TASFAA Board Meeting

TASFAA Board Meeting October 5-6, 2009 Arlington Sheraton Hotel Arlington, TX

Members and Committee Chairs Present: Rick Renshaw, Carolyn Jones, Lisa Blazer, David Ximenez, Tia Clary, Ed Turney, Amy Hardesty, Lyn Wheeler, Mari Chapa, Jackie Stevens, Kay Mooney, Enrique Garcia, Dana Mingo, Raul Lerma, Richard Silva, Lynn Barnes, Alan Ahmad, Kathy Bassham, Marci Beasley, Shannon Crossland, Tomas Campos

Guests: Kim Alexander, Gary Rodgers, Mike Novak, Tana Savoy

Not Present: Jimmy Parker, Lea Davidson, Melissa Elliott, Laura Elizondo, Wes Vanderburg, Linda Gonzalez-Hensgen, Terri Thompson, Rick Moreno

*************************************************************************************************************

Rick called the meeting to order at 1:10 p.m.

President’s Report Rick Renshaw

Rick introduced Tana Savoy and asked everyone to introduce themselves. Rick did not have a written report for us. He stated that it had been a privilege to work with each of us and stated that we accomplished quite a few things – specifically the changes to the constitution. Legislation was not a large issue this year even though we did squash a few items. The governor is still trying to by-pass the legislature to add merit to the TEXAS Grant program. Legislative wise we were few successful. Rick did talk to Michele Chen in Senator Cornyn’s Office. She would like to have some information on what affect it would have on schools to make the transition to DL by the deadline. Another item that he discussed with her was the Year Round Pell. He discussed that Pell changes would not go into effect until 2012 and until then we would have to deal with the Departments definition of acceleration in the bill. Rick encouraged us to write our congressmen to get the bill changed and remove or change the definition of accelerated from the final regulations. Linda Gonzales was working on getting some information to us on the changes to the membership structure and dues but due to work issues she has been unable to get that completed. Membership structure and dues was an issue that has not been completed and will be something that we will need to continue to work on next year. Melisa Elliott has been sick all year and we have not been able to do all that we wanted to do with membership this year. The unfinished business that we have from this year will be something that Carolyn is equipped to handle with the team that she has assembled for next year. Lisa will share information about the Attorney General decision and we look forward to the change that may come from this. Hopefully many that were unable to volunteer to work with us due to these constraints will be able to get involved again with the association. Rick has enjoyed the year and it has been a challenging year. He is proud of what all we have done and stated that we are in good shape as we move forward.

Rick passed around envelopes with certificates for the committee chairs to pass on to their committee members. Rick checked on several committee members that were not registered for the conference to see if they are still participating in TASFAA.

Vice President’s Report David Ximenez

David did not have a written report. He thanked Dana for making arrangements for today’s meeting and dinner tonight. David asked Carolyn about the volunteer forms that he has been receiving. He asked what else he needed to do with the information. Carolyn stated that he will

1 need to pass the information on to the new VP after one has been selected. David has a spreadsheet of volunteers and will send the updated list to the new VP.

President-Elect Carolyn Jones

Carolyn did not have a written report. She is working on the budget for next year and volunteer list. Carolyn did send an email out welcoming the new members to the board. The board will meet tomorrow from 3:30-4:45 tomorrow in this room.

Past President and Planning & Evaluation Committee Reports Lisa Blazer

Lisa discussed an email notice that she had gotten from UT’s attorney that stated that they no longer have to follow the Attorney General’s Code of Conduct. Lisa gave an overview of why UT signed the Code of Conduct. UT no longer has to follow the Code of Conduct since TASFAA, NASFAA, SWASFAA are not considered a lender. UT system will follow the federal guidelines.

She also discussed the Regional Training and gave an overview of what was discussed at the last meeting. She will share the survey results with the new training committee. The new committee will have to come up with curriculum, find locations, determine cost, focus on training for front line staff, etc.

Lisa also discussed how we review presentations prior to presenting. Lisa volunteered to review the presentations. She discussed the option to submit the presentations for program review and the process is all on line. She served as a program reviewer and she answered 5 or 6 questions to see if that might be a system that we could use and remove the burden from the committee. It is a NASFAA website that was used. A suggestion was made to include the source of information for the presentations – handbook, regulation, etc. Lisa thinks we need the review for accuracy. This online source is more for the topic, theme or content. Rick asked who would be responsible for this and Lisa stated that the committee would be responsible for the review. Lisa suggested that the committee recruit directors to help review. Dana thinks a system is needed to be sure that information is correct. Rick asked that Dana give Lisa’s information to Ann to use next year. He suggested that Ann bring this to the January board and Rick asked if it could be added into the website – ATAC may already have the information to utilize but we need to find out what the cost may be for this service.

PAST PRESIDENT’S REPORT October 2009

Attorney General Code of Conduct update:

UT System institutions received some great news regarding the Attorney General Code of Conduct. We are no longer required to comply with the Texas Higher Education Fair Lending Practices Agreement (the “Agreement”) entered into between UT Austin and the Texas Attorney General (the “AG”) that governed our institution’s relationship with student loan lenders. Instead, we must only comply with the federal code of conduct governing those relationships.

Based on the federal code of conduct, professional financial aid associations are no longer defined as lenders, which mean we can accept reimbursement from TASFAA, SWASFAA and NASFAA for participation on boards and committees. This is effective immediately. GREAT NEWS!

TASFAA Regional Training

Here is a brief summary of our discussion at the last board meeting regarding the direction we would like to take with our TASFAA Regional Training, now that NASFAA has decided to “centralize” training through webinars.

2  TASFAA will support NASFAA’s centralized process, but each school will participate individually in the webinars  Charge for the Regional Training Committee for 2009-10 will be: o Set up spring training sessions o Identify topics/themes based on the survey that was conducted (Blazer will provide a copy of the results to the new chair for 2009-10) – try to offer topics that NASFAA is not offering in their webinars o Develop a curriculum o Create locations and dates for the training (8-10 sites) o $25-30 cost – we still want to keep the cost low o Continue to provide training for our front line/counselors and support staff

Future Idea for Conference Presentation Review:

I recently had an opportunity to serve as a program reviewer for the NASPA annual conference. In our recent board meetings, we have discussed the fact that we would like to come up with a process that will allow for a review of proposals to ensure presenters are staying on track with appropriate regulations and providing the most up to date and accurate information. It was a great process to be a part of because I volunteered to be a reviewer and then received 3 sessions to review online, submitted them and then the conference committee will review the presentations. I have attached the review process, a copy of one of the presentations and a screen print of what I had to complete. The ratings were strongly disagree, disagree, agree and strongly agree and then I provided brief comments. This may be something to work towards for the future.

