Sheraton Arlington Hotel

TASFAA Board Meeting October 4, 2011 Sheraton Arlington Hotel Arlington,TX

Members and Committee Chairs Present: Joseph Pettibon, Kim Alexander, Chris Murr, Rick Renshaw, Melet Leafgreen, Stephen Brower, Carolyn Jones, Tia Clary, Becky Wilson, Mike Carranza, Laurie Coulter, Enrique Garcia, Karen Kaurse, Chris Murr, Ed Turney, Lyn Kinyon, Gary Rodgers, Trevor Summers, Kevin Campbell, Debra Urias, Carol McDonald, Beth Reid, Jason Young,

Not Present: Dana Mingo

The meeting was called to order at 12:32 P.M. by Joseph Pettibon.

Officers Report *President’s Report* . Joseph stated that this would be the last meeting in the role of President of TASFAA. He thanked the board for allowing him to serve as president and he looks forward to continuing to work with TASFAA. . There was not a written report available to submit to the board.

*Vice President’s Report* . Shannon Crossland submitted her report and it was made available on the TASFAA website. The report was distributed to the Board Members and Officers present. . There was a call for volunteers posted to the TASFAA website on August 12, 2011. The 2011 -2012 committee chairs were notified about the potential volunteers that responded to the message during the week of August 23, 2011. . The updates to the TASFAA Policy and Procedures (4.3.14.1) regarding the ListServ Policy were approved during the July Board meeting have been finalized. They were also posted to the website. . The newly adopted Facebook Fan Page has been incorporated into the TASFAA Policy and Procedure in section 4.3.14.2 . The Board and Officers will have breakfast during the ABCs workshop Wednesday, October 5, 2011 in Meeting Room 6 located at the Convention Center at 7:30 AM.

*President-Elect’s Report* . Harold Whitis is preparing to assume the position as President of TASFAA for 2011- 2012. . The Board members contact list has been updated and reflects the 2011 -2012 Board Members and Officers. All members will be receiving a new notebook containing pertinent information to assist the members in their various tasks. . The TASFAA Facebook Fan Page is live and there are 57 people that are fans of the page. An individual must ‘like’ the page to become a fan. . Harold has been working with the Communications Committee on the TASFAA policy in regards to the Fan Page. . The Core Competencies of a Financial Aid Director has been completed and it will be reviewed by the board for approval. . A meeting will be held on Thursday, October 7, 2011 with the Hilton for discussions on the New Aid Officers Workshop, the site selection committee will in attendance. . The budget has been revised and it is expected for review by the Board Friday, October 8, 2011.

*Past President’s Report* . Carolyn Jones stated that there we no activity to report. She stated that this is her last official meeting and she appreciates time that she has worked with the Board.

*Treasurer’s Report* . Tia Clary distributed the Budget vs. Actual report as of October 3, 2011 to the members present. . Payment reminders for the Fall Conference registration were sent two weeks prior to date. There is approximately $21,000.00 remaining to collect. It is anticipated that most of the monies due will be collected in the upcoming week . $40,000.00 was paid to Culinary International for the meals being served throughout the Fall conference. The amount paid for the use of audio and visual equipment was $8,800.00. $5,500 was paid for the entertainment reserved. . Most of the expenses accrued for the Fall Conference have been paid and updates to this budget vs. actual report to reflect the actual figures of the conference should be made if possible. . Tia stated that the fiscal year will end October 31, 2011 and the board will need to consider whether to engage an auditor. The board can use the same auditor if selected or obtain a new auditor. Auditor will review the Board’s plans and compare it to the actuals (the actuals varied significantly from the plans). The Board can adjust the budget/plan at this time, if changes are made when the auditor make the selection, then the board will be required to provide documentation justifying the changes made. The Auditors are concerned with oversights. . Participation this year from the general membership was lower and as a result the income was lower than anticipated. . It was asked if the expenses and the revenue were balanced and it was confirmed that it was for the Fall Conference. . Joseph spoke about the attrition fee issues. His recommendations were presented to the Board Memebers for consideration. The recommendations may not be solutions to all the budget issues but it will most certainly put the issues more into perspective. . Joseph encouraged the Board to adjust the proposed budget items to the actual figures. . The recommendations listed are as follows: (please refer to handout for full details)  Change the Fall Conference income to $115,000  Update the New Aid Officers’ Workshop registration fees  Zero out the President’s cost  Zero out the President’s discretionary cost  Adjust Insurance cost to the actual amount  All projected budget items should be adjusted to the actual cost

Laurie Coulter motioned to accept the adjustments to the budget as presented. The motion was seconded by Karen Krause. There was no discussion and the motion carried.

