OneRouge Friday Community Check-In (Week 91)


Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in EBR, The Walls Project has been hosting weekly video calls with leaders of nonprofits, foundations, city government, and local businesses from a
cross the parish. The intention of these weekly community check-ins is to share information and resources to help the Baton Rouge community respond and recover from the pandemic. Weekly topics range from access to basic needs such as food, medical care, and safety to thought-leaders' insights on equitable opportunities for youth enrichment, nonprofit financial solvency, surge in unemployment, and the disproportionate impact on impoverished neighborhoods in regards to accessing fresh food.
#ONEROUGE Week #91
Navigating the College Admission Process
Meeting Notes Prepared by Samantha Morgan (Walls Project)
Quick Links: Notes, Zoom Chat, Community Announcements
Britt Kelly (Financial Aid/Career Development Specialist, LOSFA)
Good morning everyone, my name is Britt Kelly and I am a Financial Aid and Career Development Specialist with the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance and Louisiana GEAR UP. I have worked at LOSFA for just over ten years, beginning in 2010 when I was part of the Public Information Division. In 2015, I moved to our Scholarships & Grants division, and then most recently in March of last year, I joined the Field Outreach and GEAR UP division under the direction of Dr. Tireka Cobb. Throughout the many divisions of LOSFA, our purpose remains clear: To promote, prepare for, and provide equity of college access. That mission statement guides my colleagues and me to continually search for new and innovative ways to reach and serve the students of Louisiana.
To that end, our office has several outlets which are available to students and parents 24 hours a day. Our website, mylosfa.la.gov, is a wealth of resources with regards to financial aid, FAFSA completion, college applications, and saving for college. We also recently launched a virtual assistant called LEX to help navigate the site. We have expanded our presence on social media; through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube where we constantly share information with seniors about deadlines for the FAFSA, monthly scholarship opportunities, and what they can do to prepare for the transition to postsecondary education. Additionally, our office has developed two new programs to assist students in choosing their path to an eventual career. Unlock My Future takes students through the process of figuring out how to turn what they love into a career, and it also introduces the Five-Point Match which helps students find the postsecondary institution which would be the best fit for them regarding Aptitude, Academics, Cost, Retention, and Social & Emotional factors. Our office also partnered with the Finance Authority of Maine to bring the Claim Your Future game to Louisiana students, which takes them through the process of budgeting their monthly expenses based on the average salary of one of 125 careers.
Our main focus at LOSFA is financial assistance, and we provide many different programs to help students from every background and age range pay for their education. In addition to the TOPS scholarship, we also offer the TOPS Tech scholarship which can be used to pursue a technical degree, technical certificate, or an associate’s degree in select fields of study. The GO Grant is a need-based grant which is available to students who qualify for federal aid but still show significant financial need. Additionally, beginning July 1, 2022, our office will offer the MJ Foster Promise Program to qualifying students. This is a “last dollar” program that would apply to any balance remaining after federal, state, and institutional aid has been disbursed. The MJ Foster Promise Program would be available to Louisiana residents ages 21 and older who are pursuing credentials that align to high-demand jobs in fields such as construction, healthcare, IT, and others. Details for all these programs can be found on our website.
Finally, our office endeavors to meet students and parents where they are by providing many informational resources directly. In response to the restrictions imposed by COVID-19, our office began offering virtual office hours weekly to provide one-on-one assistance with completing the FAFSA. Our staff provides mentorship opportunities directly to our partnered schools, and counselors can request a virtual or in-person presentation on any of the services provided by LOSFA through Calendly. Also, in May of 2021, LOSFA’s Student Engagement Division began hosting Virtual Student Network Groups for students in specific fields of study. These network groups allow students in the Nursing, Engineering, Accounting/Finance, and Information Technology/Computing Information Science fields (with more to be added later) to receive pertinent information regarding their chosen career, offer a safe place for them to commiserate with other students about their struggles and their successes, and connect with professionals who mentor and/or avail internships and employment.
I want to thank Casey Phillips and the Walls Project for allowing me the opportunity to share the work our office is doing to provide all Louisiana students access not only to quality education but a quality future as well. We would love to discuss potential partnerships aimed at expanding our collective work. Thank you.
Joni Leggio (Assistant Vice President, Louisiana Education Loan Authority)
Been with LELA for over 30 years. It’s a nonprofit that’s the education arm of the public education authority. Works more with parents and students who are college bound with their financial aid application. We’ve reinvented ourselves over the years. We were in the student loan industry in 2010 when the federal government took over the program. So we took a look at what was needed out there.
Students were so much more successful with a one-on-one approach. We went to our board and discussed this service we could offer and they were all for it. We started working more heavily with counselors and providing financial aid workshops. We were actually going on campus. Now, it’s virtual. And even before the pandemic we moved more towards a virtual format, because we are a small staff with a small budget. Traveling wasn’t really working for us. We found it was better to try this virtual method and it really has become effective.
We work with high school counselors to provide workshops and in addition to that if students and parents need to follow up on a one on one, they can schedule and we’ll walk with them line by line until they get it submitted. A lot of families we deal with are first generation students and they didn’t deal with that, so they are just lost.
