The Office of Financial Aid at the Quillen
College of Medicine is a member of the National Association of
Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA). We adhere to the
professional standards set forth by NASFAA's Code of Conduct
for Institutional Financial Aid Professionals.
Code of Conduct for Institutional Financial Aid Professionals
An institutional financial aid professional is expected to always maintain exemplary standards of professional conduct in all aspects of carrying out his or her responsibilities, specifically including all dealings with any entities involved in any manner in student financial aid, regardless of whether such entities are involved in a government sponsored, subsidized, or regulated activity. In doing so, a financial aid professional should:
Refrain from taking any action for his or her personal benefit.
Refrain from taking any action he or she believes is contrary to
law, regulation, or the best interests of the students and parents
he or she serves.
Ensure that the information he or she provides is accurate,
unbiased, and does not reflect any preference arising from actual
or potential personal gain.
Be objective in making decisions and advising his or her
institution regarding relationships with any entity involved in any
aspect of student financial aid.
Refrain from soliciting or accepting anything of other than nominal
value from any entity (other than an institution of higher
education or a governmental entity such as the U.S. Department of
Education) involved in the making, holding, consolidating or
processing of any student loans, including anything of value
(including reimbursement of expenses) for serving on an advisory
body or as part of a training activity of or sponsored by any such
entity.
Disclose to his or her institution, in such manner as his or her
institution may prescribe, any involvement with or interest in any
entity involved in any aspect of student financial aid.
Adopted by Board of Directors, May 2007
Explanation of the Code of Conduct
As previously noted, financial aid professionals work within vastly differing institutional environments and share decision-making authority regarding financial aid policy, practices, and procedures. NASFAA strongly encourages each financial aid professional to engage his or her institutional colleagues so that there is common understanding regarding the conduct of their respective obligations. To facilitate this exchange, NASFAA has provided the following explanation of the elements of the Code of Conduct:
1. “Refrain from taking any action for his or her personal benefit.”
While performing one’s work in an exemplary fashion should result in “personal benefit” in the form of professional advancement and recognition, this provision obviously relates to actions that are contrary to the obligations the individual has to the institution and its students and their parents. This includes the individual, or a member of their family, never accepting cash payments, stocks, club memberships, gifts, entertainment, expense-paid trips, or other forms of inappropriate remuneration from any business entity involved in any aspect of student financial aid. It also relates to actions which, while on balance may be supportive of the financial aid professional’s work, are chosen from among alternatives because they also benefit the financial aid professional.
2. “Refrain from taking any action he or she believes is contrary to law, regulation, or the best interests of the students and parents he or she serves.”
The statement – never taking action contrary to law or regulation – should be self-evident. However, note the use of the term “believes to be contrary to law [or] regulation.” The financial aid professional works in a complex legal environment. Any doubts as to whether a course of conduct is legally proper should be resolved by referring the matter to the institution’s legal advisors for guidance. In addition, the individual should understand and adhere to all institutional policies as well as other local, state or federal requirements that are applicable to his or her conduct or job performance.
3. “Ensure that the information he or she provides is accurate, unbiased, and does not reflect any preference arising from actual or potential personal gain.”
When providing information, at all times the key should be
transparency. Students and parents should be able to fully
understand their rights, obligations, and – of paramount
importance – their alternatives. Applying these principles to
the use of “preferred lender” lists is instructive. If
an institution elects to provide such a list, a financial aid
professional is expected to demonstrate transparency, completeness,
and accuracy of information by ensuring that: Students and their
parents understand they are not required to use any of the lenders
on a “preferred lender” list, are free to select the
lender of their choice, and understand the process for selecting a
lender and applying for a loan; The school will promptly certify
any loan from any lender selected by a borrower; The process
through which “preferred lenders” are selected is fully
disclosed; Borrowers are provided with consumer information about
the loan products offered by entities on a school’s
“preferred lender” list. Such information must include
the disclosure of competitive interest rates, terms, and conditions
of federal loans; high quality loan servicing; or additional
benefits beyond the standard terms and conditions for such loans.
The process through which students execute Master Promissory Notes
preserves a student’s right to select the lender of his or
her choice; Lenders who are included in a “preferred
lender” list disclose agreements to sell their loans to other
entities; and The selection of lenders for inclusion on a
“preferred lender” list is based solely on the best
interests of the students and parents who may rely on such a list.
