Effective:
May 14, 2007
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the Employee Grant Program Form ... MS
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a.
General Program Benefits. The Employee Grant
Program is an employee benefit provided to all regular
full-time employees and their dependents. It is not an
entitlement. Funding for this program each year is dependent
upon the availability of adequate institutional financial
aid funds. Program benefits are immediate upon regular
full-time employment. The employee must begin full-time
employment prior to the beginning date of the term in
which the employee/dependent is applying. Employee Grant
funds may be used for undergraduate and graduate coursework.
While
the Employee Grant Program is an employee benefit, it is
managed in accordance with federal, state and institutional
financial aid policies and procedures. All recipients of
the Employee Grant Program who attend full-time or part-time
in the undergraduate program must submit a FAFSA (Free
Application for Federal Student Aid) each year prior to
June 15 as a condition of eligibility and comply with these
policies and procedures to receive funding. All recipients
of the Employee Grant Program who attend full-time or part-time
in a graduate program, will only need to complete the FAFSA
if they are interested in taking out loans. Should the
employee begin full-time employment after June 15 but prior
to the beginning date of the fall semester, he/she must
still submit the FAFSA for that term. Employee/Dependents
may apply on-line at www.fafsa.org.
Requests for exceptions to filing the FAFSA must be submitted
in writing by June 15 to the Vice-President for Enrollment
Management. Students beginning in the spring semester must
submit a FAFSA by December 15. Should the employee begin
full-time employment after December 15 but prior to the
beginning date of the spring semester, he/she must still
submit the FAFSA for that term. Likewise, requests for
exceptions must be submitted in writing by December 15
to the Vice-President for Enrollment Management.
b.
Program Limits:
1.
Eligibility:
a.
Employees. Regular full-time employees, full-time faculty
and non-faculty personnel on contracts of at least 10
months annually are eligible, providing all other criteria
is met. Temporary employees, visiting professors or lecturers
are not eligible.
b.
Dependents. A “dependent” for purposes of
eligibility for an Employee Grant is a person who meets
dependency status per federal guidelines OR is claimed
on an eligible employee’s Federal Income Tax Return.
The Federal guidelines are as follows:
Must
be:
• Under the age of 24
• Working on an undergraduate degree
• Single with no dependents
• Not attained veteran status
• Not be considered a ward of the court
c.
Admissions. All employees and dependents utilizing the
Employee Grant Program must apply for undergraduate or
graduate admission to the University and be accepted
for admission based on current admission standards. This
includes regular, foundation studies and special status
students, i.e., non-degree seeking, transient, etc. All
applicants must pay the application fee.
2.
Maximum Institutional Award. Each employee has a maximum
amount of institutional aid that may be used annually (fiscal
year) for the employee and his/her dependents. The combined
total of Employee Grant funds that may be used by the employee
and his/her dependents during a fiscal year (June 1 to
May 31) cannot exceed the equivalent of the annual full-time
tuition rate for one person for the Fall and Spring semesters.
Multiple
dependents may receive funds from the Employee Grant Program
during a single fiscal year as long as the total funds
do not exceed the annual full-time tuition rate for one
individual for the fiscal year.
3.
Attendance Criteria:
a.
Employees. Employees may take undergraduate or graduate
classes outside their normal working hours during any
term with permission from the appropriate Senior Officer
and the President of the University. Permission is to
be obtained on the Employee Grant Form that must be submitted
prior to the beginning of each term. The Employee Grant
Form may be downloaded from the university website at www.charlestonsouthern.edu.
The document is located under the Faculty and Staff section.
b.
Dependents. A dependent of an employee, as defined above,
may attend either part-time or full-time as an undergraduate
or graduate student during any term with permission from
the appropriate Senior Officer and the President of the
University. Permission is to be obtained on the Employee
Grant Form that must be submitted prior to the beginning
of each term. The Employee Grant Form may be downloaded
from the university website at www.charlestonsouthern.edu.
The document is located under the Faculty and Staff section.
4.
S.C. Hope/S.C. Life and Palmetto Fellow Scholarship Recipients.
a.
Book Allowance. Employees/Dependents who are eligible
to receive funds from the Employee Grant Program and
qualify by the State of South Carolina to receive the
S.C. Hope Scholarship, will be allowed to use $150 per
year of their scholarship for books. Employees/Dependents
who are eligible to receive funds from the Employee Grant
Program and qualify by the State of South Carolina to
receive the SC Palmetto Fellows Scholarship or the SC
Life Scholarship, will be allowed to use $300 per year
of their scholarship for books. The amount of funds each
year will be based on the amount of funds allocated by
the SC Legislature for this purpose. This will be awarded
above the full-time tuition benefit of the Employee Grant
Program.
b.
Housing Allowance. Employees/Dependents who have met
all eligibility to receive funds from the Employee Grant
program and qualify by the State of South Carolina to
receive the S.C. Hope Scholarship, S.C. Life Scholarship
or the S.C. Palmetto Fellow Scholarship, will be allowed
to use fifty percent of their scholarship funds toward
their room and board charges providing the student lives
in the Charleston Southern University residence halls.
This will be awarded above the full-time tuition benefit
of the Employee Grant Program. If the student chooses
to use the book allowance, the remainder of the fifty
percent will be used toward room and board.
5.
Other Program Provisions. The employee receiving an employee
grant for himself or his dependent(s) does so under the
following provisions:
a.
If the employee/dependent is attending in part-time status
and withdraws from a course or courses after drop/add
or receives a grade of FA, the employee will be responsible
for payment of all tuition charges for the course(s).
Financial aid will be reduced for the courses not completed.
The award will automatically be adjusted if the course
withdrawal is prior to drop/add. The employee/dependent
must maintain financial aid satisfactory progress as
defined in the University Catalog to remain eligible
for the benefit in subsequent semesters.
b.
If the employee/dependent is attending in full-time status
and completely withdraws from a course or courses after
drop/add, but remains in full-time status, the employee/dependent
must meet financial aid satisfactory progress as defined
in the University Catalog to remain eligible for the
benefit in subsequent semesters.
c.
If the employee/dependent is attending in full-time status
and takes any action that reduces them to part-time status
after drop/add, the employee will be responsible for
payment of full tuition charges although financial aid
will be adjusted to part-time status. (Note: Awards will
automatically be adjusted if such action occurs prior
to drop/add).
d.
If full-time employment ceases for any reason during
a semester, the Employee Grant Program will cover the
remainder of the semester for which it has already been
approved.
e.
Any unused portion of the annual Maximum Institutional
Award in any year cannot be applied to an earlier fiscal
year nor carried forward for use in a later fiscal year.
f.
When requests for employee grant funds exceed the availability
of institutional funds for this purpose, employee grants
will be awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis. Also,
eligible employees will be given priority over dependents
in awarding employee grants.
g.
Graduate Students: Employees/dependents receiving a graduate
tuition waiver under the Employee Grant Program are responsible
for paying taxes on the fringe benefit amount. As such,
the payroll office will add the value of such grants
to your pay record for income tax withholding purposes.
The fringe benefit amount will be split between paychecks
and the amount will be included in your W-2 at the end
of the year. This will decrease your net pay for these
pay periods, since your taxes on this fringe benefit
will be withheld, with no corresponding increase in your
gross salary amount.
Revised 5/14/07 dbw