We are contracted with a very knowledgeable, Anne Carmichael (sp?), she really is on our outreach side under the name of LELA. We offer Anne’s assistance. We’re really proud of our publications that have come out. We used to print and ship 10s of thousands of these, but with budgets the electronic method has been working. It does go through a three step process, creating your FSA ID, going to the website, and making notes of what they used for the login information. We have also made it a workbook as well. IN addition we have our planning guide for seniors. It’s a calendar that can be printed. There are so many deadlines seniors have to meet. We find that it really just puts it in a nutshell of everything the seniors need to get done. We have really seen an increase in students who are struggling to get this done. There is an opt out option.
Heather Freeman, MPA (Executive Director, Admissions & Recruitment Southern University)
Southern this year, we did have our 5th straight year of enrollment increases. In Fall of 2021, we had a 17% increase in new, first-time students, which includes a 75% increase of students of Asian descent, 25% increase of students of native American/Alaskan descent, and a 15% increase of Hispanic students.
Improving the process of enrollment. A lot of families we work with are first generation students and they do not understand how to navigate the enrollment process, including the cost. From point A to the classroom. We created an enrollment guide to make it a little less overwhelming. That’s the thing students are not understanding. They get the acceptance letter and then they’re not sure what to do after that. We are trying to improve the technology to address the number of students who are interested in attending college. It’s important to support legislature that is supporting higher education, especially our HBCU. We recently were awarded the Carnegie classification. Ten of those HBCUs either maintained or
We’re launching a summer enrichment program to support those high school students who met the admissions requirements but might be dealing with learning loss due to COVID. We want to make sure they’re college ready. We are in the process of naming a new chancellor. We’re down to three finalists and we’ll be naming a new president soon.
Tyrin Johnson (Admissions Counselor, Louisiana State University)
I specialize in diversity and inclusion. I recruit in Baton Rouge, but also in Chicago, so I can speak to a national standpoint as far as the disparities in our higher education system.
Fun Fact I did attend southern university for my undergraduate program and I was part of that historical class. The perspective of attending a HBCU and working for a PWI, you definitely see the differences. It’s interesting to see two land grant institutions are making history year after year. However, we’re in an uphill battle. We’re not meeting our instate enrollment. Why is that? The problem in Louisiana is when you’re deadline with natural disasters and COVID, there are so many disparities across students. You have college preparation, college participation, and college completion. All three things lead to educational attainment across different groups.
First reason - college preparation - we’re doing great preparing our students, but one word I’m hearing a lot is virtual, but not everyone has a chance to access virtual. When they come to me as a counselor, I don’t just look at GPA, I look at how they performed during COVID and then going back to a regular demographic. I also look at your parents.
Overall, the main problem is there’s a lack of cohesion when it comes to different demographic groups. At home factors make a difference in how the child is prepared. Most students don’t have the information but they don’t have the motivation to support them doing that. I was one of those students.
One of the things we’re doing is on-site admission decisions, where we go to schools and we make on-site decisions rather than sitting there and having them apply and go through the whole process. It takes going to the schools and sitting with them face-to-face. This has helped us instate, but we’re also targeting a lot of markets out of state, too. Of course we want to get our feeder schools, but what about those schools we don’t go to as much. Let’s focus on our schools that don’t get as much attention.
QUESTIONS/COMMENTS
Talk about the myth that Louisiana pays kids to go to college and that kids make money going to college. What percentage of the overall cost will TOPS support?
Britt Kelly - It’s a merit based scholarship so they do have to qualify with their ACT and grades through high school. What TOPS pays for is the tuition cost. It cannot go over the cost of attendance. TOPS will pay for tuition and some fees, depending on what school you go to. The scholarship itself is for students in Louisiana. https://mylosfa.la.gov/wp-content/uploads/Current-Year-TOPS-Funding.pdf
Ebony Holmes - Our division works with outreach and tops. In 2017 and 18, TOPS was capped whatever the fully funded award amount was. From that point, whenever that 2016-17 award amount was set, it was frozen. So as the schools increase amounts, that is still capped. They can receive TOPS, and they can get other awards on top of their TOPS, because TOPS isn’t going to cover the full thing. For those individuals who think it’s a full ride, it’s not. That’s why we require FASFA completion because they are going to have other expenses.
After you finish FASFA, you get tops and you get your financial package, did you know that by federal law, those financial offers are required to offer your child the maximum amount of student loan with or without your knowledge. Is that true?
Joni Leggio - We always encourage our students to borrow only what they need. They are going to apply all their scholarships and then there’s the max that’s offered, but I’m not sure about that. I can find that out. We came out with a program that will help our existing borrowers. For any students who are out there in that situation, if they’re stuck in a high interest rate, we do offer a refi program. Putting links in the chat.
Encourage students to get their FASFA’s filed for senior class of 2022. We do offer a FASFA 1,000 drawing. It’s random.
Are there higher ed grants available for PTSD youth whose grades were impacted by the trauma?
Heather Freeman - we have been allocated some COVID money through those challenges families are facing during this time. So we have been utilizing money for students to use for tuition costs. There are programs supporting students through that process. There’s not enough support for students going through that process. We are trying to reach those students with the challenges they have faced switching to a virtual format unexpectedly. We are working with them to mitigate the losses they have experiences.
Do these programs actively partner with Headstarts, Housing Authorities, youth shelter programs, migrant and unsheltered student liaisons?
LaVonya Malveaux - You said the operative word at the beginning, engage. That was why Dr. Boutte had the vision of creating the Division of Student Engagement back In May 2021. Our division seeks to extend and expand beyond what LOSFA has traditionally done. To reach those corners of Louisiana that may go unserved as it relates to college access, retention and success.
