Classification: Two-year public college or university;
Hispanic-Serving Institution.
Modules Used:
- Module 1: Get a Grip on Your Finances: Smart Spending for
Students.
- Module 4: Take Control of Your Future: Finishing School and Repaying
Your Loans.
How Used:
- Entrance counseling.
- Exit counseling.
Program Description: Ventura College always has required
entrance and exit counseling, giving students options that included online,
video, group or one-on-one sessions with the loan coordinator. Because the
loan-default rate began to rise, the financial-aid officer made the decision to
make group entrance and exit counseling mandatory. All students were required to
attend a session conducted by both a financial-aid representative and a
representative of one of the college's preferred lenders.
Because students who had been enrolled at VC for three or four years had
grown tired of the "home-grown" sessions, the financial-aid staff began to
explore a viable alternative — USA Funds® Life Skills®.
This program represented an opportunity for the financial-aid staff to provide
students with loan information while teaching other important life skills.
The financial-aid staff also turned to their preferred lenders, whose
representatives already were helping conduct entrance and exit workshops. All
lenders were informed that USA Funds Life Skills would become part of the
college's loan workshops and that the financial-aid staff would be hosting a
train-the-trainer workshop on campus. The financial-aid staff also developed a
customized PowerPoint presentation, which both the internal staff and the
lenders could use when they conducted their sessions.
Module 1: Get a Grip on Your Finances: Smart Spending for Students
is incorporated in the entrance-counseling sessions. Students receive the
student skills book for Module 1 with their loan entrance packets. The group
sessions they attend range in size from five to 35. At least one session per
week is offered during the fall term, followed by 12-15 sessions in the spring
term. The one-hour sessions are offered at various times — morning, noon,
afternoon and occasionally in the evenings. Students are required to sign in and
submit their loan-request forms and student-loan quizzes to the financial-aid
office.
Module 4: Take Control of Your Future: Finishing School and Repaying Your
Loans is incorporated in the exit-counseling sessions offered in November,
January and April. All students receive an exit packet, which includes a copy of
the student skills book for Module 4. These sessions are mandatory and range in
size from 20 to 60 students. In addition to the 10-12 group sessions, some
one-on-one sessions are offered. An alternative online exit session and
completion of an exit interview are available for those who move.
Staffing Requirements: The financial-aid staff and lender
representatives work together to offer Modules 1 and 4 to all student-loan
recipients during the entrance- and exit-counseling sessions respectively.
Recommendations: The financial-aid staff strongly recommends
getting buy-in from other campus units that can be supportive, especially when
staffing issues arise. At Ventura College, getting assistance from lenders
allowed the financial-aid staff to implement USA Funds Life Skills sooner. At
the same time, the staff is able to maintain more control of the workshops,
which they want to fill with information that students will find useful
throughout the rest of their lives.
Campus Contact:
Alma Rodriguez, Financial Aid
Technician
Phone: (805) 654-6369, Ext. 3260
E-mail: arodriguez@vcccd.net