Carolyn Jones motioned that the Board hire an auditor for the annual review. The motion was seconded by Mike Carranza. The last audit completed and the level of satisfaction from the current auditor was discussed. The audits are completed annually and the auditor does a good job and has been a pleasant to work with. After discussion the motion carried.

*Secretary’s Report* . There was no report to deliver. The minutes will be available at Wednesday, October 5, 2011 meeting. When the minutes are approved they will be posted to the TASFAA website.

Partners’ Reports

*Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board* . Lyn Kinyon first thanked the Board for their warm condolences and thoughts as she was recently ill. . She distributed the THECB report to the Board members present of their recent activities. . Jane Caldwell sent a survey via email to the Financial Aid community in aims to simplify some of the tedious processes required of most institutions by the THECB. The survey contained four questions regarding the student information system, state reports, award year definitions and grant program End-Of-Year reports. . A detailed frequently asked questions as of September 1, 2011 was reviewed and it was asked if the FAQs could be updated on a bi-monthly basis. . THECB will hosting a number of informational session throughout the Fall Conference, there will also be a Texas Equalization Grant workshop for independent institutions on October 24, 2011 via video cast. . In association with the Net Price Calculator, there are about thirty institutions that have not participated. A majority of the schools not participating are 2 year institutions. Reports to the budget system are to be made by April 1, 2012. Lyn answered questions from the Board.

*Rodgers Capital, Inc.* . Gary Rodgers distributed the TASFAA investment report to the Board members. He stated that this has been the one of worst quarters of the year, but the market conditions have not impacted the portfolio in an adverse way. . TASFAA’s current market value is over $250,000 and the net worth is over $260,000. TASFAA still maintains a mixed portfolio contain common stock, mutual and money funds. . A majority of TASFAA’s asset allocations are in the form of bonds, followed by U.S. stock. There are non-US stocks, cash and other types of assets that have been doing pretty well this quarter. . The portfolio is not as risky but there is money tied up in foreign assets and if the global economy takes a hit form the situations brewing in the Greek economy then there could be some degree of a loss. . There is cash on hand that can be made available if needed within twenty-four hours. . Gary stated that there were no major changes to report at this time, but the firms recommend that $8,000 or 3% of ETF (Exchange-Traded Fund) DDM – ProShares Ultra Dow 30. The investment results generally equivalent to twice the performance of the Dow Jones Industrial Average index.

Ed Turney motioned to approve the recommendation made by Gary Rodgers the motion was seconded by Carolyn Jones. There was no discussion. The motion carries.

* Department of Education* . Trevor Summers gave a report of updates from the U.S. Department of Education to the Board. . Questions and answers about the program integrity issues are available on iFAP. The Budget Control Act ends Graduate students’ eligibility to receive Direct Subsidize Loans starting July 2012.  It was asked if graduate students would be required to complete verification if they were only eligible for an unsubsidized loan.  Theoretically they would be exempt, but he will look further into the matter to be certain. . There are experiment projects that are available on the experimental site initiative. They are available to any school that wishes to participate. . System database access may require password and a security token generator; more details will be made available. . The EFC formula for 2012 -2013 will be the same as the formula used in 2011 -2012 with minor adjustments. . Mohela was selected as a Direct Loans servicer. The new loan support team provides assistance for DL operations or servicers. . The new Chief Operating Officer is James Runcie. . The Federal Student Aid Conference will be November 29 – December 2, 2011 in Las Vegas

*Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation* . Kim Alexander gave the Board an update of the activities associated with TGSLC. . The Lender and School Advisory committee chair provided a report of the annual events to the TG Board of Directors. The meeting was held on September 9, 2011 . The committee was commended on the progress made this year. . The TG Board approved new members to the committee.  Jackie Adler, Reggie Brazzle, Zelma DeLeon, Bridgette Ingram, Sal Loria, Marcus Wilson, Cathleen Wright, Harold Whitis, Ron Brown (alternate school member), Antonio Holloway (alternate school member). . This week is TG’s National Customer Service Week. Displays and tokens of appreciation will be available throughout the conference.  Kim encouraged the members to review the handbook about providing customer service in financial aid. It is a great read that has valuable information about customer service and satisfactions. . TG received an honorable rating this year for providing excellent customer service. TG was rated a 4.66 on a scale of 5. It is the highest rating ever awarded. . TG’s fiscal year 2009 two year cohort default rates increased to 9.2%, the overall national CDR increased as well. . There were questions raised about the three year CDR, and it was explained that institutions would not see the three year CDR until September 2012. . Four-year institutions had an improvement on their CDR compared the two-year institutions. TG is still dedicated to reducing the CDR by their efforts performed. . TG will require users to participate in validation process that will be completed on a semi-annual basis. Information has been sent to the various institutions and it will need to be completed by the end of the month (October 2011). . TG will be hosting a series of training sessions and webinars. The Council meeting will be held on October 27, 2011 in Round Rock, Texas. The Board of Directors meeting will be December 12 -13. . The TG Conference will be April 3-5, 2012 at the Omni Austin Hotel at Southpark. The hotel rate is $109.00 per night and there are plans to offer daily registration rates as similar to the 2011 Conference held earlier in the year.

*Association of Texas Leaders for Education* . Debra Urias spoke on behalf of ATLE. ATLE is still very active despite the many organizational changes that have occurred. . She discussed significant achievements that the organization has accomplished this year.  The new website has been launched.  Workshops and business meeting were hosted in Austin that provided helpful information and networking opportunities.  The Kindergarten2College program is being expanded. . ATLE will be exhibiting at the TASFAA Fall Conference and the first board meeting will be held this month in Austin. All current and potential members are encouraged to attend. . Moving forward, ATLE expects to increase its membership, continue to expand the Kindergarten2College program, maintain their new website and support FFELP members to insure servicing is being provided.

Board Agenda Items

*TASFAA Insurance Policy* . Joseph stated that there was a recommendation from the insurance agency to purchase ‘Forgery and Alternation Insurance’ to add to the current policy. . This would protect TASFAA from the loss resulting from forged documents especially checks. The insurance would only cover if the act was committed by a non-member of the organization. . Many questions were raised by the board in regards to the necessity, cost effectiveness and intricate details involving the coverage. . Tia explained in more details the current coverage of the insurance policy.

Stephen Brower motioned that TASFAA purchase the ‘Forgery and Alternation Insurance’ the motion was seconded by Mike Carranza. There was discussion about the actual need to purchase the insurance coverage. Tia stated that there wouldn’t be insignificant coverage if the policy was not purchased. The motion did not carry.

*Treasurer Position* . Joseph inquired about the need of the Treasurer Elect position moving forward. The position was created to help the Treasurer in transition out of office. With Becky Wilson taking over as Treasurer, it would allow Harold to appoint the Treasurer elect. . Tia explained the changes of financial information that would need to take place for Becky to be able to fully assume the position. . It is very important that TASFAA establish a more permanent way to keep the financial information consistent to protect the integrity of the financial records. . It was suggested that a bookkeeper be hired to maintain the financial records. The decision will be left to the new TASFAA Board to decide. . Tia thanked the board for allowing her to serve as Treasurer. The Board commended her for her years of service and dedication.

*Newsletter Publication Schedule* . Stephen presented the schedule for the newsletter publication Edition ListServ Date Article Deadline Publication Date Winter 2012 Jan. 23, 2012 Feb. 6 Feb. 27 Spring 2012 Apr. 23 May 7 May 28 Summer 2012 Jul. 23 Aug. 8 Aug. 27 Fall 2012 Oct. 22 Nov. 5 Nov. 26

*Site Selection Committee* . Harold will be negotiating the contract for NAOW at the Hilton-Arlington for Spring 2012. . The fall 2012 conference is scheduled at the Omni Corpus Christi Hotel. Our contact is Kimberly Murphy. 739 rooms have been reserved; and TASFAA is responsible for 80% of the rooms (592). . Carolyn Jones, Past TASFAA President signed the contract May 28, 2010. The final written program must be submitted by July 8, 2012.