Treasurer’s Report Tia Clary

Tia reviewed the Budget vs. Actual and the Assets. She stated that Gary with ING will cover the investments in a little while. Tia asked for authorization to liquidate the CD’s in the event funds are needed. The Finance Committee gave her authorization to liquidate if needed. She reviewed the bank accounts and the small amount of funds currently available. She discussed that about $18000 was outstanding from the fall conference. She discussed the Fall Conference Fees. She stated that the fiscal year ends on October 31st. Tia reviewed the Fall Conference expenses as this will determine if we will need to liquidate the CD’s. Some investments were cashed out and she has a check ready to deposit when she returns to the office. Rick asked if the Fall Conference Fees reported had been collected and Tia confirmed that it has. He stated that this would be close to what was budgeted.

TASFAA Balance Sheet As of October 5, 2009

Total ASSETS Current Assets Bank Accounts Certificates of Deposit 63,602.70 Checking 0.00 ING 330,416.70 Plains Capital Bank 5,092.56 Savings 0.00

3 Savings - Plains Capital Bank 785.67 Total Bank Accounts $ 399,897.63

Monday, Oct 05, 2009 02:25:52 PM PDT GMT-7 - Cash Basis

TASFAA Budget vs. Actuals: Fiscal Year 2009 - FY09 P&L November 2008 - October 2009

Total Actual Budget $ Over Budget Income ABC Workshop Fees 4,445.00 6,500.00 -2,055.00 Fall Conference Fees-Current YR 117,475.33 127,375.00 -9,899.67 Investment Revenue 1,345.76 1,500.00 -154.24 Membership Dues 33,200.00 37,500.00 -4,300.00 Miscellaneous 483.99 0.00 483.99 New Aid Officers Workshop Fees 29,825.00 41,450.00 -11,625.00 Regional Training Fee 10,429.00 9,375.00 1,054.00 Total Income $ 197,204.08 $ 223,700.00 -$ 26,495.92 Expenses Administrative/Miscellaneous 10,077.31 10,000.00 77.31 Annual Report Printing 3,250.00 -3,250.00 Awards 28.96 300.00 -271.04 Awareness & Partnership Development 1,800.00 1,500.00 300.00 Board of Directors 12,076.15 15,000.00 -2,923.85 Communications Network 250.00 -250.00 Constitution and Bylaws 400.00 750.00 -350.00 Database Services 4,345.00 7,000.00 -2,655.00 Fall Conference Committee 2,534.18 3,000.00 -465.82 Fall Conference-Current Year 121,810.19 125,000.00 -3,189.81 Fall Conference-Prior Year 166,867.95 166,867.95 Finance Committee 250.00 -250.00 High School Partnership Trng 387.79 4,000.00 -3,612.21 Mack Adams Scholarship 3,792.65 10,000.00 -6,207.35 Membership 0.00 750.00 -750.00 Newsletter 1,000.00 750.00 250.00 Nominations & Elections 500.00 500.00 0.00 President's Advisory Council 500.00 -500.00 President's Discretionary 50.00 1,250.00 -1,200.00 Public Relations 0.00 0.00 Regional Training 13,146.47 18,000.00 -4,853.53 Regional Training Committee 2,000.00 -2,000.00 Scholarship Committee 500.00 -500.00 Service Awards 1,000.00 -1,000.00 Site Selection 57.75 750.00 -692.25 Stipend-Secretary 2,400.00 2,400.00 0.00

4 Stipend-Treasurer 4,200.00 4,200.00 0.00 Training Committee 2,441.65 3,000.00 -558.35 Training-NAOW/ABC 29,256.37 28,000.00 1,256.37 Travel 0.00 Past President 0.00 0.00 President 4,144.21 2,250.00 1,894.21 President Elect 4,349.37 4,250.00 99.37 Rookie of the Year (Trailblazer Award) 250.00 -250.00 Total Travel $ 8,493.58 $ 6,750.00 $ 1,743.58 Uncategorized Expenses 2,000.00 -2,000.00 Total Expenses $ 385,666.00 $ 252,650.00 $ 133,016.00 Net Income -$ 188,461.92 -$ 28,950.00 -$ 159,511.92

Monday, Oct 05, 2009 02:45:20 PM PDT GMT-7 - Cash Basis

Secretary/Historian Report Amy Hardesty

Presented the minutes and discussed the progress of updating the Time Capsule on the website. Amy will continue to work on getting the information updated on the website.

Partners Reports

TGSLC Kim Alexander

Kim discussed her report with the board. It contains a senate update that was provided by George that was given to ATLE on a recent conference call. The Texas volume was up almost 4% at $3.6 billion despite significant losses to DL. The forecasted total for the year was $3.5. Increases to enrollment and to limits played a part in the increases. National volume was up as well at $6.7 billion which was an increase of 79% from the prior year. They had a goal of $9 billion. TG is committed to providing services including the subsidy which will be in place until June 30th, 2010. There will be a significant change on the front end/origination of the loan process. TG’s portfolio is about $26 billion and this will be a significant portion of their work in the future. There are some opportunities for guarantors and they are looking at the options. TG has one of the largest reserves which will be a benefit to them. Kim also discussed upcoming events and training opportunities. Kathy asked if Kim could update the board on who is on The Council – advisory group comprised of schools and lenders and it focused strictly on default prevention and delinquency prevention aspects. TUG – TG Users Groups that is focused on operational systems information and input based upon products and services. The Lender School Advisory Committee is a mandated statute requirement that is comprised of 12 lenders and 15 schools. The Advisory Committee for Community College Center that is a smaller group that is focused on community college issues. There is also a National School Committee that is a smaller group of 9 schools that are of their national representative population. David asked what the Gulf Coast Consortium Community College Forum. Kim stated that it is comprised of the Houston Gulf Coast Area community college forum to discuss regulations, federal update, items that are specific to community colleges. This is for schools in the area that can’t attend the central meeting. This is the first year for the gulf coast. TASFAA’s February meeting will be held in Austin so the board can help with the telethon. Kim stated that TG has a list of all schools in Texas by sectors. Henry asked about the Symposium cost and what was covered. Kim stated that the fee was $1000 and it includes all cost once in Austin. It does not include airfare. Richard asked for the location of the telethon and it will be at TG.

5 TG Guarantor Update TASFAA BOARD MEETING October 7, 2009 Arlington, Texas

TG completed the fiscal year ending September 20th with record loan volume. Texas volume was over $3.6 billion and national volume was over $6.7 billion. Texas volume increased 4% despite the current fiscal year losses to Direct. TG guaranteed twice as much national volume this fiscal year than last again despite transitions to Direct from fiscal year 2008 customers.