Student Engagement Division LaVonya.malveaux@la.gov 225-219-7154
Can you speak to the different levels of TOPS?
Britt Kelly - The only difference between the different levels is what it takes to qualify for them and the amount of money that comes at those levels. It’s broken down to three levels. It can be used at any higher education institution in Louisiana. The only restriction is the TOPS tech award. It’s only available for 2 years for technical degrees or vocational degrees.
Casey Phillips - I’m comfortable being transparent about my numbers. My son has worked hard. He did well. He wants to go to an instate school. Even after TOPS, even after PEL, we’re looking at a price tag of about $75,000. I want everyone to understand that if you’re advising a young person to go to college, it’s an expensive endeavor. And that’s just an instate school.
Alfredo Cruz - I have this experience helping a young person navigate this. This person had a TOPS tech scholarship, and no one told her that these are the only classes she can take. Something has to happen during the registration process. I don’t think it’s very clear. I think students and their counselors should understand how it works.
Is anybody training the guardians on this process? Where are those resources at?
Tyrin Johnson - We host several events throughout the year. We have events throughout the entire month of February to help them engage their next steps. We allow parents to go on a panel with our financial aid directors and find out what it’s really all about. Those panels get kind of serious. Parents come in and they don’t sugar coat it. We did host a parent financial aid night. The problem is getting them to actually complete what they have to do. I think a little more needs to be done. We can give as much knowledge as possible, but this is a very intimidating process.
The on-site decisions are being done as a permanent or with conditions to admission?
Tyrin Johnson - Yes, it sticks. We went to New Orleans last week and it pretty much depends what we see from the student. We can also say we need to see more. It’s never a deny, an admit or next steps.
Patrick Tuck - We do host application seminars for students applying for our scholarships. We will project on the screen and go through the application line by line.
Moving beyond admissions, I’m curious about the retention rates of students of color at LSU. Do you have that data?
Tyrin Johnson - Each year since 2017 we welcomed a bigger class regarding diversity.
However, as I mentioned earlier, retention is an uphill battle, especially when it comes to STEM fields. Specifically African American males in STEM fields. Pre-med, Biology, engineering. They’re often not retained after the first year. President Tate is working on that. He’s developing a plan to get students prepared for that before they begin. So now we’re looking heavily at students STEM performance before accepting them, because we don’t want them to switch majors as often. The problem isn’t our overall retention, it’s more with specific colleges. It’s something we’re trying to improve. Scholarships don’t stop at your first year.
Heather Freeman - Recently in the news they discussed how underfunded our HBCUs are and that does create challenges. We’re currently over 65% retention. Usually the reason we fail to retain students is for financial reasons. We do outreach as much as possible to re-engage those students. We have to make sure we’re not allowing our own privileges to let us ignore those students in underserved populations. We want to make sure we are supporting students to be successful. Your education improves everyone. Personal and societal. We try to create career and college pathways for all of our students and that ensures all of our students aren’t just getting in trouble. It’s the work of all of us as a community pulling together to show that there’s something for everyone.
Rev. Anderson - We need to talk about pregnant moms, we need to talk about head start, we need to talk I don’t know one school that is teaching contract reading. We have a digital divide that is massive. We have one of the number one library systems in the country and one of the number one rec systems in the country. And yet when we talk about bridging the digital divide, where these technologies are available, we have the ability to solve these problems when we stop thinking they need to find us. I have worked with all these programs. One of the things we have to stop talking about is loans as if they are separate. They take out these loans without thought of how that's going to affect the rest of their lives. It’s going to affect their ability to buy a home, it can impact whether they can get jobs. We ask these teens to sign away their lives. We need to stop thinking of this as an education thing and how to make this part of the 9 drivers of poverty. Many of them it’s going to be an and/or. I have one son who went to law school and another one who is a carpenter and I can tell you the carpenter is closer to being a millionaire than the one who went through law school. I want us to stop thinking about the end game and start thinking about where are we planting seeds. Lots of money exists outside of loans. My church always gave scholarships.
Patrick Tuck - Our 4H scholarships are not just for LSU. There are several opportunities for kids to go out of state. Any post secondary opportunity, including beauty school.
SK Groll - Some students are signing for loans because they are sold on the outdated idea that their earnings down the road will be enough that it makes the loans viable (especially if they enter college as an intended STEM major). But switching majors is a reality for many students, and challenging economic conditions exist. It’s not just education costs that are increasing, so are housing and food costs. And 17/18 year olds are not prepared to reckon with that reality 10+ years down the line (speaking from personal experience here, and really appreciating this dialogue!)
Perry Sholes - Founder of CELI - We work on part of the backend of the situation we’ve been talking about all day. Really relevant employment opportunities for those students. Our organization was founded in New Orleans, but we are working all over the state. Our purpose is to connect job opportunities for college students. Our applications are open for our fellow and we work with identifying fellows and then connecting them to our corporate partners. We have opportunities to grow our base. This is the Louisiana-based nonprofit that is owned by the state.
Zoom Chat
From Patrick Tuck to Everyone 08:30 AM
Question out of the gate: Higher Ed Grants available for PTSD youth whose grades were impacted by the trauma.
From Morgan Udoh (She/Her/They) to Everyone 08:30 AM
^boost
From Chris Spalatin | BRAC to Everyone 08:31 AM
Oh wow!