. For fall 2013, TASFAA will return to Galveston which is a great location and returning there will save us money in attrition fees.

 By returning, TASFAA only loses $7500 instead of $30,000 (a savings of $22,500). . Our committee will await the President's approval to begin negotiations. . For fall 2014, we have been contacted by several hotels/resorts. When we receive the President's approval, we will begin to contact and visit these locations for more information. . The committee would like the Board to recommend if it is necessary to reduce the number of reservations after the Fall Conference is completed.

Standing Committee Reports

*Fall Conference Committee* . Jason Young and Beth Reid were commended for their leadership in hosting the Fall conference. . The committee is working within their budget and they will submit the final figures to the Treasurer. . The vendors will be set-up in the exhibition room and the membership is encouraged to stop by the room. . Service awards will be given during the Business meeting held on Wednesday. We will also recognize The Trail Blazer Award and Star Financial Aid Advisor recipients.

*Finance Committee* . TASFAA assets are currently managed by Rodgers Capital and they have been managed since 1998. . The strategy has been to maintain enough cash to fund the organizations operations. . It has been a challenge this year with the economic conditions but TASFAAA remains financially stable.

*Membership Committee* . The committee will be meeting during the Fall Conference to plan the actions that will be taken to increase membership. . There are some institutions that have not renewed their membership and they will be contacted in hopes that they will renew there membership.

*Training Committee* . Planning for the 2011 ABC Workshop was successful. There were 65 people that registered for the event, 52 registered early. The expected revenue is $6305. . The catering cost is expected to be $4586 and the cost for audio visual equipment is roughly $468. . The cost to rent the room was included in the Fall Conference cost. The revenue will most likely be able to cover the expenses of the workshop. . The sessions are being presented by the committee members and the Lyn Kinyon will be presenting the session on the State Programs. . The presentations were made available for the registrants to print and bring with them to the workshop. This reduced the printing cost. *Communications Network* . Alan stated that revised website is very active at this time  ABC registration form complete and live  ESM access granted to Erin Porter for ABC registration and schedule management  Fall Conference Exhibitor registration form complete and live per request by Fall Conference Committee.  It has been a number of years since the exhibitor form was used. ATAC cost to setup form: $75.00.  Conference mini-site ongoing: initial schedule/agenda posted by Conference Committee  Committee report templates added to Administrative Services, Committee Chair/Executive Board access  Official Document section offers two template types: Word & PDF. Instructions for use on same page.  Updated "Policies & Procedures" posted to website  Changes to Listserv policy (ex. [email protected] email address)

*Early Awareness* . The Early Awareness Committee has been preparing for the Nt4CM training program scheduled for this 2011-12 year.  Several conference calls with the national office occurred during the summer, and also a train-the-trainer webinar was offered in August. . The program and materials are ready for us to utilize in our programs. An email was sent out mid September to those individuals who hosted a program last year asking if they would be hosts once again. . We have already received a very positive response, and we will be working to secure more sites that last year. . Similar to last year, we will have a goal to have at least one program in every TEA region throughout the state. Also, we have set a goal to serve over 1,000 counselors this year, and we are confident that we will be able to reach that goal. . One major change for this year is that printed materials will NOT be provided. The Department of Education does not have the funding available to provide this.  All materials are available on their website and will be made available to everyone in advance of their program.  We have asked few organizations in the state if they would be willing to provide funding for printing of the materials and we are hopeful that they will come through. . We are looking forward to yet another very successful year with the NT4CM program. Additionally, the committee will be meeting to discuss other opportunities to reach out this year

*Legislative Issues Committee* . There is no report available.