We have begun the new fiscal year with a keen focus and direction from our Board. The Board recently approved the FY 2010 budget which continues to provide for quality service attention for customers and enhancements as well as new product development throughout the award year. We will do this by continuing to provide quality service levels, tools and services that bring value to the market and continue to subsidize the federal default fee through June 30, 2010. The schools that remain in FFELP have service and tool needs that will be provided by the same level and quality of service they have come to expect from TG. For those that have transitioned or will be transitioning to Direct, gap service discussions are on- going related to how TG can assist them with tools and services not provided for in Direct currently or not planned for at the same levels needed especially in the areas of default aversion, financial literacy and training. The 2010 budget approved also provides for pursuit of possible contract services not related to origination or guarantee functions that result from approval of HR 3221 or changes resulting from what comes from the Senate. This contracting possibility would have to be beneficial to the Texas market and be in line with TG’s public service mission. Key upcoming events and meeting dates:  TG Lender School Advisory – Round Rock, Nov. 10, 2009. New Member Orientation Nov. 9. The TG LSA Committees will meet at TG on November 10th for the first meeting of the new fiscal year.  The Council for the Management of Education Finance will meet at TG on Oct. 30th.  TG User Group (TUG) will meet at TG on Nov. 5th  TG Training Webinars o Oct. 5th CDR o Oct. 15th Getting familiar with Electronic Resources o Oct. 21st Gulf Coast Consortium Community College Forum  TG Board of Directors meeting Dec. 14th and 15th  TG Financial Aid Leadership Symposium – TG Round Rock – February 8-12, 2010; TG will appreciate the TASFAA Board’s assistance to help make this event a success; Flyers were distributed to board members and several board members acknowledged the value and success of the symposium.  TG FAFSA Telethon dates are tentatively set for February 9th and 10th.  TG Conference-April 7-9. 2010 AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center (UT Austin) Senate Update Notes from George Torres:

6 The Senate HELP Committee mark-up of the “Investing in Students & Families Act” is tentatively scheduled for October 7th, but on Oct.1st, the Committee staff (Democratic) is reportedly saying the mark- up may be delayed until the following week.

The deadline for a reconciliation bill to be reported from the HELP Committee to the Senate Budget Committee is October 15th. However, this is a “soft” date. If the deadline is missed, the Budget Committee has the authority to develop a reconciliation bill on its own. A decision to couple the student loan reform bill with the health care reform bill has not been reached, but both bills are drafted as reconciliation bills at this time.

There is an effort involving about 15 moderate Senate Democrats to develop alternative legislation that would use the FFELP community proposal as a model. However, such legislation would have to achieve far greater savings (as scored by the CBO) than the community proposal.

The Republican members of the HELP Committee – led by Lamar Alexander- are drafting a substitute bill that will be offered when the Committee mark-up occurs.

The Committee has received over 60 letters requesting a delay in the July, 2010 DL transition implementation date and/or a preservation of borrower and school-support services.

The House Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong learning, & Competitiveness, chaired by Ruben Hinojosa, will hold oversight hearings on October 14th and in November on recently released GAO reports that document problems associated with the federal student loan programs at proprietary schools (October 14th hearing) and HBCUs. TG has been requested to submit written testimony for the November hearing.

ING Investments Gary Rodgers

Gary went over TASFAA’s investment status. We sold two small cap positions and turned that into cash. $25000 should be withdrawn from the account today. This will leave about $7496.93 in cash in the account after the withdrawal. That will leave us in a moderately conservative position and that does not include the CD’s, savings and checking accounts Tia went over. There have been withdrawals of about $130,000 over the past 10 months. He needs to know if we will need that amount of funds in the near future. At this rate, funds will only last about two years. Gary went over the report with us. Gary discussed taking a position in the natural gas area and stated that we want to hold it until February and then exit from this position. This should provide an upswing by the end of the year. We invested about $4640 in natural gas. He is watching the mid cap fund to see if we need to exit from it in the near future. Gary discussed each of the funds that are within our portfolio and gave information on risk and return. Current rating of our portfolio is a 4 on a scale of 1-10 as far risk goes so we are moderately conservative. Gary asked for guidance on where we need to go and any upcoming withdrawals. Tia wanted to clarify if the reports were as if the withdraw of $25000 was taken out and Gary confirmed. This will leave about $74096 in the fund. Rick discussed with Gary that we may need about $20,000 next year. We are working on making some arrangements but we may have some additional cash flows needs. Carolyn is looking at a $15000 shortfall for next year and Rick cushioned it. Gary asked when funds might be needed. Tia stated that next summer or early fall that the additional funds might be needed. Carolyn stated that we have two additional CD’s that come due next year as well. Gary said they are continuing to monitor the economic activities and that there might be a smaller growth depending upon the incentives being offered by the government. Rick told Gary that Joe Pettibon will be the President Elect and will be the head of the Finance Committee next year.

ATLE Amanda Dickinson

7 Amanda thanked the board for working with ATLE and their members. She thanked Rick for representing TASFAA well. She gave an update on their memberships – 33 members. They have been an active group with all the changes going on regarding lending. The ATLE commitment is to continue to serve until the end. This year they made a donation TAKE for Link Up Greater Houston. They sponsored about 30 kids to attend the training on setting goals. Also gave to Ritz Historical Society in Lubbock Lincoln-Douglas Debate Society to help with scholarships. They also contributed to mother/daughter program to encourage the girls to go to school. They have seen mothers return to school as well from this program. They also had more involvement from their members to reach out to elementary kids about planning for college. They give a piggy bank (safe) and a certificate at the completion of their program. (Kindergarten to College) She asked if the board knows of an area or opportunities that they could take this program out to schools in our areas they want to continue to take this program out into the state. Amanda will serve again this next year as president for ATLE. She stated that in their meeting tomorrow they will be discussing future plans for the organization. She is open to feedback and wants to know if there is anything that they could do. Raul asked about partnering with TASFAA and Rick suggested that the Early Awareness Committee might be able to help with the Kindergarten to College program. Amanda will formalize the program and send it out to the board. ATLE will have their board meeting tomorrow morning. Rick stated that he really appreciates ATLE, their partnership and all that they have done.

ED Mike Novak

A report was not provided. They will be providing an update at the conference.

ICUT Carol McDonald

A report was not available.

Standing Committee Reports

Fall Conference Dana Mingo

Rick asked Dana to give us an idea of other expenses for the conference. Tia gave an update on cash that we have hand to cover the expenses – currently have about $5000 plus the additional $25000 from the cash from the sale of investments which will give us about $30,000 in cash. Tia also stated that there was about $18,000 outstanding from conference fees. That would give us approximately $48,000 to cover additional conference fees. Rick stated that Dana has done a good job staying within the budget. The issue that we have is on the room reservation. We are about 100 room nights short and that will cost us about $11000. We also had an overflow contract with the Hilton for 500 rooms and we only picked up 72 rooms. The deadline to reduce the room block was a year ago. This will cost us about $55000. This needs to be factored into the conference expenses as well. Jackie also discussed that she is going to need $3000 for pin purchases. We have pulled $130000 out of reserves and will have to pull another $67000 from reserves. Carolyn and Rick discussed that her budget will have a deficit. Tana suggested that we work with the Hilton to see if we could negotiate to have board meetings there next year since the conference penalties are going to have to be paid. Rick asked David to check on that and that he work with Jim Ann Batenhorst as he begins checking on this. Dana asked about the negotiation with the hotels so that someone could check on things being realistic as far as when deadlines are to reduce the room block. 2010 will be in Galveston and the contract was for 900 rooms and they dropped those to 800 but lost some perks by doing this. 2011 will be back in Arlington. Dana stated that one thing to keep in mind is if a lot of attendees will be local or commuting then we need to make an adjustment to the room blocks. Carolyn asked if we could get a report at the end of the conference to see how many attendees, how many rooms were