From Rodneyna Hart to Everyone 08:31 AM
Fav band EVER!
From Morgan Udoh (She/Her/They) to Everyone 08:31 AM
Good Morning everyone!
From Patrick Tuck to Everyone 08:31 AM
When all else fails Casey: "watermelon, watermelon..." :-)
From Manny Patole (he|his, CCBR) to Everyone 08:33 AM
Student loans 10000% predatory lending
From Pepper Roussel to Everyone 08:33 AM
^^^ Yep!
From Kim Mosby to Everyone 08:34 AM
Good morning all! Hope you're having a happy Friday.
From Kendra Hendricks to Everyone 08:34 AM
Good morning!
From Manny Patole (he|his, CCBR) to Everyone 08:34 AM
Morning All!
From Casey Phillips to Everyone 08:34 AM
Dr. Cobb is amazing!
From EBONY HOLMES to Everyone 08:36 AM
Good morning
Yes, she is. I agree?!
From Manny Patole (he|his, CCBR) to Everyone 08:37 AM
If possible, can someone share the name of that Student Budget game that Britt Kelly just mentioned?
From LaVonya Malveaux, LOSFA-Student Engagement to Everyone 08:37 AM
Claim Your Future
From Manny Patole (he|his, CCBR) to Everyone 08:38 AM
Thank you!
From LaVonya Malveaux, LOSFA-Student Engagement to Everyone 08:38 AM
https://www.claimyourfuture.org/
From LaVonya Malveaux, LOSFA-Student Engagement to Everyone 08:39 AM
Glad to be here!
From EBONY HOLMES to Everyone 08:39 AM
Hi all!
From Verna Bradley-Jackson to Everyone 08:40 AM
Good morning Everyone!
From EBONY HOLMES to Everyone 08:40 AM
Hi Joni! LELA does great work.
From BRITT KELLY to Everyone 08:41 AM
LOSFA website: https://mylosfa.la.gov/
Unlock My Future: http://www.unlockmyfuture.org/
From Rev Anderson to Everyone 08:42 AM
Good morning, everyone
From BRITT KELLY to Everyone 08:45 AM
Claim Your Future: https://losfa.claimyourfuture.org/
We love Anne at LOSFA, so helpful and such a great person
From Rev Anderson to Everyone 08:46 AM
Do these programs actively partner with Headstarts, Housing Authorities, youth shelter programs, migrant and unsheltered student liaisons?
From Rinaldi Jacobs Sr to Everyone 08:49 AM
Southern University has the IDA Individual Development Account. If you save $1000 there is match would bring 4K that may be used for educational expenses start a business or other things
From Chris Spalatin | BRAC to Everyone 08:50 AM
That’s awesome Rinaldi
From Patrick Tuck to Everyone 08:50 AM
https://www.lsu.edu/agriculture/students/64parishstrong.php
From Chris Spalatin | BRAC to Everyone 08:51 AM
https://www.ssa.gov/ssi/spotlights/spot-individual-development.htm
From Taryn Branson to Everyone 08:53 AM
A study by Forbes found that Louisiana has underfunded Southern Univ. by $1.3 BILLION since 1987.
From Manny Patole (he|his, CCBR) to Everyone 08:54 AM
Q: How are these programs also providing resources for the caretakers of college-bound student in helping them understand what their children are paying for and why? Also, how is FERPA explain to both the kids and caretakers?
From Alexis Jones - Habitat for Humanity to Everyone 08:54 AM
^^
From Pepper Roussel to Everyone 08:54 AM
^^
From Patrick Tuck to Everyone 08:55 AM
Also, Scholarships available for 4-H members of past three high school years, contact your local office for application instructions: https://www.lsuagcenter.com/topics/kids_teens/events/awards/recognition-and-opportunities/scholarships/criteria-and-requirements
https://www.lsuagcenter.com/portals/our_offices/parishes
From Heather Freeman-Southern University to Everyone 08:56 AM
Yes, Taryn. That was very alarming! We definitely need to support legislature that funds our institution. Thank you for sharing!
From Rev Anderson to Everyone 08:57 AM
Yes, yes
From Manny Patole (he|his, CCBR) to Everyone 08:57 AM
FYI - Carnegie Classifications explained (R1, R2, etc)
https://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/classification_descriptions/basic.php
From Heather Freeman-Southern University to Everyone 08:57 AM
Rinaldi, that is a great match!
From Helena Williams to Everyone 08:57 AM
Would anyone be able to explain the policy decisions around youth having to be emancipated, married, or have children to be considered an Independent student before age 24? Why 24?
From Perry Sholes to Everyone 08:58 AM
www.internshiptalent.org Corporate Internship Leadership Institute
From Morgan Udoh (She/Her/They) to Everyone 08:58 AM
Thank you Tyrin!
From Pat LeDuff to Everyone 08:58 AM
Amen!!
From Elizabeth Shephard to Everyone 08:59 AM
On-site admissions- that’s awesome.
From Morgan Udoh (She/Her/They) to Everyone 08:59 AM
We have to see beyond the shallow metrics to consider the whole student and their potential. Teachers scaffold instruction to unlock greatness despite barriers, admissions should do the same.
From Elizabeth Shephard to Everyone 09:00 AM
🙏✨yes!
From Rev Anderson to Everyone 09:00 AM
This is one of the areas where we need to marry our super assets like our library and recreation systems and to move to a 360 education model where education facilities become community assets after the school day.