*Newsletter Committee* . The Newsletter Committee has had a productive year. Some feedback received this year about the quarterly newsletter, the TASFAA Times:  “Wonderful newsletter – you and your team have done an excellent job – again!! I very much enjoyed reading it – thanks!!!”  “…I just wanted to drop a quick note to say ‘way to go.’”  “Just wanted to let you know that I think the newsletter is gorgeous! You and your team have done an outstanding job!!” . The Fall Issue of the TASFAA Times is in process and should be published in November. . The Annual Report will be ready for publication (electronic only) soon. As of the date of this letter, we are still waiting for several items:  Awards & Scholarships Committee report, and list of 2010-2011 Service Award Winners and Years of Service Award Winners  President’s Advisory Council report  Training Committee report  Mentoring, Leadership, & Diversity Committee report  Constitution & By-Laws Committee report . We will email the report to all TASFAA members, as well as posting a message on the listserv about its availability. In addition, we will be emailing the PDF document to all college and university presidents in Texas, every member of the Texas legislature, and the Texas delegation to DC (US Senators and US House Members from Texas), as well as President Obama (392 in all). Based on research done last year, we will not print hard copies of the Annual Report. . Stephen Brower will assume the role of the newsletter committee chair

*Regional Training Committee* . 2011-2012 Texas Regional Training will continue to be a collaborative initiative including THECB, TG, and TASFAA.  Since this is a TG training kit Laura from TG will be collecting questions from Lyn and April to.  All questions need to be submitted to Laura by November. Includes 60 clickers attendees will be able to use to answer various refresher training/regulation questions anonymously.  3 certificates will be presented to the top three attendees who scored the highest. . It has been decided that TASFAA will conduct two training sessions in addition to the SWYK joint session:  NASFAA 2011-12 Training Module for States and Regions SAP; training module/material is expected to be available September 30th.  Verification . TASFAA responsibilities: 1. Review NASFAA SAP module concise material to 1hour 30 minutes 2. Develop Verification Training module/handouts 30-45 minutes 3. Use TG website to house all electronic handouts available for attendees to print 4. Develop Questions for the SWYK 5. Develop Online Evaluation for attendees through Survey Monkey 6. Confirm Date/Room for San Antonio Regional training at UTSA downtown (TBD 02/01/2011).

. Joseph stated the remaining business would be conducted at the meeting held on Wednesday, October 5, 2011. . The gavel was handed to Harold Whitis as the President of TASFAA for 2011- 2012.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:04 P.M.

TASFAA Board Meeting October 5, 2011 Sheraton Arlington Hotel Arlington,TX

The meeting was called to order by Joseph Pettibon at 8:41 A.M.

*TASFAA Purpose Statement*  The Purpose Statement was revised to accommodate the new generation that TASFAA is serving. With the ideas brainstormed, the TASFAA overall purpose is to Encourage, Promote, Facilitate, Inspire, and Motivate.

 Section #1 was changed to “Encouraging student to pursue higher education”.

 The board discussed changes that could be made to the purposes. There were questions as to whether the ethical standards should be included. With the other statements points’ ethics is indirectly included.

Melet made a motion that the statement purpose be accepted and at the next available meeting making any further revision needed. Steven seconded the motion and the motion carried.

*TASFAA Core Competencies*  The Board members reviewed the TASFAA Facebook fan page.

 The core competencies were drafted; if the competencies are based on the individual skills then the competencies will vary from individual based on their position and responsibilities.

 The NASFAA competencies were attached to supplement TASFAA’s core competencies. Harold discussed the important skills that needed additional review.

 Carolyn stated that we have to make sure that the Directors of Financial Aid bear the responsibility for communicating the information that effect the way to other departments so that the financial aid program is implemented appropriately on a institutional level. Financial aid cannot continue to be departmentalized.  Harold asked the board if there is any language that needed to be updated to make the information is interpreted in a consistent manner by individuals that read this information. Changes to the statements were made.

 Harold said that this is a great document that states the skill set needed by Financial Aid Administrators. This is the type of document that could be sent in a general communication to institutions that could help them in their administration of the aid programs.

 The information, if sent should also go to the various directors of Enrollment services.

 We should try to have a joint conference with other department such as admissions, registrar and financial services/bursar to discuss the implementation of financial aid programs.

 The question was brought up about location of where the document will be stored and it was suggested that it be archived on the TASFAA’s website.

*Fall Conference*  The board will be at the Lunch Wednesday and Thursday. The newly elected board will begin on Friday.

 The business meeting will be held on Thursday during lunch.