4. “Be objective in making decisions and advising his
or her institution regarding relationships with any entity involved
in any aspect of student financial aid.”
Financial aid professionals must always be fair handed when recommending or entering into a business relationship with any entity offering a product or service related to financial aid. A lender may not be placed on a school’s “preferred lender” list in exchange for a prohibited inducement. Placement on a “preferred lender” list, therefore, must not be based on benefits provided to the institution, an employee of the institution, or its students in connection with loans not covered by such list. In the same light, financial aid professionals should not arrange for alternative (i.e., non-federal or “opportunity”) loan programs that disadvantage students or parents who do not receive such loans. Transparency also requires that when a student or parent has communication with what he or she believes to be the institution’s financial aid office that is precisely what should occur; no employee or agent of a lender should ever be identified, either directly or by implication, as an employee or agent of the institution.
5. “Refrain from soliciting or accepting anything of other than nominal value from any entity (other than an institution of higher education or a governmental entity such as the U. S. Department of Education) involved in the making, holding, consolidating or processing of any student loans, including anything of value (including reimbursement of expenses) for serving on an advisory body or as part of a training activity of or sponsored by any such entity.”
The first element in the Code of Conduct prohibits the conflict
of interest that arises when one acts for personal gain. This fifth
element is intended to avoid the appearance of conflict of interest
that arises when a financial aid professional accepts benefits from
a lending institution or similar entity. The fact that the
financial aid professional may have no intention to provide an
advantage to the lender as a result of the benefit he or she
receives, and indeed does not provide any such advantage, is not
the point. The benefit received by the financial aid professional
creates an appearance that he or she may not be impartial, and may
not be acting solely in the best interests of the students and
parents he or she serves. In our profession such an appearance can
do great harm, and it must be strictly avoided. The term
“nominal value” leaves some room for interpretation.
This is intentional: many states and institutions have laws and
policies that regulate such activities, and it is common for such
laws and policies to define with specificity what is meant here by
“nominal value.” As a general guide, and subject to
more restrictive laws and policies, a total retail value of not
more than $10 should be considered reasonable. The last component
of this element of the Code deals with reimbursement for travel and
expenses incurred when serving on lender advisory boards or
attending lender-sponsored training activities. There is certainly
value in providing lenders with the unique expertise and
perspective that only financial aid professionals can provide, but
receiving any remuneration for such service, even if only in the
form of reimbursement for expenses, creates the appearance of
conflict that must be avoided. The same principle applies to
reimbursement for lender-sponsored training activities.
Professional development is a key component of being an effective
financial aid professional, and attending lender-sponsored training
programs can be a valuable way of obtaining the most current
information. Again, however, receiving any remuneration for such
attendance from a source other than his or her institution, even in
the form of reimbursement for expenses, creates the same
impermissible appearance of conflict of interest, and must be
avoided.
6. “Disclose to his or her institution in such manner
as his or her institution may prescribe any involvement with or
interest in any entity involved in any aspect of student financial
aid.”
The same principle of transparency, or avoiding the appearance of conflict of interest, drives this element of the Code. Every institution has a written policy on disclosure of potential conflicts of interest, and a process of determining whether an employee’s involvement creates an actual conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict. It is the obligation of the financial aid professional to strictly abide by the requirements of his or her institution’s conflict of interest policy, particularly with regard to any activities, involvement, investment, or interest in any financial aid-related entity. Institutional conflict of interest policies typically describe the nature of investments that require disclosure and review, generally excluding interests held by mutual funds or below a certain minimum value. As a practical matter, financial aid professionals should avoid any investment in or financial relationships with lenders and similar entities. These principles should apply throughout the administration of the programs for which the financial aid professional is responsible, including Direct Loans, FFELP, and loans originated under the School as Lender program. There should never be any difference between “ethical” and “best” practices. The ethical practice is the best practice. As an organization, NASFAA unequivocally supports the principles and practices described in this Statement. When a practice or policy arises that appears in conflict with these principles, it is the obligation of the financial aid professional to bring this to the attention of those responsible within his or her institution, and to seek a resolution consistent with these principles.
Questions regarding the principles and practices described in this statement should be directed to ethics@nasfaa.org.
May 24, 2007