From Habitat PWP to Everyone 09:00 AM
Needed to hear this 🙌🏽
From Tatiana Begault to Everyone 09:00 AM
The on-site decisions are being done as a permanent or with conditions to admission
From Rev Anderson to Everyone 09:01 AM
Yes, yes!
From Elizabeth Shephard to Everyone 09:01 AM
Moving beyond admissions, I’m curious about the retention rates of students of color at LSU. Do you have that data?
From Taryn Branson to Everyone 09:02 AM
From Alexis Jones - Habitat for Humanity to Everyone 09:03 AM
TOPS was the only reason I was able to attend college. So thankful for the program
From Chris Spalatin | BRAC to Everyone 09:03 AM
Update on SBA EIDL grant:
But the SBA also issued new guidance for small-business owners that had applied for the agency's $10,000 Targeted EIDL Advance grant program and had been declined. Those small businesses can request the agency reevaluate their applications until Feb. 15, 2022. The agency made clear it is not accepting new Targeted EIDL Advance grant applications, the deadline for which was also Dec. 31, 2021.
From Manny Patole (he|his, CCBR) to Everyone 09:04 AM
https://mylosfa.la.gov/students-parents/scholarships-grants/tops/
From Rev Anderson to Everyone 09:05 AM
Which is a reminder why voting matters. The Legislative decisions about funding require citizens to get in the game.
From Chris Spalatin | BRAC to Everyone 09:06 AM
I’m sure it’s a non-starter politically, but I wish that TOPS was means based
From BRITT KELLY to Everyone 09:06 AM
TOPS Award Amounts: https://mylosfa.la.gov/wp-content/uploads/Current-Year-TOPS-Funding.pdf
From Rev Anderson to Everyone 09:07 AM
I think everyone of these programs should do product placement marketing through the athletic programs.
From LaVonya Malveaux, LOSFA-Student Engagement to Everyone 09:07 AM
https://mylosfa.la.gov/students-parents/scholarships-grants/completers-grant/
From A Smith to Everyone 09:07 AM
How are the internship programs working?
From LaVonya Malveaux, LOSFA-Student Engagement to Everyone 09:08 AM
Coming SOON (March 2022) https://mylosfa.la.gov/students-parents/scholarships-grants/mjfoster/
From Pat LeDuff to Everyone 09:08 AM
Yes! That I could never understand
Yes it is!!
From Morgan Udoh (She/Her/They) to Everyone 09:08 AM
I agree Chris. I would just raise the cap as our federal poverty guidelines aren’t realistic for upward mobility.
From Pat LeDuff to Everyone 09:08 AM
Buy cars
Pay rent
Go shopping
From Alexis Jones - Habitat for Humanity to Everyone 09:09 AM
That's where student loans become predatory
I borrowed the max most times because I didn't understand financial literacy
From Rev Anderson to Everyone 09:09 AM
They and their families are not qualified to navigate these financial literacy waters. Nobody is teaching this at the right time.
From Patrick Tuck to Everyone 09:09 AM
Does that include Louisiana students who study out of state?
From Pat LeDuff to Everyone 09:09 AM
Why are they stuck in high interest rates!! Predatory Lending!!!
From Alfredo Cruz to Everyone 09:09 AM
There are also different types of TOPS scholarships and it could be confusing for students when they're registering for school and declaring a major to select the appropriate major that aligns with those which their TOPS scholarship covers. I'd recommend making this navigation simpler and creating tools for students and guidance counselors.
From Alexis Jones - Habitat for Humanity to Everyone 09:10 AM
It's definitely something I see in my program as well when I am looking over files
From Elizabeth Shephard to Everyone 09:10 AM
Health insurance lingo, credit card language, scholarship applications- it is truly amazing how difficult things meant to help us are made complicated
From Morgan Udoh (She/Her/They) to Everyone 09:11 AM
I borrowed to max because the recession wiped out any and all family support. We need to consider how natural dissuades and other big financial movements affect lending choices. If a student has to borrow more to make sure that they can be housed/fed as well, that's a choice made under duress.
“Disasters
From Rev Anderson to Everyone 09:11 AM
There are millions of non loan money that goes begging every year including industry supplied funding.
From Alexis Jones - Habitat for Humanity to Everyone 09:11 AM
I want to throw out a resource ! Mrs. Kimberly Chapman with Neighbors has a Women's Empowerment Program for single mothers or women HOH's https://www.neighborsfcu.org/wep/
She teaches all our financial literacy for our program and is THE. BEST.
From EBONY HOLMES to Everyone 09:11 AM
LOSFA is active in outreach at high schools statewide. We regularly conduct TOPS seminars with students and parents and regularly conduct professional development workshops with counselors to make sure they are aware of all LOSFA programs, including TOPS.
From Rev Anderson to Everyone 09:13 AM
All families need a basic class on contract basics 101. Consequences of Non-income based debts.
From LaVonya Malveaux, LOSFA-Student Engagement to Everyone 09:14 AM
Student Engagement Division LaVonya.malveaux@la.gov 225-219-7154
From Rinaldi Jacobs Sr to Everyone 09:14 AM
Rev. Anderson or guest can people in jail take college classes to be better prepared when they are released.
From Verna Bradley-Jackson to Everyone 09:16 AM
Rinaldi Yes!
From Kim Mosby to Everyone 09:16 AM
I have an issue with the concept of financial AID. When the primary vehicle for funding higher education is loans, are we really aiding students???
