The decision was widely anticipated after Mazzant granted a preliminary injunction in late November, blocking the Obama administration’s effort to extend overtime pay to millions more workers, after 21 states and dozens of business groups asserted that the rule was unlawful and would cause them irreparable harm. The new rule would have taken effect on December 1, 2016.
Thursday, September 21, 2017
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) proposed rule struck down
On August 31 the Obama-era-proposed rule making millions of more Americans eligible for overtime pay was struck down on the basis the Labor Department set an excessively high salary threshold to determine which employees are exempt from overtime. US District Judge Amos Mazzant’s ruling affects an estimated 4.2 million workers who would have been eligible for time-and-a-half wages for each hour they put in beyond 40 a week.
The decision was widely anticipated after Mazzant granted a preliminary injunction in late November, blocking the Obama administration’s effort to extend overtime pay to millions more workers, after 21 states and dozens of business groups asserted that the rule was unlawful and would cause them irreparable harm. The new rule would have taken effect on December 1, 2016.
The decision was widely anticipated after Mazzant granted a preliminary injunction in late November, blocking the Obama administration’s effort to extend overtime pay to millions more workers, after 21 states and dozens of business groups asserted that the rule was unlawful and would cause them irreparable harm. The new rule would have taken effect on December 1, 2016.
Multi-institutional enrollment process review underway
A system-wide group has been convened and is meeting monthly to review the multi-Institutional enrollment process. Some of the areas of concern being tackled relate to the timing of the tuition adjustments, the need to update participation information and the application, and a thorough review of the program and processes to provide transparency and access to information for both staff and students. Already implemented this fall, tuition adjustments were done earlier, and several public queries were created to assist staff in identifying program participants. Look for updates in the future as work continues.
New OCM website to launch in October
The Office of Classroom Management (OCM) will launch their newly designed website on Tuesday, October 3. The site's domain will remain the same (www.classroom.umn.edu), however specific page URLs will change. When the site launches there will be redirects (instances that redirect your browser from one URL to another) in place for commonly accessed pages so you can continue to find what you need. Additionally, a feedback form for the new site will be available.
The site has a new menu structure for better navigation and pages with streamlined content. Content includes classroom technology instructions, scheduling applications, and information about Classroom Technical Services (CTS) including audio/visual equipment design and installation information.
OCM's new site has been built on the Drupal 8 content management system and provides a better mobile experience for users. It is the first ASR website to use Drupal 8, the latest version of the University's preferred content management platform.
The site has a new menu structure for better navigation and pages with streamlined content. Content includes classroom technology instructions, scheduling applications, and information about Classroom Technical Services (CTS) including audio/visual equipment design and installation information.
OCM's new site has been built on the Drupal 8 content management system and provides a better mobile experience for users. It is the first ASR website to use Drupal 8, the latest version of the University's preferred content management platform.
9.2 Technical Upgrade go-live information
A period of system downtime is necessary to complete the first phase of the PeopleSoft Campus Solutions 9.2 Upgrade. PeopleSoft Campus Solutions and related systems will be unavailable starting 9:00 a.m. Saturday, September 23. Work is anticipated to be complete and systems available again at noon Sunday, September 24. Please review the full details on system availability and make sure your colleagues are aware of how the planned outage may impact their work.
When systems are restored Sunday afternoon, users will notice minimal changes (restricted to look and feel). Preview these changes.
Those who use PeopleSoft frequently may need to clear their browser cache and cookies when logging in for the first time after the upgrade is complete.
When systems are restored Sunday afternoon, users will notice minimal changes (restricted to look and feel). Preview these changes.
Those who use PeopleSoft frequently may need to clear their browser cache and cookies when logging in for the first time after the upgrade is complete.
