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General TRIO Questions

Public·182 members
Dawna Walls
7 days ago

Moderator

Attended the NEC TS PWW and has access to the TS Competition Forum

NEC TS PWW

TRIO Umbrella Regulations Free Course

Congratulations to all of you who have completed our TRIO Umbrella Regulations Free Course! You should have received a certificate and NEC digital badge.


We would love to get your feedback on the experience if you wouldn't mind completing a short survey at https://forms.wix.com/f/7394819635201180085.


If you enrolled in the course but have not yet started, here is your reminder 😀and the link: https://www.nosotrosedu.org/challenge-page/trio-umbrella-regulations-free-course


As you go through the course, please post questions for Lisa here in this group.


As always, contact me if you have any technical issues: dwalls@nosotrosedu.org


Have a great Monday!

Umbrella Regulations
19 Views
Jennifer CottrellJennifer Cottrell
27 days ago
Attended SSS Proposal Writing Workshop

NEC SSS PWW

Returning Student

What would be the proper way to handle a student from the 2021 cohort who returned this year? She withdrew from the Summer Bridge Program and the college in 2021 when she was a new summer participant, and she was reported on the APR for that year. She returned for 2 summer classes this past summer, Summer 25, which means we will be reporting her as a prior participant who is not receiving SSS services on the 24-25 APR. She was not an active participant with us during the summer. We noticed she was enrolled again when we pulled data to work on the APR. She filled out an application to join the program. Would it be out of compliance to start her as a new student since we are starting a new grant cycle?

SSS
51 Views
Jennifer Cottrell
Oct 28
•

Her first service date was 6/30/21, and her last was 7/30/21. She has Ws on her transcript for the summer bridge classes that summer, so I know she didn't finish. We are a 2 year college.

Leah WLeah W
28 days ago

Moderator

EOC PD Course

Dear Lisa


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Have a TRIO question for Lisa? Ask at https://www.nosotrosedu.org/group/general-trio-questions/discussion. Follow for more #DearLisaQA

20 Views
Amy Loskota

Award Aid - Why do some think it needs to be part of the COA and go though FA?

I've asked this question in multiple budget trainings and COE priority trainings, PLUS I asked the FSAtraining help desk about Award Aid as "Other Aid" in the FAFSA/Federal Aid regulations. No one can answer me!

Scenario: The Financial Aid office is 1- using SSS Award Aid to pay off balances owed in student accounts before deployment. 2 - saying SSS Award Aid is part of the Max Cost of Attendance and refusing to distribute it to students who've reached that threshold.

(Our FA director was formerly at a big city college and we like to think she's very knowledgeable on SSS Award aid since that college has several TRIO programs.)


Our COE trainers believe that Award Aid is separate from Financial Aid and should not go through that office and should be issued as a separate check, much like I've done for Upward Bound stipends in the past. However, m…


58 Views
Elizabeth "Lisa" Retamozo
Elizabeth "Lisa" Retamozo
Oct 15
•

Great question — this one gets misinterpreted often.


The governing citation is 34 CFR §646.30(e) under the Student Support Services (SSS) Program regulations. It authorizes SSS projects to provide grant aid only to current participants who are also receiving a Federal Pell Grant during that same academic year. The funds are meant to supplement, not replace other sources of financial aid.


In practice, the Financial Aid Office must be directly involved in determining who receives SSS grant aid and the amount of each award. This isn’t just best practice, it’s a federal assurance requirement under 34 CFR §646.11(d), which states that “the institution’s financial aid office will consult with the SSS project with respect to which SSS participants should receive grant aid and the amount of the grant aid awards.”


This coordination ensures compliance with Title IV rules regarding Cost of Attendance (COA) and prevents overawards, which occur when total aid exceeds allowable limits. The Business Office typically processes SSS grant aid through the student’s account so that it appears on the official aid record, and any remaining balance can be refunded to the student.


It’s important not to confuse SSS grant aid with Upward Bound stipends.

• Upward Bound stipends (regulated under 34 CFR §645.30(f)) are considered participant support payments, not financial aid. They can be issued directly to students as compensation for participation or performance.

• SSS grant aid, however, is a form of federal student financial assistance, tied to Pell eligibility, and therefore must be coordinated through the Financial Aid Office and reflected in the student’s aid package.


There isn’t a prescribed federal deployment method, but ED requires that whatever process is used must be documented, consistent, and compliant with both TRIO regulations and the Uniform Guidance at 2 CFR Part 200.


For reference:

34 CFR §646.30 – Student Support Services Program

34 CFR §646.11 – Assurances

34 CFR §645.30(f) – Upward Bound Participant Stipends

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