From Thomasina to Everyone 09:16 AM
ACT scores also dictate level of TOPS scholarships
From Joni Leggio to Everyone 09:17 AM
Lela $1000 FAFSA Completion Scholarship Entry Form https://lela.org/completed_fafsa/
From Pat LeDuff to Everyone 09:17 AM
Wow
From Rev Anderson to Everyone 09:17 AM
Prior to the pandemic there were yearly conferences from all types of organizations including Jumpstart, Childcare Associations. These are some of the places these programs needed to be promoted.
From Manny Patole (he|his, CCBR) to Everyone 09:18 AM
NYU is not cheap
From BRITT KELLY to Everyone 09:18 AM
LOSFA posts scholarship opportunities monthly on our website to offset those expenses: https://mylosfa.la.gov/students-parents/scholarships-grants/scholarships/
From Kim Mosby to Everyone 09:18 AM
That NYU debt is why I now have a phd.
From Patrick Tuck to Everyone 09:18 AM
Can we expand the Pell how to conversation once FAFSA enrollment is complete? Is there a direct link to share here?
From Manny Patole (he|his, CCBR) to Everyone 09:19 AM
Tuition and Mandatory Fees $56,500
Room and Board $19,682
Estimated Total Direct Costs $76,182
Books and Supplies $718
From Joni Leggio to Everyone 09:19 AM
LelaRefiHELP loan program may help students with existing loan debt save money in repayment https://lela.org/education-loan-refinancing/
From Manny Patole (he|his, CCBR) to Everyone 09:19 AM
That is NYU per year
From Rev Anderson to Everyone 09:19 AM
Front yard bikes, 4H, Big Buddies, faith based organizations must be engaged.
From David Beach l Wilson Foundation to Everyone 09:19 AM
A pitch for Service Academies, ROTC, and enlisting to gain access to the GI Bill. All of these avenues can change lives.
From Patrick Tuck to Everyone 09:19 AM
Right here with you *Rev Anderson
From Morgan Udoh (She/Her/They) to Everyone 09:21 AM
This may be a bit of a derailment but…. Can anyone explain the systemic reasoning behind the exorbitant costs of higher ed, while their faculty are poorly resourced/paid, yet our athletic systems are raking in Billions. The math isn’t mathing.
From BRITT KELLY to Everyone 09:21 AM
Also, LOSFA offers the START Saving program, which offers parents and guardians the opportunity to put funds away for college expenses: https://www.startsaving.la.gov/index.aspx
From Rev Anderson to Everyone 09:22 AM
Feb 19th is Super Tax Day. Will these programs be available to provide information? April is Youth Financial Literacy Month. Are these programs working with our super amazing East Baton Rouge Parish Library System to take it to the next level.
From Joni Leggio to Everyone 09:23 AM
Parents can access Lela's Parent Guide to Planning and Paying for College here: https://lela.org/parents-guide/
From Rev Anderson to Everyone 09:23 AM
Students and their parents are not trained to develop their wheel of influence.
From Joni Leggio to Everyone 09:26 AM
Lela's FAFSA Completion Guide printable version: https://lela.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/LelaFAFSAGuide-2021_2022-FINAL.pdf
Lela's College Planning Checklist for Seniors: https://lela.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Checklist-2021-22-FINAL-2.pdf
From SK Groll to Everyone 09:27 AM
And also the culture of those programs- there are internal factors that create more or less welcoming spaces for students
From Thomasina to Everyone 09:27 AM
Fasfa nights are very helpful with assisting parents/guardians and students and getting them engaged and the completion
From Joni Leggio to Everyone 09:28 AM
Lela's $1000 Choose Louisiana Scholarship for students currently enrolled in a Louisiana college:https://lela.org/register/
From Pepper Roussel to Everyone 09:29 AM
@SK, that’s real but we pretend it’s just the students who are not prepared or qualified for STEM
From Morgan Udoh (She/Her/They) to Everyone 09:30 AM
@SK agreed. these programs can’t just exist. They also need to be culturally responsive.
From David Beach l Wilson Foundation to Everyone 09:31 AM
Great conversation as usual. The unintended consequence of the expansion of student loans led to the inflationary rate of college tuition over time. Major challenge to bring tuition back in line with a family's ability to pay.
From Heather Freeman-Southern University to Everyone 09:32 AM
Saving the chat for any missed questions. You can reach out to me anytime at heather.freeman@sus.edu
From Tatiana Begault to Everyone 09:33 AM
Very informative and thank you very much!
From Joni Leggio to Everyone 09:33 AM
Joni: leggio@lela.org
From Donald Andrews to Everyone 09:33 AM
Great conversation we need more college educated individuals in Louisiana to transform the economy.
From Morgan Udoh (She/Her/They) to Everyone 09:33 AM
@David thank you for that illuminating background info. I’m really trying to understand this snowballing system
From BRITT KELLY to Everyone 09:33 AM
From Verna Bradley-Jackson to Everyone 09:33 AM
Great sharing of information! Thanks!
From Tyrin Johnson to Everyone 09:34 AM
tbjohnson@Lsu.edu / tyrinjohnson31@gmail.com
From Morgan Udoh (She/Her/They) to Everyone 09:35 AM
Thank you Rev for always refocusing our efforts. <3
From Pepper Roussel to Everyone 09:35 AM
Bring it, Rev!!!!