System Registrar Council updates (September 2017)
Improving the diploma service
Before the end of spring 2017 we sent out a message to students who were earmarked to graduate at the end of the term. The communication was sent to confirm the address to which their diploma would be mailed, as well as instructions on how to change it. The communication resulted in nearly 20% fewer inquiries about diplomas in the two months that followed. For fall 2017, we plan to add each student’s diploma name to the communication with a goal of improving timely, accurate diploma delivery.
Selecting a transcript vendor
As required by the Board of Regents, an RFP was issued since our contract with Parchment was set to expire February 18. Members of Academic Support Resources (ASR) and the System Registrar Council (SRC) carefully reviewed the vendor proposals and decided that Parchment would continue to best serve students. Later this fall, the University will transition to Parchment’s “in-network workflow” that will streamline ordering, especially for students sending records to AMCAS and other CAS sites.
Academic policy updates
The System Registrar Council (SRC) is currently reviewing several policies including the Grading & Transcripts policy and a draft policy related to preferred name and gender identity at the University. Several policies are due for comprehensive review this year, including Using Email as Official Student Communication and Withholding Diplomas and Official Transcripts.
Before the end of spring 2017 we sent out a message to students who were earmarked to graduate at the end of the term. The communication was sent to confirm the address to which their diploma would be mailed, as well as instructions on how to change it. The communication resulted in nearly 20% fewer inquiries about diplomas in the two months that followed. For fall 2017, we plan to add each student’s diploma name to the communication with a goal of improving timely, accurate diploma delivery.
Selecting a transcript vendor
As required by the Board of Regents, an RFP was issued since our contract with Parchment was set to expire February 18. Members of Academic Support Resources (ASR) and the System Registrar Council (SRC) carefully reviewed the vendor proposals and decided that Parchment would continue to best serve students. Later this fall, the University will transition to Parchment’s “in-network workflow” that will streamline ordering, especially for students sending records to AMCAS and other CAS sites.
Academic policy updates
The System Registrar Council (SRC) is currently reviewing several policies including the Grading & Transcripts policy and a draft policy related to preferred name and gender identity at the University. Several policies are due for comprehensive review this year, including Using Email as Official Student Communication and Withholding Diplomas and Official Transcripts.
System Student Finance Council updates (September 2017)
Recent Nelnet payment issues
Two issues with payments were presented over the weekend of September 16-17, 2017 that relate to the University’s payment gateway, Nelnet. The first issue was response time of the system. The 16th was the first billing due date for the Twin Cities and the 18th was the first billing due date for Duluth, so unfortunately there was a great deal of activity in the payment gateway. When encountering the problem with slow response time, some payers tried multiple times to make a payment in order to meet the due date which resulted in actual multiple payments. The fiscal unit in OSF is busy cleaning up multiple duplicate payments. Nelnet and the University are working together to investigate the cause of this performance issue.
The second issue was related to bank routing numbers, and was more short-lived. On Monday morning, September 18, some users encountered error messages when they tried to update a bank routing number. The issue was resolved by 9:15 a.m. and users in Duluth were able to make their payments successfully.
Students impacted by hurricanes Harvey and Irma
As a result of hurricanes Harvey and Irma, all campuses have been given a list of University students from Louisiana, Texas, and Florida to consider proactively taking action to help those impacted. The Twin Cities campus has decided to place a ‘suppress late fee’ service indicator on these students for fall semester. If students from the affected areas continue to experience financial difficulty in spring, the Twin Cities Office of Student Finance will re-examine this issue.
Two issues with payments were presented over the weekend of September 16-17, 2017 that relate to the University’s payment gateway, Nelnet. The first issue was response time of the system. The 16th was the first billing due date for the Twin Cities and the 18th was the first billing due date for Duluth, so unfortunately there was a great deal of activity in the payment gateway. When encountering the problem with slow response time, some payers tried multiple times to make a payment in order to meet the due date which resulted in actual multiple payments. The fiscal unit in OSF is busy cleaning up multiple duplicate payments. Nelnet and the University are working together to investigate the cause of this performance issue.
