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For Information ?

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

SENATE POLICY COMMITTEE ON

- ?

SCHOLARSHIPS, AWARDS AND BURSARIES

To: ?

Senate

S.99-73

From: ?

John D'Auria, Chair?

SPCSAB

Re: ?

Annual Report, Fiscal 1998 - 1999

Date: ?

November 18, 1999

I am pleased to submit to you the Annual Report of the Senate Policy

Committee on Scholarships, Awards and Bursaries (SPCSAB) for fiscal

1998-1999.

Overview

wards and Bursaries is the

for the administration of

aid at SFU. Two other

SGAAC (graduate

where adjudication is

The Senate Policy Committee on Scholarships, A'

committee charged by Senate with setting policy

student scholarships and other forms of financial

committees, SUAAC (undergraduate awards) and

awards), adjudicate financial awards to students

needed.

The number of applications for financial aid climbs each year; in fiscal

1998-1999, SFU received approximately 2600 applications for bursaries,

each applicant requesting consideration for 10 or more awards, and a

similar number of scholarship applications. Applications are reviewed and

vetted by staff in Student Services. In the case of scholarships and other

awards, final decisions are then made by the adjudication committees in

meetings held each semester.

Although the University continues to benefit from a growing number of

privately funded scholarships, awards and bursaries, the bulk of these

awards are funded by the University as a percentage of fee and tuition

revenues. When revenues increase as a result of increases in tuition,

enrollments, or course loads, so does the budget for financial aid. The

final allocation of these funds is indicated in the attached report. It is

worth noting that a corollary of the four-year freeze on tuition has been

to "freeze" one of the means by which the financial aid budget is

increased.

In recent years, there has been increased recognition about the

growing debt load that students incur during their university years.

It is currently estimated that fourth-year undergraduate students

receiving BC Student Assistance have an average government loan

debt of $19,000. The new Canada Millennium scholarships have

been integrated with the existing government student assistance

packages and may help to decrease some students' total debt.

0 ?

SENATE POLICY COMMITTEE ON SCHOLARSHIPS,

AWARDS AND BURSARIES

Report to Senate, November 1999

This report covers all business activities of the Senate Committee on Scholarships, Awards and

Bursaries (SPCSAB) for the three semesters 98-2, 98-3 and 99-1. Attached to this summary are the

1998-1999 year-end summary reports for all Bursary, Award and Undergraduate Scholarship

assistance

programs

programs.

for which the Committee is responsible. This includes government-funded student

Meetings:

The committee held meetings on

15,

Committee Members:

Ron Heath (Chair, SUAAC)

Bruce Clayman (Chair, SGAAC)

Charlotte French (Resource member)

K.C. Bell (Secretary)

Business:

June

15,

1998

Members of the committee reported on the following business arising from the minutes of the

previous meeting:

• President Jack Blaney confirmed that scholarships, awards and bursaries budgets would not be

reduced during the next five years if there was increased revenue from financial assistance

endowments.

• The final draft of the revised Endowment Management Policy was received for information.

The following motions were approved:

• That the total funds per annum that a graduate student may receive from scholarship, fellowship

or award support be increased from $22K to $27K.

• That a graduate student should be allowed to hold a combination of Special Entrance

Scholarships and /or Graduate Fellowship in a total amount not to exceed $27K/annum.

• That, consideration be given to moving some awards to more accurately reflect enrolment

• ?

patterns and that, unless otherwise specified, academic awards are intended for students

registered in academic semesters and should not be available to students who are on a co-op

work term with less than the stipulated minimum credit hour enrolment.

Senate Policy Committee on Scholarships, Awards and Bursaries--SPCSAB 99-4

Report to Senate, November 1999, 2

• That the scholarships, awards and bursaries budget for fiscal 1998 - 1999 be approved. Tuition

fee income and enrollment numbers made an additional $50,318 for undergraduate financial

assistance.

November

27,

1998

The committee received for information:

• Data on the distribution of scholarships, awards and bursaries in the Faculty of Business

Administration.

• Notice that Senate has approved SPCSAB's annual reporting date for September.

The committee approved the following motions:

• That the 1997 - 1998 Annual Report to Senate be formally approved as circulated.

• That the Dean of Arts' Medal for Teaching, Research and/or Teaching be approved.