8 used, etc so that the selection committee as well as the conference committee will have access to this information. Tia stated that we have approximately $48000 in cash. She asked that we review of the expenses to see where we can cut back within our budget. Dana stated that she needed to check on the rebate to see if that will allow for a smaller cost. Tia went down the line items in the budget to see what our needs would be the rest of the year. Tia discussed the cost for printing the annual report. Dana discussed any additional expenses for the conference – increase in meals, cut back on AV, etc. Going to need $66000 for room expense and we have about $48000. If Tia liquidates the CD’s, then we will probably meet this year’s budget. Lisa asked if we needed to make cuts in our budget. Lyn stated that we need to start charging what it costs. Tia stated that deficit years are normal but it can’t happen every year. David said that we need to be more aware of our expenses so that we are not wasting funds. Rick discussed costs that will be incurred the rest of the fiscal year. Tia discussed the membership application going live in November that the funds coming in would cover expenses. We are looking at a $15,000 deficit for next year so we may need to give Gary information on what to do so that funds will be available. Carolyn discussed that board meetings are already set but Lisa suggested making a change to where the meetings are held if we could work out a deal with the Hilton. If David will work with the Hilton to make some arrangements for the board meetings, that may help. Rick asked that we review Carolyn’s budget tomorrow to see what we need to do. David asked about having the NAOW moved to Arlington. David asked if there were any other training opportunities to see if we can make some arrangements.

Rick checked on the rebate incentive from the convention center but we will not meet the convention center requirement to get $7000 back but we can get $3/night per room back. He asked Dana to check on it. Rick saw Don Buerher in the hall and he would be glad to help us with the negotiations. Rick also stated that the 2011 contract is identical to this year’s contract. Rick asked everyone to think about ways to cut costs for next year’s the budget. David suggested TG/CB training and Lyn suggested SWASFAA training to be held in Arlington. Rick stated that we will discuss this tomorrow.

Dana gave totals for the conference for attendance and food. (412 Wednesday, 425 Thursday, 385 Friday) She provided the conference agenda and seating arrangements for the meals. There will be a raffle on Thursday to help the charity event and they will raffle off autographed footballs. Rick asked if someone would be here from Big Brothers/Big Sisters to receive the gift and speak about their organization. Dana said they would be here on Wednesday. Rick asked if she would be back to pick up donations. Rick asked Dana to have the representative sit at a reserved table at the front. She went over the activities for the conference – entertainment, president’s reception, Thursday night event. Kathy asked how many vendors would be here and Dana stated that 23 vendors will be here. Contact Dana if there are any room issues. Friday, Cynthia Thornton may need a few more minutes for some additional information. James McMahan is going to be present on Thursday to go over DL servicing. Rick told Dana that she had done a wonderful job.

Finance Carolyn Jones

Carolyn completed the report prior to last week when Tia cashed out some investments. Tia contacted the finance committee to allow her to sell stock and liquidate some CD’s. They approved her to close out two $15000 CD’s. Also the sale of stocks in the amount of $25000 was made last week and it should be finalized today. Rick stated that additional expenses will be coming in for the conference. Rick stated that about $18,000 still needed to be collected for the fall conference and that the additional funds from the sale of the investments will help cover the rest of the expenses. Raul asked about the counselor workshops and funds to help with expenses. Tia stated that the expenses will be a new fiscal year and Lisa stated that a limit would need to be set for the counselor workshop. Henry asked if funds had been used in the past to help with meals and Carolyn stated that there were two locations that were helped with meals through funds from TASFAA.

9 Finance Committee Report: Carolyn Jones, Rick Renshaw, Lisa Blazer and Tia Clary

August 28, 2009

The Finance Committee reviewed best practices based on information gathered at the NASFAA Leadership Conference.

Based on the review of best practices the finance committee made the following changes to the way the association conducts financial business.

Each month after the bank statement is received by Tia she will scan it and forward it to the President for review (currently Rick Renshaw). On November 1 of each year she will change who that information goes to for review as the new president takes office.

A spreadsheet was created of items that have to be renewed or paid on a somewhat regular basis and this spreadsheet will be added to the Policy & Procedure manual as an “Appendix C – Finance Calendar”. This will help insure that important renewals/changes are not skipped or forgotten. This is a work in progress and will be adjusted as the need arises.

Finance Committee Budget

0809 – 250.00

No funds used – all meeting conducted via email.

0910 Budget Request

Stay at $250 just in case it is needed but probably will not be used.

TASFAA Finance Calendar as of 07/28/2009 Item Amount Timeframe

$1,100 Commercial Liability Coverage (approximately) May

Non-Profit Director Officer/Employment $1,700 Practices & Crime Coverage (approximately) September

1099-M Reports for Contract Labor January

Monthly Credit Card Usage Fees Varies Monthly

Annual Audit Board Approves Audit Firm October President Signs Annual Audit Engagement Letter November

10 $2,000 Audit Fee (approximately) December/January File 990 as part of the annual audit

filed State Periodic Report for Non-Profit For 802 Every 4 years 2008 In Policy and Procedures Manual

ATAC Services Contract $335.00 Monthly

Review all outstanding conference contracts October

ADA riders for adequate event liability coverage April and September

Add and delete approved credit card holders November

Send President Copy of Bank Statement Monthly

CD Maturity Dated and Amounts Bank/Maturity Date/Value Chase 10/27/09 $15000 Chase 10/21/10 $7990.60 Chase 01/27/10 $10000 Chase 11/17/09 $15000 Wells 04/19/10 $15000

TASFAA Policy & Procedures Manual Appendix A

TASFAA Finance Calendar…………………………Created August 2009

The purpose of this calendar is to serve as a tool to help identify association expenditures as well as to assure business forms and renewals are completed in a timely manner.

Membership, Mentoring, and Diversity Melissa Elliott

Lynn Barnes had not visited with Melissa. He plans to meet with the committee during the conference. Rick discussed with Miki Roemer the option to continue to help with the association. Rick talked about the Hall of Fame recipients and retirees. Rick suggested that Lynn get with Amy to see if there has been a recommendation for life time membership in the past. The membership committee must recommend to the board that they receive the life time membership. It was suggested that the P&P be changed to allow an automatic life time membership. Rick suggested that Lynn research the recipients and retirees and notify them of their benefits. The conference fee for life time members is listed in the P&P as half cost for conference fees but the website states it is free. Rick stated that this needs to be cleared up. He asked Tia if she knows and she did not. Alan, Lynn, Tia and Carolyn need to get together and work out these issues. Hall of Fame recipients get a life time waiver for the fall conference fee but it does not state anything about membership. Tia stated that this was the first time she had heard of conference fee being waived. Rick suggested that a letter go out to the Hall of Fame members to let them know what is decided. Richard stated that the By-Laws states that life time membership is

11 granted to Hall of Fame recipients. (page 20) Rick stated that he must have looked at an older copy. Kathy stated that the Hall of Fame is automatic but the retirees can come to the board to ask for life time membership. She stated that conference fees should be 50%. Rick asked Kathy to be sure that the website was reconciled regarding these issues.