 Joseph thanked the Board Members that are leaving the board for their services and commitment to TASFAA.

o The members that will be leaving the Board are Stephen Browser, Karen Kruse, Chris Murr and Carolyn Jones.

o The new Board Memebers that will be joining are Raul Lerma, Jason Young, and Katheleen Wright.

 Harold thanked Joe for his services and leadership.

Meeting was adjourned at 10:17. 2011 TASFAA Business Meeting October 6, 2011 Arlington Convention Center Arlington,TX

The meeting was called to order at 12:26 P.M. by Joseph Pettibon.

Joseph welcomed the attendees to the Fall Conference. He recognized the Conference committee for their hard work to make the conference a success. He encouraged the general body to take full advantage of the information sessions and the vendors’ exhibition room.

The SWASFAA representatives were recognized. Some of the members of the SWASFAA Board also hold roles on the national level in NASFAA. The NASFAA Board of Directors meeting will be held November 6- 7 in Las Vegas, Nevada which is also the site of the Federal Student Aid conference.

TASFAA members were encouraged to participate in SWASFAA as a volunteer on one of the available committees. The SWASFAA newsletter is published quarterly and there are plans to host trainings in collaboration with NASFAA. This upcoming year’s focus will be Satisfactory Academic Progress. SWASFAA held elections this year for officer position that were available and there were a significant number of Administrators from the state of Texas that were elected. The SWASFAA Annual Conference will be held in Tulsa, Oklahoma November 16 -18. There is a need for volunteers. Volunteers benefit from the networking available on local, state and national levels.

TASFAA’s business accomplishments this past year include the revision of the TASFAA’s website, implementation of social network page, and other technical enhancements. The level of training was improved; even though the number of sessions was reduced the number of attendance increased significantly. Many of the trainings were done on collaborative efforts and TASFAA expects to maintain the working relationship with the other organizations to continue to improve the level of training. A Financial Aid summit was hosted to help the leadership of the financial aid community determine the impact of the federal changes made. The summit was a success and we hope to continue to host the event in the future. TASFAA also participated in the Legislative process to help maintain various financial aid programs at risk of not being funded.

TASFAA is financially stable and operates on an annual budget of $200,000.00. A majority of the cost is funding the conference and workshops but these events help produce most of TASFAA’s revenue. There is a decrease in revenue facets and we have made cuts to the budget. It is our goal to have at least six hundred registrants for the next Fall Conference.

It was voted that the Board Members would be reduced from ten to eight members. The 2011 -2012 Board Members are as follows

Harold Whitis Joseph Pettibon Dana Mingo Shannon Crossland Becky Wilson Iroghama Omere Mike Carranza Laurie Coulter Enrique Garcia Melet Greenleaf Ed Turney Raul Lerma Jason Young Cathleen Wright

Membership service awards were given to members for their years of service to TASFAA with the longest serving member of thirty years. Erin Porter was awarded the Star Financial Aid Advisor and Alan Ahmad was awarded the Trail Blazer Award.

Joseph present Harold with the gavel and Joseph was given a token of appreciation for his services to TASFAA.

The meeting was adjourned at 1:04 P.M. TASFAA Board Meeting October 7, 2011 Sheraton Hotel Arlington, TX

Members Present: Ed Turney, Mike Carranza, Joe Pettibon, Dana Mingo, Melet Leafgreen, Harold Whitis, Jason Young, Cathleen Wright, Laurie Coulter, Alan Ahmad

Not Present: Shannon Crossland, Raul Lerma, Iro Omere, Becky Wilson

Harold called the meeting to order at 11:20 am.

Harold asked for a volunteer to take minutes in Iro’s absence. Melet Leafgreen volunteered. Harold thanked the Board for their continuing work, and welcomed new Board members Jason Young and Cathleen Wright. Harold stated that as President he expects Board members to express themselves in order to represent TASFAA’s diverse populace. He also stated that most of TASFAA”s work is done by the committees, and that having good Chairs is crucial.

Harold raised the issue of appointing a Vice President. Joe made a motion that we re-appoint Shannon Crossland as Vice President, Dana seconded, and there were no further nominations. Joe moved that nominations cease, Mike seconded, and the motion carried.