• That a student with a debilitating disease be considered for the Open Scholarship on a reduced

courseload basis once she has met the requirement for 24 normally-graded courses at SFU.

• That the Open Undergraduate Scholarship be "de-linked" from the Entrance Scholarships in

all publications and other promotional materials.

Febuary 26, 1999

The Committee approved the following motions:

• That the graduate fellowship and awards eligibility criteria be approved.

• That the International Council for Canadian Studies offer of matching funds of $1,500 for a

Canadian Merit Scholarship be accepted and matched.

Appendices

Attached are year end reports for the various areas of the scholarships, awards and bursaries

portfolio.

i) ?

Undergraduate Entrance Scholarships

ii)

Undergraduate Open Scholarships

iii) ?

Programs administered by Student Academic Resources, including

In-Course Scholarships and Academic and Service Awards

External Scholarships, Awards and Bursaries

Bursary Programs

Athletic and Recreation Awards

Emergency Loan Program

Work Study Program

Federal Canada Study Grants and Part-time Loans

Government-Funded Student Loan and Grant Programs

iv) ?

Graduate Award Disbursements

Budgets: Fiscal 1998 - 1999 compared to 1997 - 1998

MEMORANDUM

SSimon Fraser University

TO: ?

SPCSAB ?

FROM: Randall Martin, Acting Director

Student Recruitment

RE: ?

1998/99 Entrance Scholarships

DATE: 24 September, 1999

Attached please find year-end reports for the 1998/99 Entrance Scholarship program,

comprised of one report on expenditures and another on details of scholarship offer and

acceptance rates.

Some interesting trends have emerged, in a comparison of these reports and statistics

with those collected for the previous academic year:

• Our overall scholarship acceptance rate for BC secondary school students has

increased approximately 10% over last year, and we currently have an acceptance

rate of approximately 48%. This rate varies from program to program; e.g., the

Shrum scholarship acceptance rate is 75% while the Summit scholarship acceptance

rate is only 43%.

• ?

• This year six ($40,000) international scholarships were offered to students from the

United World College system around the globe. This represents an increase of three

scholarships over last year. Additionally, International Summit scholarships

valued at $4,500 were added to our scholarship offerings this year. An additional

three international students accepted admission offers, possibly as a result of these

new Summit scholarships. This United World College group represents a

demographic mix from six different countries: Bulgaria, China, Poland, Romania,

Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe

• The Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship, valued at $4,000, was awarded for the first time

this year. Three students from the United States commenced study this fall under

Phi Theta Kappa, two from Oregon and one from Arizona.

319

1999 Entrance Scholarship Awards Statistics

Scholarship

Shrum International Entrance Scholarship

International Summit Entrance Scholarship

Gordon Shrum National Scholarship

Kenneth Strand National Scholarship

Jack Diamond National Scholarship

National Specht in Applied Science

National Specht in Science

Hamilton College Transfer Scholarship

College Deans Scholarship in Arts

College Deans Scholarship in Applied Science

College Deans Scholarship in Business

College Deans Scholarship in Science

Ken Caple College Transfer Scholarship

Simon Fraser Entrance Scholarship

SFU Alumni Leadership Scholarship

Gordon M. Shrum Scholarship

Deans Scholarship in Applied Science

Deans Scholarship in Arts

Deans Scholarship in Business Administration

Deans Scholarship in Education

Deans Scholarship in Science

Jack Diamond Leadership Scholarship

Summit Entrance Scholarship

Regional Summit Entrance Scholarship

Tadeusz Specht Scholarship in Applied Science

Tadeusz Specht Scholarship in Science

Jack Diamond Scholarship

Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship

Total ?

Offers

Offers Outstanding Accepted Deferred

513

0 ?

252

1 ?

260

1999 Entrance Scholarship Statistics complied by Student Recruitment • as at 9/22/99

1998199 Entrance Scholarship Expenditures

B.C.

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prepared by Michele Black

9/22/99

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

OFFICE OF THE REGISTRAR?

MEMORANDUM

To: ?

John D'Auria, Chair

SPCSAB

From: ?

K.C. Bell, Secretary

SPCSAB

Re:

Open Scholarship Statistics, fiscal 1998-1999

Date:

September 21, 1999

For the fiscal year 1998-1999, Open Scholarships continued to be awarded at a CGPA level

of 3.70. This is consistent with practice since the Fall of 1996.