Nominations & Elections Caren Stewart

Karen reviewed the nomination and election process for this year. She went over the nomination and election outcome. Joe Pettibon ran uncontested as President Elect. Those that were elected to the board are: Enrique Garcia, Laurie Coulter, Mike Carranza, Sharon Mullins and Dana Mingo. There may be a need for the additional nominees.

A motion was made to recognize that the outcome from the elections be accepted was made by David. Raul seconded the motion. The motion carries.

Rick expressed disappointment in the turnout. Rick stated that the election process was not normal this year since the information went out late. Numerous emails were sent to encourage voting. Karen suggested that an email go out with information on who is listed as the voting member at each institution so that institutions can update the contact information.

Rick asked about destroying the ballets and asked Karen to check on the time frame for this to take place. He asked that she work with Alan to get that taken care of and that the by-laws be checked to make sure the procedure is followed. Carolyn thanked her for stepping in at the last minute.

Rick stated that Rick Moreno’s position would need to be filled. Rick will visit with Amanda Jurovic to see if she would be willing to fill his position. He will bring a recommendation to the board after visiting with Amanda.

08-09 Nominations and Elections Committee Report to the Board

As Vice Chair for the Nominations and Elections Committee I assumed the role as Chair on July 17th. The members of the committee are:

Michele Coburn Laura Elizondo Cecelia Jones Caren Stewart

Below is a listing of activities that our committee completed during the nominations and elections process.

Nominations process  Worked with Alan Ahamad to activate nominations form on the website  Distributed email to TASFAA listserv members notifying them of availability of nomination form, listing of open offices and instructions on how to complete nominations  Sent out 2nd (of three) reminder emails to encourage nomination  Contacted Nominations and Elections committee members for assistance in contacting members for participation in the nominations process  Contacted six TASFAA members to personally request nominations  Contacted the five departing board members to solicit interest in being nominated for an additional two years

12  Received a total of eight nominations for the Board Members at Large and one nomination for President Elect.  Contacted committee members to solicit additional nominations  Sent out final reminder for nomination to listserv  Validated the list of nominations to determine that they were eligible to serve the TASFAA board  After the close of nominations, presented the list of eligible nominations to the board for approval as the 2009 candidate slate

Elections process  Communicated candidate slate to membership and announced the elections dates  Sent out three reminders to the membership about the elections, including a reminder to financial aid administrators to verify who is assigned as the voting member for their institution  Elections began on 9/18/09 and ended on 10/2/09  The results of the election are as follows:  2009 General Election Results to Date: October 1, 2009 Total Voters: 55

Candidate Percentage Actual Count

President-Elect Joe Pettibon 100% 49

Board Member [ Vote for 5 ] Mike Carranza 15.97% 42 Laurie Coulter 17.11% 45 Enrique Garcia 17.49% 46 Amanda Jurovic 12.93% 34 Dana Mingo 13.31% 35 Sharon Mullins 13.69% 36 Peggy Rogers 9.51% 25

Training/NAOW Wesley Vanderburg

Wes discussed that 70 attendees for the ABC conference were here today. Wes thanked the board for letting him serve as the committee chair this year. He has had a great committee to work with this year. He said he worked to stay within the budget. He thanked the board for those who presented and for the barbeque dinner at NAOW. There were 83 campers for NAOW. They had estimated that there would be 90 attendees but were able to anticipate a smaller group due to the current climate. He went over the revenue and expenses for NAOW. ABC expenses will be coming in soon. Devon has some great ideas for next year and she will work with Carolyn. Rick asked about the evaluations from NAOW. He asked Wes to have Devon to compile this information into a report for the next board meeting including an evaluation of presenters. Carolyn stated that Wes and Devon asked if presentations could be placed on the website. She has contacted Alan to see if a presentation section can be added to training and regional training sections of the website. Lisa asked if TASFAA conference presentations could also be placed on

13 the website. She also stated if they are placed on the website that it needs to be accurate before it is placed on the website. Raul stated that NASFAA posts their presentation. Wes stated that Alan was concerned with cost from ATAC. Lisa stated we might be able to save money for printing by putting information on a jump drive. Rick stated that we need to look at all these ways to cut costs. Rick thanked Wes for the job that he did and thanked his committee for all their hard work.

Meeting adjourned for the evening at 4:19 p.m.

Meeting resumed on Wednesday morning at 8:40 a.m.

THECB Partner Report Jane Caldwell

Ad Hoc Reports

Awards Jackie Stevens

Jackie went over her report and the quotes received for the pin purchase. She thinks that they will be set for about three years if we go with the first quote of $3062. (Price quotes change $2.55/pin to $3.60/pin) She did ask for a new quote on getting a smaller number of pins $2062 which is about a $1000 less for a lot less pins. The company needs 24 hours to search for a better option. Rick asked if she charted out the membership to see how many pins might be needed in the next few years. Jackie stated that she did not. She was basing her numbers on recent history of the number of pins that have been awarded. Rick asked if we had taken into account this cost during yesterday’s budget discussion. Tia stated that $1000 was not a big difference in the scope of things. Jackie says that she will have pins for everyone who is attending the conference. Jackie will have to mail some pins after the conference and when the pin order is filled. Lisa suggested holding off the purchase until after November when dues start coming in. Jackie stated that it will take 4-6 weeks to get the order and that there would not be a dye cut cost in the future. Carolyn asked about charging a small fee for those who lost their pin possibly charging $5. Jackie stated that she is going to have those who receive the pins this year to initial that they received the pin. Rick stated that it would need to be added to the policy and procedure manual. Lyn asked if it was an issue if we charged for the pins because there was an issue when the cookbooks were sold. Lyn thought the issue was that it was used as a fund raiser. Tia stated that she did not think it would be a problem with our tax exempt status. Tia stated that the cookbook may have been an issue because they were sold outside the membership. David asked if it was really worth it since it is not very much and there would be work to track it, deposit it, etc. Jackie stated that she has had members tell her they did not get their pins and she would give them a pin. Jackie says that since they are tracking it differently that this probably won’t be an issue in the future. Jackie thinks the number of pins given away each year will be larger because the database is being used to determine who is eligible. Rick asked if everyone was alright in postponing the purchase of the pins until next year. Jackie does have information for the past award winners – Hall of Fame, Star Financial Aid Advisor, Trailblazer, etc that she will email to Amy. Jackie will be taking pictures tomorrow. There are three retirees that will be honored tomorrow as well. Rick thanked Jackie for her work this year.