Harold discussed the duties and responsibilities of the Board members. He stated that the organization provides information to legislators at their formal request. One of the main Board functions is to establish a budget for the Association, and to be good stewards of the Association’s funds, and act appropriately on the membership’s behalf. Harold reminded the Board that we are liable for the organization’s activities and fiscal controls, and that we should take that responsibility very seriously.

Harold stated that he would strive to make sure Board meetings were as short as possible.

Harold also stated that each Board member had been assigned a committee for oversight: that we should make sure the Board knows what that committee is doing, and be in touch with the committee Chair to remind he/she about reports due to the Board. Board members should offer support and help to the committee Chair. Harold provided members with a list of assigned committees for each member, and the following change was made: Cathleen Wright is assigned to membership committee (replacing Shannon Crossland). We then moved into a discussion of the proposed 2011-2012 budget. Harold’s approach was to show the last two years actual costs, and then his proposed budget. Harold’s goal was to bring down estimates in his proposed budget to be in line with actual costs. As we make changes to programs throughout the year, we will revisit and adjust items to show for audit trail that the Board is watching the budget and the organization is fiscally strong. Based on past spending habits, there was a reduction in membership fees and conference fees estimates in the proposed budget. Harold commended Jason Young and Beth Reid (current Fall Conference committee co-Chairs) on their ability to stay within the fall conference budget, and acknowledged how difficult that task is. Harold stated that we should always have a goal of avoiding transferring funds from our reserves in any given year. Other points discussed on the proposed budget: . We did increase the membership fee this past year from $175 - $200, and members do get Regional Training for free with their membership. Keeping the membership fee low allows more schools to participate in TASFAA, and then each institution must decide about fall conference. . NAOW last year budgeted at $40,000, proposed budget is $28,000. Harold was concerned this might be too low, but Joe thought that the proposal was about right. . Harold stated we should plan for the coming year to have no income from investments. . Joe has met with Sheraton about the room requirements and attrition. When we plan conferences several years in advance and sign contracts, the estimate of attendance is sometimes incorrect. At the Fall 1998 conference, we had 600+ attendees. . Cathleen asked how many institutions there were in Texas. Joe said there were about 150, but the TASFAA “institutional” membership includes non- school entities (lenders, TG, etc.), so that is how we get to our current membership level of about 215. Joe stated that most of the schools in Texas which are not TASFAA members are proprietary schools. Harold stated that he knew we sometimes did not offer sessions which were specifically designed for proprietary schools, but that we might offer them if we had more members to whom the information might be useful. . Other reductions in budget: Association’s operating costs, travel for President, President Elect, Travel for Trailblazer, the Secretary’s stipend ending ($0). . ED will not be printing the materials for the NT4CM trainings this year. Committee Chair Lynn Barnes is looking for sponsors to help cover printing costs, but TASFAA may have to pay for that. . The Constitution & By-laws committee was not active this year, but it was discussed that perhaps the committee should take on the task of creating consistency in the coming year between all TASFAA governing documents. . Newsletter Committee’s expenses in past years were primarily for printing and mailing Annual Report. Since we will not print or mail those this year, could reduce that budget to $500. . ATAC contract should be reviewed – some associations are going with other companies, perhaps due to cost savings. . Joe stated that the Board costs should come down by at least $2000. He also stated that the transfers from reserves number should come down by $2500. . Harold estimated that, with changes, the bottom line should come down to $207,050. . Joe reminded the Board that in approving the proposed budget today we are not approving the conference, training, and membership fees. These must all be decided and voted on at a later time.

Ed made a motion that we accept the proposed budget, as amended. Laurie second and the motion carried.

Joe reminded the Board that we had previously voted to change the Constitution to allow the Board to decide whether to pay the Secretary and Treasurer positions a stipend. We voted to continue the stipend for the Treasurer but not the Secretary. Laurie asked where NAOW would be held in the coming year, and was told it would likely be held in Arlington, possibly at the Sheraton to help with the attrition from the conference.