A total of 898 Scholarships were awarded over the three semesters 98-2, 98-3 and 99-1.

Detailed figures are set out in the chart below and cover the number of awards made in each

semester, the total amount awarded by the Open Scholarship program each semester, the

average size of the awards per semester, the CGPA requirement and the per credit cost of

the Scholarship.

Sem

Awards Total ?

Avg

CGPA ?

Per credit

Awarded Award

226

$169,323

$749

98-3

337 ?

$315,854

98/99

898

$799029

$890

Due to the University's continued high admission requirements, the cost of the Open

Scholarship continues to increase.

Fiscal 1998 - 1999 saw an additional 39 scholarships awarded and $40,000 more disbursed

than in fiscal 1997 - 1998; however, this represented a significant slowing of growth in both

the number and amount of scholarships issued in fiscal 1996 - 1997.

I have attached a chart showing the pattern of disbursements for the Open Scholarships

since fiscal 1990-1991 for your information. This chart shows the total amount disbursed

for the Opens each fiscal year, and indicates for each year the CGPA required for eligibility,

Also included is a chart showing the number of Open Scholarships issued per fiscal year

since fiscal 1989 - 1990.

I1L -

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sdiqsieoqos jo ieqwnN

Simon Fraser University

Director of Student Academic Resources

tel 291-4275; fax 291-4722; email charlotte french@sfu.ca

1c.L4 ?

Ron Heath

From: Charlotte French

Dean of Student Services /Registrar

Attached please find the year end summary reports for the following programs

administered by Financial Assistance. The reports included are:

Scholarships for In-Course Undergraduates and Academic And Service Awards

External Scholarships, Awards and Bursaries

Bursary Programs

Athletic and Recreation Awards

Emergency Loan Program

Work-Study Program

Federal Canada Study Grants and Part-time Loans

Not included in the package is a report for the Government Funded Student Loan and

Grant programs.

Please note that all reports give data based on a May 1 to April 30 academic year. Therefore,

the figures reported will not necessarily balance with statistics for the SFU fiscal year, April

1 to March 31, or with the government program years of August 1 to July 31.

c. J

D'Auria, Chair SPCSAB

KC Bell, Secretary SPCSAB

To:

Date: September

23, 1999

Office of the Registrar

Burnaby, BC, Canada V5A 1S6

Simon Fraser University

Telephone (604) 291-3892

Financial Assistance

Facsimile (604) 291-4969

Report to the

Senate Policy Committee on Scholarships, Awards and Bursaries

Scholarships for In-Course Undergraduate Students

and?

Academic and Service Awards for the University Community 1998/99

Scholarships for In-Course Undergraduate Students

Scholarships funded through endowments and annual gifts from donors are available to continuing undergraduate

students who meet specified criteria and have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.50. To be considered

for these scholarships, students must apply to Financial Assistance by the end of the second week of classes of the

semester the scholarship is being offered. Endowed and Annual Scholarships are adjudicated directly by the Senate

Undergraduate Awards Adjudication Committee (SUAAC). Information about these scholarships is published in the

University Calendar and listed in a searchable web accessed database. A few of these scholarships are selected by

nomination of the academic department and confirmed by the SUAAC.

Endowed and Annual Scholarships disbursed to students in 1998/99 increased by a total of $9,187 and 19 additional

scholarship disbursements compared to 1997/98; a total dollar increase of approximately 7%. Five new donor funded

scholarships were established in 1998/99.

Academic and Service Awards are given to students, faculty or staff for outstanding performance in an academic area

or outstanding service to the University or the community at large. These awards include the Terry Fox Gold Medal,

the BC Sugar Achievement Award, the C.D. Nelson Award and many others. Academic and Service Awards reported

in the table below are funded through donor based endowments and annual gifts or by University operating dollars.

The large increase in the number of awards given in this category but small increase in total dollars is due to some

new awards which are of smaller values but given to a large number of students. For example, the Engineering

Science Undergraduate Student Society has established an award to assist project teams with the cost of building their

designs. The awards are not large in value but are awarded each semester to many teams.

There has been no increase to the University funded awards budget for over seven years. The change in the number

of SFU funded awards disbursed primarily reflects decisions by the School for Contemporary Arts in 1997/98 to give

more awards of a smaller value to their students from the allocated budget for their awards program.

submitted by C. French, September 9, 1999

Office of the Registrar

Burnaby, BC, Canada V5A 156

Simon Fraser University

Telephone (604)

Fnancjal Assistance ?

