborates with

whom?• How do things get done?

FA 1

01 fo

r fa

culty

and

staff

• Do other offices on campus really know what

you do?• Do they understand the financial situations students are faced with?

• Do they reach out to you regarding individual students?• What do you have to offer

them?

Navig

atin

g In

stitu

tiona

l Pol

itics

• It’s not so much who you know, but who knows you!• See and Be Seen• Get out & about on campus

• Email is not the only communication tool – don’t be afraid to pick up the phone

6:00 pmFinancial Aid Night

Stuff FAAs Say . . .

....a Freudian slip? Student had submitted a "special circumstance" form requesting that we re-evaluate his aid. When he phoned he asked the officer on the line if we "evaluated his circumcision yet..." it was all the officer could do to respond in a somewhat normal voice....

"I filled out my faza, when will my money get dispursed to me?"

Where exactly do I find the MUFASSA form? Yep, she meant FAFSA not the dad from Lion King!

Interpreting Financial Aid Terminology . . .

EFC

+ Gi

ft Ai

d >

COA

My parent’s contribution is fixed at $7,500 a year (despite a $160K+ AGI.)

I don't suppose you know of any outside scholarship/grant

opportunities that consider actual need

instead of EFC?

"I'll pay in full next spring after I get my lottery winning payment.“

Cornerstone University

When To Suggest A Back-Up Plan . . .

Can't you just write off our daughter's tuition this year?

8:00 pmHeading Home!

Reca

p of

the

Day

• Be Self Aware• Ask for and accept help• Empower & Delegate• Prepare for meetings• Connect with Decision

Makers• Engage with faculty and other administrators

• Reach out to other FA Professionals• Become the “Go To” person

Make

Wor

k FU

N! • Celebrate Successes• Enjoy Treats• Play Games• Take time to talk and listen• Laugh!

Don’

t los

e sig

ht

of w

hat i

s im

porta

nt