Communications Network Alan Ahmad

Alan reported that he has been trying to keep up with all the needs and feels like he got the information out on the website quickly. He wants to continue to update the information on the website. He has been communicating with Rick and Carolyn to get information for the new

14 committees online. Alan stated that there is a lot of old information on the website and he will need some information on what needs to be archived or removed from the website. Alan is working on a calendar to show when information will need to be updated. His committee is working hard and looking forward to next year. Rick asked if he has developed a relationship with Paul and he stated that he is making a relationship. Alan stated that the NAOW wanted pictures on the website and he wants the committee to know that there are costs to add this type of information. Alan will work on getting costs for these types of requests together for the board. Rick asked Tia where this type of cost is charged and Tia stated that it is charged directly to the committee. Rick visited with him about the archive information updated and that Amy will be working with past presidents to get that information updated. Alan would like to have an archive site that will house older information from committees. Rick suggested that each committee assign one person to work on the website information to have it updated and archived. Carolyn will discuss this with the new board this afternoon. Alan also mentioned the TRAIN network and Rick thinks it would be great to get it up and running. Rick asked if Alan has visited with Jim and he has not been able to reach him. Rick will follow up with Jim. Each school can update TRAIN with their involvement.

October 2009 To: Carolyn Jones and Rick Renshaw From: Alan D. Ahmad, Chairperson, Communication Network Committee Subject: TASFAA Website Carolyn and Rick: As you are aware, the primary function of this Committee has and continues to be as a liaison between Committee Chairs/Vice-Chairs and ATAC to monitor active online forms and submit corrections to information. However, I think there is much more we can do to make www.tasfaa.org a “user-friendly” primary resource for the TASFAA community. I believe the website to be under-utilized and encumbered with antiquated information. In many instances, the most current information reported is years old. In an effort to update information and increase the website’s usefulness, please consider:  Website Survey: Recommendation - Create a (hardcopy) survey form to be distributed to incoming committee Chairs asking for feedback regarding website usage and soliciting recommendations. Chairs would be responsible for Committee response. Although an online survey would be preferable, its creation at this time would incur expenses (ATAC) not in budget. Recommended survey distribution: November 2009. Recommended survey return from committees: January 2010.

 Committee representatives: Recommendation - Each Committee assign a member(s) the responsibility of periodically reviewing all web pages/information relating to their specific committee needs/activity/membership. All changes would be approved by Committee (and/or Board) and submitted to Communications Network Committee for action.

Recommended as soon as possible.  TRAINetwork: Recommendation - Review all aspects and functions of database. Reassign administration, clean up of all (old) data and train all users. Currently, member usage seems to be minimal (at best) and suggest we consider inactivating the network until it can be fully evaluated. This may take some time (as we have already seen) and request assistance from board member(s) (would appreciate your help, Rick).

Carolyn, you have also requested the creation of a calendar to assist Committees in planning and submitting action items to me for timely processing. Instead, I would recommend adding to the information on each committee page. Since the committee pages already have posted a summary of action items associated with the respective month, we could simply add to the existing information. I believe this would be more effective and eliminate the need for a hardcopy calendar or an online page (that would require additional costs). I can have the proposed information (for each Committee’s review) to you and the Board in a timely manner. There should be no expense associated with the action.

15 I thank the both of you for the opportunity to serve in this capacity. In the short time I have spent on this Committee, I have strengthened old relationships and created new ones. As I look forward, I hope to be of further service in the future. See y’all soon! Regards, Alan

Texas Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators

Communication Network Alan D Ahmad, Chair TASFAA Board Report - October 2009

July - October 2009 Activity:

 2009 Fall Conference: Online information and registration. o Status: Completed.  ABC Workshop Registration: Online agenda and active form. o Status: Completed.  Nominations and Elections: Nominations and ballot for 2010 positions. o Status: Completed.  Volunteer Form: Online form active. o Status: Completed.  2009 Annual Report: Assist submission to ATAC (H. Whitis, Lead) o Status: Anticipated complete wk of 10.05.09  TASFAA Times: Fall Issue: Format and online post. o Status: Completed.  Finance Committee: Update: Membership script revision. o Status: Completed.  Employment: Job announcements. o Status: Current.  Website Updates/Revisions: Contact and other revisions submitted by users. o Status: Current

Pending/Future Activity:

 TRAINetwork: Review for future home, training and revisions. Pending.  High School Counselor Workshop: Online resources (R Lerma).  Communications: Website usage (see letter to board, Oct09).  Membership Committee: Application scheduled by 11.01.09 (L. Barnes). Note: Membership expiration date has been extended to 11.30.09 to accommodate processing.

Constitution & By Laws Kathy Bassham

Kathy discussed the year. It started out strong and then her world changed. In June the change to the constitution for the associate membership and the change in the membership fees were updated to allow for flexibility. The committee had a budget of $750 and only spent about $400. Kathy stated that she has not gotten the information updated on the website but she will continue to work on this to be sure that the P&P and Constitution and By-Laws agree with each other. She

16 will work with Shannon on getting the website updated. Kathy will also get information to Amy for the Time Capsule. Rick thanked Kathy for her work this year. Kathy thanked the board for their support and gift that was given in memory of her father to his scholarship program.

Early Awareness Lea Davidson

Raul discussed contacting regions for help with the High School Counselor Training. Raul has three regions that have not responded to the request as a host site. Lisa asked about funding from TASFAA to help with the meal as she cannot cover the expense from her school budget. Carolyn asked how many areas are asking for help. Raul stated only one region has asked for help. Carolyn stated that we have to make it cost affective since we don’t charge for the training. One of our missions for TASFAA is to provide training but we have to find a way to cover the expense. Tia asked if we have to provide free training. Amy asked if a meal had to be a part of the training. Lisa thought the training would last longer than 4 hours. Raul stated that the training could be completed within 4 hours. Rick asked if we could adjust the schedule for half day. Everyone agreed that training could be done in half a day. If the school does not have funds to provide lunch, then the training could be adjusted to half a day. Raul stated that the training is already on the website under resources. Carolyn stated that we are going to provide the training without incurring any cost and Raul confirmed that was correct. Lisa stated that we would have to add state information. Rick asked about trainer costs and Lisa stated that the school is responsible for the training. An idea that might help with attendance if counselors say they have to leave someone in the office, you might offer a session in the morning and one in the afternoon.

Rick reviewed Lea’s report. Carolyn asked Raul about the contract that needs to be signed and Raul stated that he brought the contract with him. The contract is a statement that says as a state organization we are using the information for training. Each site will need to submit a report on the number of attendees, etc. Raul will email a copy of the report to the board. Carolyn asked if he was working with someone regarding the state programs. Raul will check with Jan Caldwell with the Coordinating Board to see what can be done.

Early Awareness / High School Training Committee Annual Report 2008-2009

This year was an interesting year, with so many coming and going. The committee had most of their meetings as conference calls. The H.S. Counselor workbook was updated for the year, and it was decided by the recommendation of the Committee and approval of the TASFAA Board that we would go from paper workbooks to CD’s. We contacted the schools to see who would participate the year in holding the Workshops for us and had a smaller list than the year before, but still had approximately 18 schools host the event for us. We mailed out a total of approximately 1040.00 CD’s, with most of those being given out at the Workshops. We had good evaluations, and mostly positive on the new CD’s, some didn’t like them as much as the workbook, I think that is just a matter of getting use to. The good part is that they can print it off if they want. We also recommended to the TASFAA Board that this upcoming year we participate in the NASFAA program called NT4CM for our upcoming training. They furnish all materials, and each state adds their part to it, they provide free registration and have a website that is very helpful for information, training events, etc. The training for this started in August. Since we don’t start our new Committee Chairs, I asked Raul Lerma and Linda Gonzales to take over so they would not have to come in during the middle of it. They are going to be the Committee Chairs this upcoming year. I do not feel that someone starting in the middle is good, this way they will know exactly what is going on, and start scheduling the training for this next year.