Facsimile (604) 291.4969

Report to the

Senate Policy Committee on Scholarships, Awards and Bursaries

External Scholarships, Awards

and Bursaries

Each year Simon Fraser University students receive scholarships, awards and bursaries

which are administered by organizations and corporations external to the University. These

awards were not tracked prior to 1997/98. In an attempt to better recognize the external

organizations that support our students and the students who receive these awards,

University Advancement and Financial Assistance developed new procedures to capture

this information for those organizations who request that we disburse the funds. This is

the second year of recording the scholarships, awards and bursaries that SFU students

have received from these external organizations.

Scholarships and bursaries in this category include: Royal Canadian Legion Bursaries; 3M

Bursaries; Terry Fox Humanitarian Awards; Canadian Merit Scholarship Foundation

Awards; Canada Trust Scholarships and many others.

UNDERGRADUATE EXTERNAL

External Scholarships

118

External Scholarships

submitted by C. French, September 9, 1999

Burnaby, BC, Canada V5A 1S6

I ?

Otftce of the Registrar

Simon Fraser University

Telephone (604)

Financial Assistance ?

Facsimile (604) 291-4969

Report to the?

Senate Policy Committee on Scholarships, Awards and Bursaries

Bursary Program 1998-99

Bursaries are awarded on the basis of financial need and satisfactory academic performance to full-

time undergraduate and graduate students*. Bursaries are funded through endowments and annual

gifts

from donors as well as through University operating funds. To be considered for a bursary

students must apply to Financial Assistance by the end of the second week of classes of each

semester. Bursaries are adjudicated by Financial Assistance on behalf of the Senate Undergraduate

Awards Adjudication Committee. Information about the bursary programs is published in the

University Calendar and listed in a searchable web accessed database.

In the 1998/99 award year (May 1998 - April 1999) Financial Assistance received

2514

bursary

applications with a total calculated financial need of $1,565,785. This represents an increased

financial need of $269,047 (21% increase) from 1997/98. In 1998/99, $36,449 more dollars were

awarded through all bursary programs than in 1997/98 which represents a 3% increase. There has

been no additional operating funds allocated for bursaries for over six years. The small increases

that exist come from donor gifts. A total of fourteen new bursaries were established in 1998/99.

Below and attached are three tables comparing changes in the Bursary program over time. The

first two tables below compare disbursements for all Simon Fraser University bursary programs

from 1993/94 to 1998/99.

The third table below records the bursary dollars awarded to international students as work-study

funds. A small program was established to assist international students in financial need who have

difficulty accepting grant funding. These students must meet the same financial need requirements

as the other bursary recipients and work on projects organized through the Centre for International

and Exchange Student Services.

*Undergraduate students are considered full-time if they are registered in 9 or more semester hours of normally graded

courses. Graduate students must be registered in an approved full-time program.

BURSARIES

Undergraduate

SF1.1 Open (domestic)

SFU Funded Work Study .

Undergraduate/Graduate

*Program is restricted to limited use

for

international students.

submitted by C. French, September 9, 1999

Burnaby, BC, Canada V5A 1S6.

Simon Fraser University

Telephone (604)

Financial Assistance ?

Facsimile (604) 291-4969

Report to the

Senate Policy Committee on Scholarships,

Awards, and

Bursaries

Athletic and Recreation Awards 1998/99

Athletic Awards

Athletic awards are available to students who are members of varsity teams at Simon Fraser

University and are awarded primarily on the basis of Athletic merit, though some awards have an

academic achievement component. Athletic awards are funded through endowed and annual donor

donations as well as university operating funds. The table below shows a notable increase in the

number of and total dollars disbursed through donor based Athletic awards since 1996/97. This

increase is due in large part, to the transfer of funds from the Athletic Operating Endowment to the

newly created Athletic Award Endowment. In 1996 a change was made in the procedures for

administration of the provincial BC Athletic Assistance Program. The funds were taken away from

the educational institutions and given to the amateur sports associations to administer. This meant

that some students who had previously received provincial assistance would no longer receive

funding. In order to maintain expected levels of assistance for these students, the Department of

Athletics moved funds from their operating endowment to an award endowment. This re-

allocation of funds was approved again this year.

