February 3, 2012

TRANSFER and CAREER CENTER

Please make note of the Spring 2012 University Representative Visit Schedule for COM and encourage your students to make appointments to meet with the representatives from the schools to which they may want to apply.

Merryl Owen, UC Berkeley - Appointments* only:

• Thurs., Feb. 16th, 9:30 am - 2:30 pm
• Wed., Mar. 14th, 9:30 am - 2:30 pm
• Tues., Apr. 3rd, 9:30 am - 2:30 pm
• Tues., May 1st, 9:30 am - 2:30 pm

Nichelle Passanisi, Dominican University - Appointments* or Drop-In:

• Tues., Feb. 14th, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
• Wed., Mar. 14th, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
• Thurs., Apr. 19 th, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm

Vala Burnett, Mills College - Appointments* or Drop-In:

• Wed., Feb. 15th, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm

*Appointments may be made at the Counseling Office, SS 212, KTD, or by calling 415-485-9432, or at the Transfer and Career Center, SS 202, KTD, or by calling 415-485-9671. Meetings will take place in SS 202 or 205.

Presentation by Columbia University:

On Feb. 8th, 3:00 - 4:00 pm, LC 53, KTD, Ivonne Rojas of Columbia University will give a special presentation to students and staff highlighting opportunities available for returning and nontraditional students in Columbia University’s School of General Studies, which is committed to supporting students who transition from two-year colleges to a four-year university. Ivonne will also speak about several COM students who have successfully transferred to Columbia University.

STUDENT AFFAIRS

Alpha Gamma Sigma will host a Bake Sale on Tues., Feb. 14th, LC Quad, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm.

The Whale Bus will be on Campus Wed., Feb. 15th, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm, in front of SS building.

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FINANCIAL AID OFFICE

Jan. 1st to Mar. 2nd is the priority deadline for students to submit their FAFSA application for the 2012/2013 academic year. Students must file by the Mar. 2nd deadline to be considered for Cal Grant, SEOG and Federal Work Study. Students apply on-line at the official free application FAFSA web address http://www.FAFSA.gov. The Financial Aid office continues to also process FAFSA applications for the 2011/2012 academic year.

Important Information for Financial Aid Students:

• 10,000 Degrees Undergraduate Scholarship (10000degress.org) deadline is Mar. 2nd. Apply on line at http://10000degrees.org.
• COM Foundation Scholarship deadline is Mar. 5th. Applications are available at the Financial Aid Office. Students must have completed at least 15 units at COM in a major or in general education, have a COM cumulative GPA of at least 2.75, and be enrolled in at least 6 units at COM.
• Cal Grant deadline is Mar. 2nd. Students must also file their FAFSA by the Mar. 2nd deadline in order to be considered. Visit http://calgrants.org for more information.
• Students are requested to update their contact information (mailing address, telephone number and email address) on their MyCom Portal or at the Admissions and Records Office. It is important for students to understand that their checks are mailed to the address of record listed in their MyCom account. 
• The Department of Education has recently published new regulations which impact students who repeat courses. Beginning in the Spring 2012 semester, students may only receive federal financial aid funding for one repetition of a previously passed course.
• Students who first enroll in a program of study on or after July 2, 2012 will need to have a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent, or have been home schooled to be eligible for Federal financial aid. Ability to benefit testing or six credits applicable to a degree or certificate will no longer meet the eligibility criterion. Students who passed the ability to benefit test or completed six applicable units prior to this date will be grandfathered in. 
• Duration of Pell Grant eligibility is now limited to the equivalent of 12 full-time semesters. This will affect all students beginning with the 2012/2013 award year and will be retroactive to the date a student began receiving a Pell award.
• Interest subsidy during the six-month grace period is eliminated for new Stafford Loans made on or after July 1, 2012, and before July 1, 2014. The repayment period still begins 6 months after the student is no longer enrolled at least half-time, but interest that accrues during this six month period will be payable by the student rather than subsidized by the federal government. 
• For the 2012/2013 school year, students and/or parents who are required to provide a federal tax return and did not transfer their IRS data to the FAFSA must provide a tax account transcript directly from the IRS. The Financial Aid office can no longer accept a copy of the tax return. The transcript must be sent directly from the IRS to the Financial Aid Office. Visit the IRS website at irs.gov and open the Order a Tax Return or Account Transcript to find out how to request a tax transcript.
• Time cards are due in the Financial Aid office by 4:00 pm on Thurs., Feb. 23rd for the period Jan. 25th – Feb. 23rd.  

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JOB PLACEMENT and HOUSING CENTER

The Annual Healthcare Fair will take place Apr. 23rd in SS Building. Please view their website at http://www.marin.edu/StudentServices/JobPlacement/index.htm for further details regarding this event.

The free online job search, powered by NACElink, provided by COM for use by our community, had 710 visits during the month of December. The number of jobs placed in the 2010/2011 school year was over 430!  

All of their services are FREE and open to the public as well as students and alumni.  The web address for the free online job search is https://marin-csm.symplicity.com

For additional employment opportunities provided by the Job Placement Center, visit SS 206 to view the Housing, Reader Boards and binders located right outside of their office.

ADMISSIONS and RECORDS

A/R Calendar:

Last day for dismissed students to file a Petition to Return – Feb. 3rd

Last day to drop or reduce course work to qualify for a refund of enrollment fees, nonresident tuition, and international student tuition – Feb. 3rd

File Application for Spring Graduation – Feb. 6th – Mar. 16th

Last Day to add a full-term class - In-person: Feb. 10th, Online: Feb. 12th

Holiday – both campuses closed – Feb. 17th - 20th

Last day to drop a full-term class without a "W" grade. (Date equivalent to 30% of term for short-term classes) – Feb. 21st

Last Day to file a Petition to Add Late – Feb. 24th

Last day to request P/NP grade for full-term classes (This can be changed online until the term begins. A Change of Grading Option form must be submitted to A/R to change grading options after the start of the term - forms may be downloaded at http://www.marin.edu/admissions and faxed to 415-460-0773 or scanned and e-mailed to admissions@marin.edu) – Feb. 27th

Also please note: The Admissions Offices extended hours for registration end Thurs., Feb. 2nd. The KTD and IVC Offices will be go back to regular hours, closing at 4:30 pm; except for M,T at IVC and W,R at KTD, on which days each office will stay open until 6:00 pm.  

Student Services Newsletter
Technical Contact and Content Responsible: Rhonda Jones, Administrative Assistant, 415-485-9618