Dear Campus Community,

I am writing to update you about the delays in processing financial aid by our Financial Aid Office (FAO) at Shoreline. When the College first converted from the old HP system to the new ctcLink system in March, the FAO team continued to navigate many of its familiar processes (specifically during the Spring Quarter) in HP.  And they did so as they simultaneously trained and prepared their staff on cTcLink. Their goal was to fully train their staff by the start of the Summer Quarter. 

It has been a steep learning curve for the FAO team (which many of you across campus have also navigated). They have done a tremendous job in managing this transition, onboarding new staff, and offering continuous training. Since the start of the Spring Quarter, the FAO team has also experienced many other unforeseen issues, including limited staffing, fraudulent enrollment activity, delays in communication and error-resolution from the SBCTC, as well as the structure and format of the training required to gain confidence in using cTcLink. 

The College has taken the issues above seriously, and has undertaken the following steps to provide support to the FAO team and for our students:

·         Develop an immediate connection to the SBCTC to gain support – and immediate response – when staff at Shoreline need assistance with processing financial aid.  Our new Dean, Chippi Bello, has been communicating with SBCTC to ensure regular feedback and training are occurring.

·         Identify additional outside staff to assist in daily financial aid processing.  Chippi Bello identified two individuals currently supporting the college in contract service that can assist in file review processing. We are seeking additional support for the team by adding two more part-time staff (for a total of 4 additional temporary staff).

·         The FAO team is reviewing and prioritizing their workload accordingly and making file review a top priority.

Although navigating these new processes around application review and packaging of financial aid for students in cTcLink is more cumbersome than in the previous system, the FAO team continues to learn and improve its capabilities. Additionally, they have been communicating and explaining these delays to students in the interest of transparency. Notably, any student who has applied for aid currently in the processing pipeline will have a hold placed on their account to prevent them from being dropped while the FAO team reviews and processes their application.  We ask that you please share this information with any concerned student you may interact with. 

If there are additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact Chippi Bello or me. 

Sincerely,

Dean Bello (cbello@shoreline.edu) and VP King.

Shoreline Community College

pking@shoreline.edu

206.546.4651

Important Dates:

• May 30, 2022: students who complete one of the 2022-2023 financial aid applications (FAFSA or WASFA) will receive notification of the receipt of their financial aid information and next steps in the process
• May 31, 2022: Students reminded of FAFSA/WAFSA deadlines and disbursements dates
• June 13, 2022: COVID-19 Pandemic Assistance Fund application will be available
• July 5, 2022: Summer Quarter 2022 disbursement will start for grants and loans

Important Information:

• Summer Quarter starts on June 27. Financial Aid Disbursement will start on July 5. Students will need to plan for books and supplies for the first week of the term.
• COVID-19 Pandemic Assistance Fund available to students facing financial hardship during the pandemic. We highly recommend students apply for federal pandemic assistance funds. Students can request up to a maximum of $2,298 per quarter to help pay for tuition, technology needs, textbooks, rent, food, childcare, or healthcare expenses will be available starting June 13,  2022.   Students can apply at: https://www.shoreline.edu/apply-and-aid/funding-and-aid/financial-aid/emergency-funds.aspx
• The Financial Aid Office is in the process of converting to the new statewide technology system (ctcLink), this may cause delays in the financial aid process for some students. This delay will not impact student’s registration and attending classes. Students attending Summer Quarter 2022 who are eligible for grants and/or submits a loan request form will be held in classes until aid eligibility can be determined.

Ask of you:

• Please encourage students to apply for financial aid
• Please encourage students to apply for the COVID-19 Pandemic Assistance Fund

How to Contact the Financial Aid Office

E-mail: financialaid@shoreline.edu

In-Person: M-TH, 8-4:30PM

Phone: 206.546.4762

For more information on the 2022-2023 Financial Aid process and to check your financial aid status online: https://www.shoreline.edu/apply-and-aid/funding-and-aid/financial-aid/default.aspx