Athletic Tuition awards are made available to student athletes competing on varsity teams on the

basis of athletic merit. Funds for these awards are raised by the individual teams to support their

own athletes.

Recreation Awards

Simon Fraser University supports a number of awards for students who actively support the

University's Recreation Program. The awards are given in recognition of individual participation,

leadership and volunteerism in various aspects of the Recreation Department. University funding

for Recreation Awards has remained unchanged for over six years and is budgeted at $19,200.

ATHLETIC AND RECREATION AWARDS

Endowed/Annual Athletics

SFU Funded Rec. Awds.

Note: statistics are for the academic year starting May I and ending April 30.

/L1L

I =1=ff

.iT*14

-Wcsj!4F5F

Starting in the 1996/97 award year external support from the BC Athletes Assistance Program was

also disbursed through Financial Assistance. In 1996-97, Simon Fraser student athletes received

212 disbursements totaling $136,156 from this program. In this past year, 1998/99, SFU athletes

received 142 disbursements totaling $90,979.

BC ATHLETIC ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

Td. S

212

submitted by C. French, September 9, 1999

/5 /

H ?

Office of the Registrar

Burnaby, BC, Canada V5A 1S6

Simon Fraser University

Telephone (604) 291.3892

LYI

Financial Assistance

Facsimile (604) 291-4969

Report to the

Senate Policy Committee on Scholarships, Awards and Bursaries

Emergency Loan Program 1998/99

Short term (60 day), interest-free loans are available to students who require interim emer

ency funding while

awaiting funds from other sources. To receive an emergency loan a student must demonstrate a guaranteed source of

repayment, for example an assessed student loan or confirmation of part-time employment. Maximum emergency

loans values are usually

$500.

During the previous six years, the Emergency Loan program had shown a consistent decrease in disbursements every

year, both in total dollars and numbers of loans. However, the number and total value of loans disbursed this year

has increased by 99 loans, a 26% increase, and $89,003, a

56%

increase. The increase in emergency loan

disbursements is due to a combination of the implementation of an electronic confirmation of enrollment process for

BC government assistance and the centralization of government student loan processing by two of the approved

lenders.

This year Simon Fraser University participated in a pilot project to confirm student enrollment electronically to the

government allowing the student loan documents to be sent directly to a student's home rather than requiring students

to pick them up at the educational institutions. Line-ups that used to be

minutes to one hour are now reduced to

twenty-five minutes. Overall the project was a success. However, the length of time for a loan document to be

mailed to a student from the time it was printed in Victoria was longer than expected.

At the same time two of the major lenders participating in the government student assistance program, the Royal

Bank and the Bank of Nova Scotia, centralized their student loan processing to Regina and Toronto respectively. No

advanced notice of plans to relocate was given to the governments or the educational institutions. This change from

local processing has meant a delay of up to ten days and caused students to access more emergency loans to address

their immediate expenses.

Making rent payments for a new semester is the most common reason for students funded by government assistance

to access the Emergency Loan Program. Lenders are not allowed to disburse government assistance funds until the

first day of classes, which usually falls after rents are due. Students who hold part-time jobs are most likely to

access the Program in mid-semester to cover rent or food if scheduled work hours have not been as high as expected.

The delays in loan disbursements this year meant more students needed more emergency loan money to pay for rent,

food and books at the start of the Fall and the Spring semesters.

The adjudication criteria for this program were tightened significantly four years ago to deal with the increasing

number and value of loans that were being sent to collection. With the criteria outlined above, the number and value

of loans sent to collection have decreased to a nominal figure. In 1998/99 three loans totaling $1600 were sent to

collections.

EMERGENCY LOANS (Undergraduate/Graduate)

Total $

submitted by C. French, September 9, 1999

IkI

Office o

the Registrar

Simon Fraser University

Financial Assistance

Burnahy, BC, Canada V5\ 1S6

Telephone (604) 291-3892

Facsimile (604) 2914969

Report to the

Senate Policy Committee on Scholarships, Awards and Bursaries

Work-Study Program 1998-99

The Work-Study program is part of the BC Student Assistance Program. Work-Study is targeted to those

graduate and undergraduate students who have received maximum funding through Canada Student Loan and

BC Student Loan and Grant and who have an assessed Financial need beyond the maximum. The purpose of

the Work-Study program is to supplement the assistance these students are already receiving. Work-Study

funding is the only supplemental funding which will not decrease a student's government loan dis-

bursement. Only BC residents are eligible for the program.