17 I want to thank everyone on the Committee and on the TASFAA Board for being so supportive of me with all the things going on. Thank you all for the Prayers, concern, and thoughts sent to me during the time my husband was in the hospital and recovering at home—he is doing ok, will only have 47% of his lung capacity from now on, and won’t be able to work much—but he’s here and it’s all good. Also for the thoughts during my mom’s heart surgery. This is a wonderful family to have, and each and everyone make a much bigger difference than you know. —So keep on keeping on!! Respectfully submitted Lea Davidson Board Chairperson 2008-2009

Leadership and Diversity Terri Thompson

Legislative Issues Jimmy Parker

Carolyn is looking for members who would like to be on the Legislative Issues committee. She is looking for someone to chair the committee. George has agreed to be on the committee but is not going to chair the committee. She would like someone to communicate with the organization regarding federal and state issues. Rick asked if the volunteer form listed this committee. Carolyn stated that it did not have this on the form.

Rick asked George to send an update on the legislative issues. Heath care is pushing SAFRA back which was expected. The house voted to approve their version. The senate is expected to support the switch to DL and the lenders would be used to service DL and offer private loans. They can use the reconciliation process to get around the 60 vote that is still in play. October 15th is the deadline to get the vote approved. Kathy stated that there has been a lot of talk about this bill in other areas and that there is a lot of support for SAFRA because they are hearing simplification. Rick will be asking for information on the timeline to make the switch to DL and year round Pell issue this afternoon. He encouraged us to read and act on it. Rick would like to encourage the board to have conversations on the list serve. The membership relies on the board to read and share the information with the association and to be a voice for the association.

Newsletter and Public Relations Harold Whitis

Rick stated that Harold was having some printing issues and had hoped to have them for the conference. He used ATAC to print the annual report which saved some money. Rick did notice that retirees are to get a copy of the annual report and stated that we had not taken that into account with the number that were printed.

President’s Advisory Council Linda Gonzalez-Hensgen

A report was not provided.

Rick will be contacting Linda shortly to work with her on recommendations.

Regional Training Marci Beasley

Marci went over the report that she submitted. She stated that with all the changes coming with changes she was not sure how this would affect the committee. She thanked Lisa for her help. She asked Lisa if she had anything to share. Lisa discussed that she made some recommendations yesterday to the board and gave charge to the new chair. Lisa stated that we

18 would see smaller groups since lenders are not participating as they have in the past. She discussed with Carolyn about taking the ABC training out on the road and they have discussed this with Wes and Devon. Rick asked if we have an official break down of the regions in the state. Lisa stated that TRAIN has a break down. Rick stated that Veronica asked about this when she was trying to be fair when selecting scholarship recipients. Nominations and Elections, Regional Training, Scholarship Committees have a need for this as well. Kathy stated that we have used the CB/TG’s regional chart in the past. Lisa stated that some regions have had two locations to help monitor the size of those attending. Lyn stated that Regional Rallies were held in 6 locations in the past. Lisa stated that smaller groups help with participation at the training. Rick stated that it might be good to have the regions set in the P&P manual. Lisa stated that she had visited with Tana last night at dinner about having board member representatives from the different regions.

I would first like to thank the wonderful committee of trainers this year. They are: Wesley Vanderburg – ATI Enterprises Paul Blake – Texas Tech University Lea Davidson – Texas Tech University Tanya Vittato – Panhandle Plains Lisa Blazer – University of Texas – San Antonio Cristen Alicea – University of Incarnate Word Clarissa Peereboom – Regional Educating Lending Diana Martinez – University of Texas – San Antonio I extend a special thank you to Lisa Blazer for her guidance and assistance this year. Without her assistance the training would have fallen short. The training sites with their enrollment are as follows: LOCATION # Enroll

San Antonio 40

Corpus Christi 17

Lubbock 45

Arlington 57

Harlingen 20

El Paso 22

Houston 33

As changes come down the pipe from NASFAA regarding training issues, it appears there are many concerns. It is this committee’s recommendation that we continue to offer training as a deliverable, even without the NASFAA Decentralized Training. We can continue to offer NAOW and ABC Workshops as well as our conference. Thus, offering something that everyone will benefit from and still prove service to our community justifying our membership fees.

Scholarship Veronica Cano

19 A report was not available.

Rick stated the Veronica had done a marvelous job. She had to deal with less funding and she and the committee worked up a review process. She did a great job responding to those who questioned why they did not receive a scholarship. She was fair with the scoring process and was able to explain the process very well to those with questions. The next board will have to review the funding process for scholarships. Lisa stated that foundations are being formed to help with fund scholarship programs to produce leaders within the organization. Tana discussed that the fund raiser at SWASFAA would be to help fund the scholarship program.

Site Selection John Wells

Jim Ann is working on 2012.

SWASFAA Report Lyn Wheeler/Tana Savoy

Lyn asked Tana to provide an update. Tana gave an update on the elections: President Elect is Laura Capanetti from Oklahoma, Secretary – Darlene Ellinger, New Mexico, Texas Delegate At- Large - Henry Garcia, Oklahoma Delegate At-Large - Andrew Hamintree. She also discussed the FSA conference dates overlapped with the SWASFAA conference in New Orleans, LA for 2010. FSA will be at the exact time in Orlando. SWASFAA is working to change their conference date in New Orleans to the week before Christmas. Someone asked about late October but 3 of the 5 states already have conferences. Tana stated that they have had to renegotiate room blocks. Someone asked about canceling the conference in New Orleans and moving it to Oklahoma but the cost to cancel was large. Tulsa, OK will be the location for the next conference in 2011. Kevin Campbell will give Tana a contact that she can visit with about this issue. Miki Romer stated that she needs to write Bill directly to express these concerns. Conference this year is in Albuquerque the week after FSA. Boot camp and mid level training are scheduled as well. They are waiting on ATAC to have the information on the website registration and hotel. SWASFAA has been busy trying to keep up with the federal changes. It appears that things are moving quickly as many do not want to say anything about the proposals that are in progress in Washington. Tana is looking forward to the training and learning. She also mentioned they are working with their investments as well. SWASFAA decided to reduce vendor fees for their conference as well. It was reduced from $3000 to $500. They hope this will help the participation for the SWASFAA Conference. Rick asked how much the membership dues were and she thought it was $150 and $200, which is the largest amount, and stated that there are three tiers. He also asked what the registration fee for the conference was and Tana stated that it is $250. The fee does not cover the cost. The fees cover the meals. They do not have any AV cost because the local college is providing COWS. Rick asked about boot camp. Tana stated that the mid level is $100 and boot camp cost is $150. Rick thanked Tana for coming. Carolyn asked if the two additional fees are on top of the conference and Tana confirmed. They do not offer a one day fee. Lyn stated that associate members pay a higher rate to come to the conference and their dues were higher as well. The associate members were being charged in every direction. The next board meeting is November 8-9 in San Antonio.

