State program receives suggestions
Academic award policy questioned
By Adam Causey, Contributing Writer
TOPS, the popular state-financed scholarship program, recently came under fire in the media and by state officials.
State Legislative Auditor Dan Kyle recommended the state Office of Student Financial Aid, which administers TOPS, do extensive background checks on students who receive TOPS.
According to the La. Student Financial Assistance Commission, which oversees OFSA, the office does not conduct criminal background checks.
“By filling out the FAFSA, students certify whether or not they have a criminal background,” said Travis Lavigne, chairman of the Student Financial Assistance Commission.
If students check “yes” on the drug conviction question on FAFSA, OFSA asks them to fill out a special form. The form would allow OFSA access to records that would verify whether the student has a criminal conviction.
Once OFSA obtains the form, it finds out if students ever were prosecuted for criminal charges.
“The only real concern students should have is if they provide any kind of inaccurate information,” Lavigne said.
Some University students agree that the background checks should have more verification on other requirements, such as residency.
“I think they [OSFA] could so something as easy as requiring students to show a letter they received before the specified time period for proof of residence,” said Katy Zeretzke, a microbiology senior.
Lavigne said some students received TOPS when they should not have, and vice versa, because their high schools reported inaccurate GPA information.
Instead of high schools computing students’ GPAs, they now will send only grades to OSFA. OSFA then will determine all GPAs to eliminate any confusion because of different grading scales at high schools, Lavigne said.
Students who received funds because of inaccurate GPA computation were dropped from TOPS in the same way that students who do not meet the requirement of completing 24 hours of college credit per year are dropped. OSFA sends letters stating students no longer will receive TOPS funding.
LOSFA has not decided if it will make students repay TOPS funding if they ineligibly received it, Lavigne said.
Part of the reason some students may not be able to meet eligibility requirements is because the criteria often are unclear, said David Greer, assistant legislative auditor.
“The best advice we can offer is to keep informed about changes to TOPS by visiting www.osfa.state.la.us,” Greer said.
Lavigne said he did not feel Kyle’s report was negative because he did not give findings of any wrong actions by OSFA.
“Dr. Kyle’s office simply gave recommendations of things we can do better,” Lavigne said.