Over the past three years Simon Fraser University's allotment of funds from the BC Government has been

decreasing due to transition to a new funding formula and more eligible post-secondary institutions

receiving a portion of the total. In the 1995-96 program year Simon Fraser University was allotted

$460,000; the budget for 1998-99 was $420,000; and the budget for 1999-2000 is $408,500.

Simon Fraser University is among the very few post-secondary institution in British Columbia that does

not supplement the government funding for the Work-Study program. Other institutions supplement the

funds in one or a combination of the following two ways; by budgeting additional funds from institutional

money to add to the number of awards given and to allow students from other provinces to participate, or by

adding funds to increase the hourly pay rate. The maximum fundable pay rate through the government is

$8.75

per hour.

. ?

For the Fall 1998 semester the Work-Study program was changed from a paper application process to a

web-based process. Individuals interested in submitting projects for Work-Study students complete and

submit a request form on the web. The request is logged into a database and the Work-Study Coordinator is

notified by e-mail. The projects are reviewed and approved on-line. When approved, projects automatically

appear on the posting search web site which is available only to approved Work-Study students.

Students receive their notice of eligibility by mail beginning two weeks prior to the start of a semester.

Their Work-Study information package includes instructions for the web site and their eligibility form. The

web project postings are available only to eligible Work-Study students and are made available for viewing

two weeks prior to the start of a semester. In previous years students could only view project postings in

the Student Employment Centre.

Feedback on the new process has been very positive. Supervisors do not have to wait for paper forms and

can complete and submit their project description from anywhere. More project submissions are being

received and are received earlier. Less time is required from the point of submission to posting of a project

because a number of steps were able to be eliminated. Students may now view the postings from anywhere

they have web access.

The BC Work-Study budget year is August 1 to July 31 of the following year. The numbers in the chart

below are based on a reporting period of April 1 to March 31 of the following year. The numbers can be

very inconsistent year over year in this report because they cross budget years. Included in the 1997/98

reported year were higher than normal summer expenditures for 97-2 and a one time addition to the budget

for 98-1.

-2-

A portion of the Work-Study funding from the government, approximately ten percent, is allocated for a

program called Students Aiding Students. This program provides funding for full-time students who wish

to assist students with permanent disabilities. The majority of students hired through this program take

class notes on behalf of the student they are aiding. Others assist students to access materials and services

in the library. In the 1998/99 year 104 students were hired through this program and earned a total of

$35,318. These numbers are incorporated in the Work-Study numbers reported below.

Government Funded Work Study - Undergraduate

Note: these numbers include Students Aiding Students

Government Funded Work Study - Graduate

Number

Spent

11,350

submitted by Charlotte French, September 9, 1999

I c

.j'

Office ofthe Registrar

Simon Fraser University

Financial Assistance

Burnaby, BC, Canada V5A 1S6

Telephone (604) 291-3892

Facsimile (604) 291-4969

Report to the

Senate Policy Committee on Scholarships, Awards and Bursaries

Canada Study Grants and Part-time Loans 1998-99

Part-time Studies

Prior to 1996-97, financial assistance for part time students in British Columbia was

available from a grant program financed by the provincial government and administered by

the educational institutions. A poorly used federal loan program was also available. In

August 1996 the provincial program was replaced by a federal program that combined the

existing loan program and a new grant program. The part-time loan program requires

students to begin making interest payments while they are still in studies. Most students

are unable to make the required payments so do not make use of the part-time loan

program.

During the 1998-99 award year, Financial Assistance received 39 part-time loan

applications. Thirty-six of the applicants demonstrated a sufficiently high financial need

and were awarded $26,103. However, only fifteen students actually accepted the loans

and believed that they could comply with the repayment requirements.

The number of students accessing the Canada Study Grant for high need part-time students

• ?

has continued to grow in 1998-99. The eligibility criteria for this grant are improved

compared to the previous provincial program allowing more students to be eligible and

more real need to be met. This year 138 students applied for part-time grants and 108

students with a total calculated need of $162,731 were awarded $112,407. This is an

increase of 72% in total dollars awarded over last year and more than doubles the program

size from just two years ago.