New business

Rick wants to discuss budget and dues tomorrow morning. The first issue that needs to be dealt with is the membership dues so that Lynn can get started on getting the information out to the membership. Carolyn stated that we had 214 members this year and that was about half the schools in Texas. She mentioned three options to increase membership: increase the

20 membership, raise the dues or both. She stated that the way to grow is to raise participation which would in turn raise revenue. Carolyn went on to state that we had just raised dues this year. SWASFAA added something to their constitution that there would be a cost of living increase each year. SWASFAA had 150 members. TASFAA membership dues had been $100 and were raised to $150 this year. Tia stated that she thought that lender changes may have affected the overall membership numbers. Rick stated that he had talked to Linda and she stated that PAC had looked at the possibility of a tier structure. The change to the constitution will allow the board to make a change the dues. Lyn would like to get the PAC group together to discuss this since they have not met. Rick set up a Facebook group last night that is a controlled group so that they can have open discussions. Lyn stated that it has been years since PAC got together. Kathy stated that she was president the last time PAC got together. Carolyn stated that she thought 158 members were schools and the rest were associate members out of the 214. Carolyn does not want to continue to raise the membership fee. Henry stated that he has already planned his budget for the year and that if we want to make changes they need to be done in February so that everyone can get the information while planning their budget. Carolyn stated that we may then need to go ahead and let Lynn get the information on the website and work on increasing the membership numbers while providing information on what the association has to offer. Rick stated that if we increase the membership that would help with revenue. She stated that Tia could provide Lynn a list of those who paid the fees last year. Tia has stats on associate members 89 (06-07), 72 (07-08), 52 (08-09). Richard asked if a list of past membership was available and if we could contact them. Tia stated that this list had been provided to PAC. Ed stated that he would like to understand why schools are not participating. He stated that we might need to call and ask why they are not participating or why it was not worth it. He thought we might need to sale the services/training that we offer. Jackie stated that new people in leadership may not know about TASFAA and how to participate. She suggested targeting schools that have changes in leadership so that we can contact them to visit about what the association has to offer them. Carolyn thinks gather information would be better if we give them a call to ask. They probably would not fill that information out in a survey if they are not involved in TASFAA. Carolyn asked if Tia would send the spreadsheet to her and Lynn. Tia stated that voting membership has varied very little over the last three years. (172 06-07, 171 07-08, 168 08- 09) Carolyn asked Lynn to get a complete list of the colleges/universities from the CB. Ed and Richard have agreed to help call if needed. Lynn stated that we could start planting seeds right now if they need to plan for the expense. Lynn mentioned that some of the members are asking about an invoice and stated that may be reason why they did not renew. He stated recruiting new members would be another strategy. Rick discussed fees for other associations that are much larger than TASFAA and their fees are much higher than ours. There may be room to make an increase but we need to justify why the fees are going up. Jackie asked if there was a list of the values that are offered by TASFAA. Rick stated TASFAA has a lot of deliverables and that the committee will need to map the list out to share. Lyn stated that we have always had value that has been supplemented by vendors which we don’t have any more. Lisa stated that we offer so much more than other organizations. She thinks we need to figure out what our cost is so that we can break even and use that to set our fees. Tia asked if we have ever marketed to schools that don’t participate. Carolyn stated that PR did a presentation quite a few years ago and Lyn stated that there was a published piece that went out to the presidents of schools as well. Alan mentioned the website and that it is underused. The website would be a great tool for everyone to use if it is current. Rick stated that it is going to cost more to be a part of the association because we are not being subsidized by lenders anymore. Kathy discussed other training that schools are doing and keeping that information updated on TRAIN. Rick stated that the general consensus is that we leave the fees as is. Lyn voiced a concern that we are going to be in the same boat next year. Lisa stated that if we don’t make this change now that it must be taken care of by next February. Tia asked if another $20-25 would really hurt others budget. Lyn thinks we need to be transparent and give the reasons why we are increasing. Ed thinks we could tell the membership we are looking at the increase and give reasons why we are looking at an increase. David is concerned that since we just raised it that it will cause problems and that we must tell them why we need the increase. Henry asked what Carolyn used to create her budget. Carolyn stated that her budget was based upon a $25 increase plus an increase in membership. Lisa

21 stated that we did not raise the fee for 10 years and we have lost many associate members. She does not think the small increase would hurt anyone too badly. Rick stated that he agreed with Ed that we need to let them know that there may be further increases. Kathy asked how many members would not be expecting an increase after the constitutional vote went out this summer. Rick stated mentioning this tomorrow at the business meeting. Ed would like to ask that whoever has the talent write a letter that states the benefits. Rick thinks the letter might be after the February meeting. Lisa suggested that a letter go out now to explain what is going on in the association with lenders, higher costs, current economy, etc. Lyn stated that she has had questions about increased value. She wants us to express that we have had the value all along we just have not been paying it. Kathy asked if we could offer a comparison of what other organizations charge. Carolyn asked if it could just be added to the membership application on the website. Lisa thinks a letter would be the best option. Rick thinks he can handle the letter this year and then Carolyn could send something out in February. David suggested just a bullet point listing of the benefits. Henry stated that he agrees with Lyn that we need to discuss the value we have always offered and that it was supplemented by other support from vendors. Tia wants to be sure the letter is positive. David said he is uncomfortable with this decision because we just increased the fee last year; we have not reached out to other schools that are not participating, plus the other expenses we have had this year – i.e. additional hotel expense due to room block not being reduced. Tia looked at the CB website and it listed 173 schools. Kathy thought they did not list proprietary schools. Tia stated our membership was 168. David stated that 400 schools were discussed yesterday. Tia stated that may include branches and that we don’t get additional fees from branches. Carolyn thought we did. Lisa responded to David’s concerns by stating that yes we have to cover a mistake but our fees don’t cover the expenses that we currently have. She stated that we are not covering our expenses. She does understand and respects his concerns but she does think raising dues is not solely related to this mistake. Carolyn also stated that several board members can now receive reimbursement for travel expenses and that we can justify the increased cost because of increase cost of operations. She went on to discuss that we are working on what the best fee structure is for the association. Raul stated that it is very important that all board members go out with the same message and that the new board also hear about that as well.

Henry motioned that we raise the fee by $25 for the next membership year. Raul seconded the motion. Motion carries with one opposition.

Henry also mentioned that the list of past presidents left out I.Q. Vidaurri - TX A&M University Kingsville. Rick will make an announcement at the meeting today. He asked that Henry visit with Dana about the program. Years for the president’s are off after this point since he was left out.

Carolyn reminded the board of the meeting this afternoon from 3:30-4:45.

Raul and David thanked Rick for his work this year and how he represented TASFAA.

Unfinished Business

There was not any unfinished business.

There being no further business, Rick adjourned the meeting at 10:59 a.m.