We then discussed the Board meeting dates and locations for the coming year. We usually have a Board meeting in May, but could have it in late April or early May to coincide with NAOW. We typically have a teleconference in December rather than an in- person meeting. Suggested dates were December 12-16. The group agreed that Mondays and Fridays are not good for that call. Ed recommended Tuesday. It was stated that the teleconference lasted a little over an hour last year. A date and time of Dec 13th from 1:30 – 3 pm was suggested. For the February Board meeting, Harold suggested meeting at the Coordinating Board and trying to telecast the meeting for the membership in an effort to increase transparency. Someone reminded us that we have participated in the TG Financial Aid Telethon during the February meeting, though, so perhaps it would be more convenient to meet at TG. Whether we can save money by having a one-day meeting was discussed, as was the flexibility offered by having a two- day meeting. We discussed whether having the meetings near our partners (TG, THECB, ICUT) was helpful for them, but it was stated that consideration of their needs should be secondary to other considerations. Whether we should try to meet at the conference site in Corpus Christi for the July Board meeting was discussed, and Joe stated that it might be beneficial only if the fall conference committee is also at the site during the same time. Harold suggested that we also try using Go To Meeting for a meeting, and it was decided that he, Ed, and Shannon Crossland would try that technology in November before deciding if the Board should use it. Dana suggested we could use the Dallas Community College District’s facilities, and Harold asked her to look in to that for the proposed dates of July 17-18. Joe reminded us that the July meeting must be at least 60 days prior to the fall conference for voting purposes, and that August is traditionally very busy for Board members in their own offices.

At the next Board meeting, we will be discussing the hiring of a bookkeeper for TASFAA and the Treasurer’s role as liaison to that person. When the Treasurer is elected from the membership it is difficult to assess competency and skill set required for Treasurer position, so the idea of the Board appointing or electing the Treasurer was discussed. Joe will be working with Tia Clary and Becky Wilson to craft language regarding these changes, which should be available for Board to review in February, and should then go to the membership for a vote at the fall conference.

Harold said that we should review the contact list he provided and email him with any updates.

The discussion returned to the subject of Board members assisting with committee Chairs and reports. Harold stated that we want a report from every committee at every Board meeting, even if the report is that there is no activity or nothing to report. He stated Board members should watch for the email from Shannon stating that reports are due and make sure committee has submitted report. There is a mechanism and template for online submission that all Chairs and Board members should use. There are also instructions on the web for this process. The two main goals for using this process are to increase transparency for committee work to the membership, and to stop printing and handing out so much paper at the Board meetings. Also, this year we have been asking the visitors to our Board meeting (TG and THECB) to submit their reports in advance as well. Harold stated that he would try to get the Board meeting agenda out prior to the meetings, as well as having the Treasurer’s report and the minutes from the prior meeting (from the Secretary) online as early as possible.

The Secretary position and duties were discussed. It was decided that Iro will send Board meeting minutes to Dana, who will proof for grammar and spelling. The minutes will then be sent to the Board for review prior to the meeting. Possible training for the Secretary was mentioned, as was the possibility of making the Secretary an appointed position rather than elected, so that we could determine whether the appointee has the appropriate skill set. The position would still be a non-voting member specifically appointed to take notes and keep accurate records.

Cathleen asked if a committee Chair has a question, should she bring that to the Board or send it to Harold. Harold answered that it would depend, and that sometimes the questions would be best answered by the immediate past Chair of that committee. Joe moved that we remove all Draft minutes from the website, Ed seconded, and the motion carried. It was suggested that the website needs to be generally reviewed to clean up items.

Alan Ahmad, Communication Network Committee Chair, said that the new Board members’ access has been updated on the website. The calendar will be updated next week. If anyone needs the committee chair/ Board member access user manual, it is on Alan’s committee page at the bottom.

Harold stated that we have a copy of Robert’s Rules of Order and the TASFAA Constitution, By-laws, and Policies & Procedures in the notebooks he provided, and asked us to review those. Harold stated that the Board should be a training ground for the future leadership of TASFAA, and that the past three Presidential candidates for TASFAA ran unopposed. He stated that all Board members should be looking toward running for office in next elections.

Harold concluded the meeting by saying that conversation at Board meetings is a good thing, and said, “If I screw up, tell me.”

Joe moved to adjourn the meeting, Mike seconded, and the motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 12:40 pm.