PART-TIME CANADA STUDENT LOAN

PART-TIME CANADA STUDY GRANT

*indicates years funded by BC Part-time Student Assistance Program /

Canada Study Grant for Female Doctoral Students

Three years ago the federal government introduced a grant program to support female

doctoral students in specific programs. The goal of the program is to encourage female

students to continue studies to the Doctoral level in fields in which females are under

represented based on national statistics. This program has not been very successful.

At SFU we have struggled to identify eligible students. Last year, 1997-98, one student

received funding. This year, 1998-99, three students received $8,876 in total funding.

Students with Permanent Disabilities

A Canada Study Grant is also available to assist students with permanent disabilities to

purchase equipment required to support their studies. In its first year, 1996/97, this

program had a relatively low take-up rate in British Columbia due to existing provincial

programs most notably the equipment bank. In 1997/98, the program procedures were

improved and better integrated with existing programs. The Ministry of Advanced

Education, Training and Technology advises that the take-up rate has improved. For the

period April 1, 1998 to March 31, 1999, 12 students at Simon Fraser received $45,832 in

support.

submitted by C. French, September 9, 1999

Burnaby, BC, (atiida \'5A I

• ?

Finm iii .A'.',ir,ncc ?

FiinIe (604)

Report to the

Senate Policy Committee on Scholarships, Awards and Bursaries

Government Student Loans 1998/99

Domestic Canadian students, graduate and undergraduate, may apply through their home

province to receive funding assistance from the federal, provincial and territorial

governments. Government assistance is a primary source of funding for 30% of Canadian

post-secondary students. The goal of the programs is to promote accessibility of post-

secondary education among academically qualified students who do not have the personal

or family resources to meet the costs of education.

At Simon Fraser University approximately 11% of our full-time graduate students and 28%

of full-time undergraduate students received their primary funding through government

student assistance in the Fall 1998 semester.

Government funding assistance varies from province to province with regard to the mix of

student loan versus grant and the value of possible disbursements. Over the past ten years

governments have decreased the amount of assistance that they are giving as grants and

have changed to loan based awards. The outcome of this change has been dramatic

increases in the total debt with which students are graduating from their post-secondary

programs. The average debt of students in their fourth year of studies receiving BC

Student Assistance in 1996-97 was $19,000. Current figures are not available. Because of

concerns around the increasing debt, new programs are being introduced to re-introduce

grant programs and to assist former students who are trying to repay their loans.

During the 1998-99 program year three new measures were introduced to the Canada

Student Loan program: Canada Study Grants for Students with Dependents; extended

Interest Relief; and Debt Reduction. The Canada Study Grant (CSG) for Students with

Dependents is issued as part of the federal and provincial student assistance package and

does not require a separate application. A student is assessed as usual for their Canada and

BC student loans and if their financial need is sufficiently high for a total weekly award of

more than $275 the student could be eligible for a CSG. CSGs are $40 per week for

students with 1 or 2 dependents 18 years of age or under and $60 per week for 3 or more

qualifying dependents.

Extended Interest Relief and Debt Reduction measures were introduced as a combined

package. These programs are available to former students who are in repayment of their

loans. Interest Relief allows a former student in financial hardship to defer loan payments

for a period of time during which the Government will make the interest payments. The

federal Interest Relief program has existed for some time with a life time maximum of 30

months. Last year the program was extended to 54 months for students in their first five

years of repayment and 30 months for those in their sixth or subsequent year of repayment.

The Debt Reduction program works in conjunction with Interest Relief as former students

may apply for Debt Reduction when they have used up their maximum Interest Relief

periods. Debt Reduction will pay down the Canada Student Loan of any former student

whose federal student loan debt compared to family income is above a certain level. In

1998-99 only two students nation wide qualified for Debt Reduction.

)i.

In order to improve service to our students and to manage an increasingly complex and

growing program, during the past two years Simon Fraser participated in two pilot projects

with the Ministry of Advanced Education, Training and Technology (MAEYT) to increase

the level of automation with which the B.C. Student Assistance Program is delivered. In

1997-98 we implemented an electronic process, replacing the required manual process, to

notify the Ministry of students who had withdrawn from studies or reduced their course

load below the required full-time level. The project was very successful. In 1998-99 we

implemented an electronic process, again replacing a manual process, to confirm full-time

enrolment of students who have applied for B.C. Student Assistance and indicated they

were attending Simon Fraser. This program has also been successful however a couple of

issues do need to be addressed.