From Verna Bradley-Jackson to Everyone 09:35 AM
Good Rev. Anderson! Speak My Lady!
From Morgan Udoh (She/Her/They) to Everyone 09:35 AM
AMEN
From Thomasina to Everyone 09:36 AM
Facts!
From Renee Gill Pratt to Everyone 09:36 AM
Great information!
From Morgan Udoh (She/Her/They) to Everyone 09:36 AM
10s of 1000s
From Pepper Roussel to Everyone 09:36 AM
LET THEM KNOW!!!
From Pat LeDuff to Everyone 09:36 AM
No interest!!! We need community broadband access
From Meredith Dunbar to Everyone 09:36 AM
Amen
From Morgan Udoh (She/Her/They) to Everyone 09:37 AM
Yep. As if they’re signing a birthday card.
From Liz Shephard (LifeCity) she/hers to Everyone 09:37 AM
YES.
From Pat LeDuff to Everyone 09:37 AM
Yes! Predatory Trap
From A Smith to Everyone 09:37 AM
Bravo!
From Pepper Roussel to Everyone 09:38 AM
Come on, somebody!
From Morgan Udoh (She/Her/They) to Everyone 09:39 AM
Yes. We need to get creative about identifying our community assets outside of the classism binary.
From Verna Bradley-Jackson to Everyone 09:39 AM
Back in my days, we had bank accounts(saving) at school, every Monday we took our coins to school. The teacher collect and mark it in our bank book.
From Pat LeDuff to Everyone 09:39 AM
Yes let’s plan to educates on Loan Forgiveness program
From SK Groll to Everyone 09:41 AM
Some students are signing for loans because they are sold on the outdated idea that their earnings down the road will be enough that it makes the loans viable (especially if they enter college as an intended STEM major). But switching majors is a reality for many students, and challenging economic conditions exist. It’s not just education costs that are increasing, so are housing and food costs. And 17/18 year olds are not prepared to reckon with that reality 10+ years down the line (speaking from personal experience here, and really appreciating this dialogue!)
From Manny Patole (he|his, CCBR) to Everyone 09:41 AM
Thanks everyone! Looking forward to next week
From Pepper Roussel to Everyone 09:41 AM
Great talk! Have a wonderful weekend, All.
From Kim Mosby to Everyone 09:42 AM
Happy Friday! Thanks for the great start to the day and weekend. Be safe!
From Morgan Udoh (She/Her/They) to Everyone 09:42 AM
YAY!!
From Heather Freeman-Southern University to Everyone 09:42 AM
Awesome!
From Pat LeDuff to Everyone 09:42 AM
That’s awesome Patrick
From SK Groll to Everyone 09:44 AM
@Thomasina- can you send a contact email for folks who want to get involved in that community bike ride? Baton Roots has a garden at Scotlandville Magnet High School and would love to be at that event!
From Chelsea Morgan to Everyone 09:45 AM
Did anyone catch that Casey's bike song is the same as the Wicked Witch of the West?!? 😂
From Rodneyna Hart to Everyone 09:45 AM
Black History Month Discovery Day!
Inside
From Morgan Udoh (She/Her/They) to Everyone 09:45 AM
@rodneyna Please remind us all of how long the yellow book exhibit is open
From Tatiana Begault to Everyone 09:46 AM
Wonderful!!!!!!!!
From Rodneyna Hart to Everyone 09:46 AM
It will be up for months more we will have time to ride our bikes!
From SK Groll to Everyone 09:47 AM
@Rev Anderson- INCREDIBLE!
From Morgan Udoh (She/Her/They) to Everyone 09:49 AM
LIES
From Thomasina to Everyone 09:50 AM
If you are interested in being a vendor or just offering support the the bike ride April 2
Please email or call
225-603-9173
Thanks in advance!
From Rev Anderson to Everyone 09:50 AM
Thank you everyone. Have a strategic planning session to attend.
From Morgan Udoh (She/Her/They) to Everyone 09:51 AM
POSH POP!!
It's so good
Highly recommend the smores flavor.
From Pat LeDuff to Everyone 09:52 AM
@poshpopgp
From Heather Freeman-Southern University to Everyone 09:53 AM
Looking forward to it!!
From Liz Shephard (LifeCity) she/hers to Everyone 09:54 AM
Great meeting! See ya’ll next time!
From Pat LeDuff to Everyone 09:54 AM
Electric Depot on Government 4-6pm
Harper Juliet,6
Bailey Monet, 11
From Chelsea Morgan to Everyone 09:55 AM
NEW RESOURCE: Maternal, Infant, and Toddler Fast Facts - How trauma and hardships impact their health now and as adults https://voicesforhealthykids.org/assets/resources/DS-18586-VFHK-Prenatal-to-3-Fast-Facts.pdf
From Heather Freeman-Southern University to Everyone 09:55 AM
Thank you to everyone who has connected directly. Great meeting!! Feel free to email me directly…heather.freeman@sus.edu
From LaVonya Malveaux, LOSFA-Student Engagement to Everyone 09:56 AM
Enjoyed hearing about all the great work you all are doing! Make it a great weekend!
From Pat LeDuff to Everyone 09:56 AM
Thanks guys awesome meeting again!!
Got a 10am
See you tomorrow!!
From Heather Freeman-Southern University to Everyone 09:57 AM
Thank you for sharing, Taryn!
From Taryn Branson to Everyone 09:58 AM
Thank you, Heather!