The second issue was related to bank routing numbers, and was more short-lived. On Monday morning, September 18, some users encountered error messages when they tried to update a bank routing number. The issue was resolved by 9:15 a.m. and users in Duluth were able to make their payments successfully.
Students impacted by hurricanes Harvey and Irma
As a result of hurricanes Harvey and Irma, all campuses have been given a list of University students from Louisiana, Texas, and Florida to consider proactively taking action to help those impacted. The Twin Cities campus has decided to place a ‘suppress late fee’ service indicator on these students for fall semester. If students from the affected areas continue to experience financial difficulty in spring, the Twin Cities Office of Student Finance will re-examine this issue.
System Financial Aid Council updates (September 2017)
Fall financial aid disbursement
The Office of Student Financial Aid disbursed nearly $220,000,000 during the first disbursements for fall term. These numbers represent the whole university system.
Perkins expiration getting closer
On September 14, a bipartisan Federal Perkins Loan Program Extension Act of 2017 was introduced in the Senate. The bill, identical to the extension bill introduced in the House in May, would extend the Perkins Loan Program for an additional two years. (Graduate and professional students would have Perkins eligibility restored for only the first of those two years.)
Without congressional action, the program will expire on September 30, but momentum for an extension is growing in Congress. The House extension bill has accrued 160 bipartisan co-sponsors. OSF will stay tuned for updates. An extension by September 30 is not likely, however, there is talk about attaching the extension to bills slated for passage in December. The loss of the Perkins loan program will have a direct and significant impact on our students as we deliver approximately $6.3 million to students each year.
Students who have been awarded Perkins loans this year must be enrolled full-time and complete all their required paperwork by mid-September so that the loan can be processed and disbursed by the September 29, 2017, ahead of the expiration deadline.
IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) is coming back
Come this October students and parents will again be able to fill out their FAFSAs with the help of the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT). The DRT is not required, but it helps to avoid errors that ultimately cause additional verification steps.
The DRT will be modified for the 2018-19 year to address privacy and security concerns by encrypting the taxpayer’s information, making it unviewable by the applicant. Schools and state agencies will continue to receive all of the tax return information transferred into the FAFSA via the DRT. The encryption solution is intended to strike a balance between ensuring the continued availability of the DRT and its many benefits, and protecting the privacy of personal information and maintaining the integrity of our tax collection system.
The Office of Student Financial Aid disbursed nearly $220,000,000 during the first disbursements for fall term. These numbers represent the whole university system.
Perkins expiration getting closer
On September 14, a bipartisan Federal Perkins Loan Program Extension Act of 2017 was introduced in the Senate. The bill, identical to the extension bill introduced in the House in May, would extend the Perkins Loan Program for an additional two years. (Graduate and professional students would have Perkins eligibility restored for only the first of those two years.)
Without congressional action, the program will expire on September 30, but momentum for an extension is growing in Congress. The House extension bill has accrued 160 bipartisan co-sponsors. OSF will stay tuned for updates. An extension by September 30 is not likely, however, there is talk about attaching the extension to bills slated for passage in December. The loss of the Perkins loan program will have a direct and significant impact on our students as we deliver approximately $6.3 million to students each year.
Students who have been awarded Perkins loans this year must be enrolled full-time and complete all their required paperwork by mid-September so that the loan can be processed and disbursed by the September 29, 2017, ahead of the expiration deadline.
IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) is coming back
Come this October students and parents will again be able to fill out their FAFSAs with the help of the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT). The DRT is not required, but it helps to avoid errors that ultimately cause additional verification steps.
The DRT will be modified for the 2018-19 year to address privacy and security concerns by encrypting the taxpayer’s information, making it unviewable by the applicant. Schools and state agencies will continue to receive all of the tax return information transferred into the FAFSA via the DRT. The encryption solution is intended to strike a balance between ensuring the continued availability of the DRT and its many benefits, and protecting the privacy of personal information and maintaining the integrity of our tax collection system.
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