The current manual method of distribution requires that all government loan documents and

grant cheques are distributed to the recipient students through their post-secondary

institution. These documents must be handed to students personally and the institution

staff must confirm that the student is enrolled in the required number of credits, complete

additional sections of the form and check two pieces of identification. The documents can

not be distributed until immediately prior to the start of a semester which creates line-ups

almost two hours in length.

The new method of distribution allows the loan documents to be mailed to the student's

home. The MAETT creates an electronic file of students who are eligible for government

student assistance and have indicated on their application that they are attending Simon

Fraser University. The file is matched against our registration records and all students on

the list who meet the minimum registration requirements are confirmed. Within two to

three days the approved loan documents are printed in Victoria and processed for mailing to

the students' homes. The student must then take the loan document to their approved

lender to negotiate and receive funds.

The project has been successful in reducing line-ups at the University. However, loan

documents are valid for thirty days from the date that enrolment is confirmed and delays in

mailing from Victoria and processing time at the lenders has created problems with loan

documents expiring before they are processed and subsequent delays for students to receive

their funds. The most notable problem this year has been the centralization of student loan

processing by two of the approved lenders, the Royal Bank and the Bank of Nova Scotia.

Loan documents that used to be processed in Vancouver or at the student's local branch are

now processed in Regina and Toronto, respectively. Documents can take up to ten days to

reach the processing centers, seven days is not uncommon, but students are not advised

when they hand their documents in at their own branch that this will occur. We have found

that approximately one half of the documents are expiring before the banks have processed

them. This is invisible to the students as the banks contact Financial Assistance directly to

reconfirm the student's enrolment status.

The 1999-2000 year may bring a number of significant changes to the government student

loan and grant programs. Being implemented for the Fall of 1999 are credit checks for

students twenty-two years of age or older and the Canada Millennium Scholarships.

During 1999-2000, the governments will be re-negotiating the risk sharing agreements with

the lending agencies and a number of banks have been threatening to withdraw from the

government student loan programs. Also being negotiated in 1999-2000 are the remaining

bilateral agreements between the provincial and federal governments with regard to

government student assistance policies, procedures and funding. British Columbia

currently has arguably the best designed and funded student assistance program in the

country. Harmonization with the federal program could actually mean decreased funding to

students in order to match federal requirements.

S ?

The tables below report the number of government assistance awards and the total dollars

of assistance received by SFU students during the 1998-99 award year. The first table

reports numbers for students who are considered residents of British Columbia and are

receiving funding through the BC government. The second table reports students who are

receiving funding through another Canadian province or territory and from the United

States.

Due to new methods of collecting student loan data, the statistical reports from which the

numbers below are determined have been rewritten and historical data has been reported

again using the new data collection method.

BC Residence - Federal and Provincial Assistance

Undergraduate/Graduate ? I -

Canada Student Loan

of Awards I ? Ttl. $

B.C. Student Loan/Grant

Out of Province and U.S. Students

Canada Student Loan

of Awards I ?

Ttl. $

Provincial Loan/Grant ?

submitted by Charlotte French, September 27, 1998

CSAB 99.

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

Appendix iv)

DEAN OF GRADUATE STUDIES

Memorandum

TO: ?

K. C. Bell

FROM:

B.P. Clayman

Assistant to the Registrar

Vice-President, Research and

Dean of Graduate Studies

SUBJECT: Annual Report: SPCSAB

DATE: October 1, 1999

I am pleased to enclose a summary of the graduate award disbursements in fiscal year 1998-99 in

tabular form, for inclusion in the SPCSAB report to Senate.

Disbursement Totals by Award:

Graduate Fellowship ?

$1,783,000

President's Ph.D. Research Stipend

$2,417,444

SPCSAB 99-4

Appendix iv)

GRADUATE AWARDS IN FY 1998-99

NUMBER

98-2

98-3

Semester ?

99-1

$67,992

TOTAL EXPENDITURES

$2,417,444

Base Budget 98-99

FY 97-98 Carryover

TOTAL AVAILABLE FOR AWARDS

BALANCE AVAILABLE

at March 31, 1999

$2,465,180

$48,218 ?

$2,513,398

$95,954

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