Carol Scipior; joined
staff in 1973
Sometimes students wish to study for a semester at another campus as part of their program at UW-Stevens Point. If approval for this type of study is secured from the student's dean, we will set up a consortium agreement with the other school whereby UWSP will provide aid as the "home" campus, and the other school will provide cost and enrollment information to support the award. Consortium agreements are all facilitated at this station, and this usually entails meeting with the student to work out all the details. Often students from other campuses wish to come to UWSP for a semester on a consortium agreement basis-- this, too, is handled here.
Since each week we download new student data directly from the federal government, eligibility changes can occur as a result of corrections or new information provided by the student directly to the government. The necessary monitoring activity associated with changed information is conducted here, and this is where the award adjustments are made if aid awards must be modified as a result of these changes.
All students who borrow under the federal Stafford loan program must participate (at least once) in an entrance loan counseling interview either in person or by watching an appropriate video. In this presentation students are told about their repayment obligation and asked to certify that they have attended. A counselor is always on hand to answer any questions that may arise. We want to insure that all borrowers at UW-Stevens Point know exactly what they are getting into when they take out a college loan.
Most students at UWSP fulfill this obligation by watching a four-minute video at Checkpoint, usually held on the Friday preceding the first day of classes and continuing the first week of school. It is now possible to see this presentation and fulfill this requirement wherever there is a computer with World Wide Web access (campus lab, home, wherever). You can to transmit your certification of completion directly to our office for immediate fulfillment of this requirement. Check it out at our entrance loan counseling page.
Exit loan counseling refers to another federal requirement that students exiting the University must fulfill in a final session with a counselor to go over their repayment obligation. We do this at several large seminars toward the end of the fall and spring semesters-- at these sessions we provide graduating students with loan summaries and other relevant information to help them manage their debt more comfortably. We always invite a local commercial bank officer to come and speak to the audience about how one can avoid a default situation and how loans can be consolidated to ease repayment.
All of these tasks are performed by Carol Scipior, Assistant Director. Additional specialized duties include arranging for office supply and equipment purchases, keeping track of the office budget, and assisting students with their counseling needs.
In many ways Mrs. Scipior's role is that of an office manager, and she offers special assistance to the Director to meet federal reporting deadlines for the major campus-based programs as well as a number of specialized programs. If your needs ever bring you into her presence, you will find that she is both compassionate and thorough in handling your affairs. Mrs. Scipior is another one of our UW-Stevens Point graduates, so she too knows what it's like to be a student here.