From BRITT KELLY to Everyone 09:58 AM
Thank you all
Community Announcements
Black-Owned Business Directory Launches Website
At midnight February 1, 2022, the Black Business Bureau of Baton Rouge launched and the site went live. On it is the best business directory in Louisiana. It's at www.BlackBizBR.com
I hope you'll not only use it on a regular basis to support local Black-owned businesses, but I also hope Black business owners find it useful and valuable. Adding a business is absolutely free- no catch. Tell Black business-owning friends and family about the directory and tell them to add their business. This is something incredible positive for growing the African American business community.
Make sure you follow the page and tag businesses you know of on the page wall!
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Scotlandville High School Bike Ride
On April 2, there will be a community get-together to provide resources for students, our parents. The information shared today needs to be ongoing throughout the year and not just when kids are applying to college. This is something for 9th graders.
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2021 Open Data Policy Report
Since day one, my administration has prioritized transparency and data-driven decision making across all levels of City-Parish government. With this in mind, the Department of Information Services released the City-Parish’s 2021 Open Data Policy Report, which was also presented and discussed at the Jan. 26 Metro Council meeting.
The report outlines progress over the past year in advancing the goals of the City-Parish’s open data policy, which was established by myself and the Metro Council in December 2017. The policy enacted an “open by default” mandate for all City-Parish data and designated the Department of Information Services as the lead agency responsible for policy implementation, in coordination with a Data Governance Committee composed of representatives from all City-Parish departments.
We have made tremendous strides in recent years to lead the way in becoming a more transparent digital community, but our work is by no means complete. Moving forward, our departments will continue to operate with a strong focus on enhancing access to data and using it to improve our operations and quality of life for our residents.
For more information on the City-Parish’s transparency initiatives, visit brla.gov/transparency.
CLICK HERE to read the report.
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Baton Rouge Metro Black Chamber of Commerce
@brmbcc
- Any black business can join the Chamber for FREE from Feb 1-7
- Rolling with the Chamber 2/20/22 - Bike Ride and street festival in downtown BR
- Sip & Learn 2/22/22 - Learn about business credit, book keeping, and taxes @Blank Canvas at Perkins Rowe
- Krewe of Oshun parade in North Baton Rouge 2/19 and festival with mayors office
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MLK Day of Service
This Martin Luther King Jr. Day, my administration partnered with Shiloh Baptist
church to celebrate Dr. King’s life and legacy. If you missed the service you can review it here. We’re not done walking in legacy just yet – you can join us in February to honor Dr. King and serve East Baton Rouge Parish by participating in MLK Holiday BR 2022. This time of service will bring together diverse people to inspire and be inspired through service, and advance our community through three key themes: literacy, youth empowerment, and equity. You can join us as we walk in his legacy through participating in our service events from February 16 -20.
For more information and to volunteer, visit mlkholidaybr.com
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Imagine Your Parks 2
BREC is creating a Community Engagement Policy that will shape the way they seek feedback from area residents.
The goal is to gain a greater amount of direct community engagement which will influence decisions and create easier access for residents to be more involved in what happens with the BREC Parks and Recreation system. In order to be successful BREC needs YOUR input by the end of the day on Sunday, February 6th.
Please take this quick survey to let BREC know how you want to be engaged as a community member.
BONUS: take the survey and be entered in a drawing for passes to Liberty Lagoon for the upcoming season! More chances to get involved to come!
CLICK HERE to take the survey.
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2022 Health Summit: Pathways through Policy for Equitable Recovery
Save the date for the 2022 Health Summit presented by the Louisiana Center for Health Equity in collaboration with the Louisiana Department of Public Health and Pennington Biomedical Research Center.
The Summit will open on March 8 at 1 p.m. and will resume on March 9 at 8:30 a.m. CLICK HERE for more information.
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Free At Home COVID Test
The Biden-Harris Administration is providing FOUR FREE at-home COVID-19 tests for every household. Make sure to order yours today so you can be #RedStickReady.
CLICK HERE to order
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Cervical Cancer Screenings
Schedule your screening today! Cervical cancer screenings are covered by insurance companies. If you don't have insurance, woman between 21-64 years old may be eligible for a no cost cervical screening through the Louisiana Breast and Cervical Health Program.
CLICK HERE for more information.
_________________________________________________________________ Metromorphosis Anniversary
For ten years now Metromorphosis has been working to highlight the resources in inner-city neighborhoods throughout Baton Rouge to better set up those communities for success. At the center of our efforts have always been people. We recognize the value of community assets, partners and most importantly people. We invite you to share in this year long celebration of past, present and future. CLICK HERE for more information.
A community is like a tapestry. Each piece, embedded with its own origin story, is fused with another through a series of common threads to tell a story of the past while giving meaning to the present and future.
As we welcome our tenth anniversary, we invite you to help us in celebrating and reflecting on the tapestry that is Black Baton Rouge.
We look to the metaphor of the quilt as a guiding concept for the work that has steered our mission for a decade.
Through community engagement, leadership development, small business support, asset reactivation and catalytic partnerships we’ve stitched together citizens and institutions seeking to create a city that allows Black life to flourish.
Just as the work of our ancestor’s hands aided entire movements, we believe our present-day community contains the power to initiate meaningful change through actions both small and large. We invite you to join us in reflecting on Black life in Baton Rouge and our hopes for the future throughout the month of February as we launch the Black Futures Quilt and Archive Project.
CLICK HERE for more information