• We encourage advisors to attend one of the Welcome Center Advocacy events this summer. These events are a great opportunity to learn about the services that the Student Service Center has for students. You can RSVP for the event here: https://slate.wayne.edu/portal/wcadvocacy
• CARES I Funding has been exhausted, but WSU has received aid for CARES II Funding. Financial Aid has already sent out block grants to some qualified students, but students can also apply for CARES II Funding. Students that received Winter 2021 CARES II funding cannot apply for Spring/Summer 2021 funding. CARES II funding has not yet been extended to the Fall 2021 semester, but an update will be provided if it is extended. Students can find information about CARES II Funding here: https://wayne.edu/financial-aid/resources/coronavirus. Students can also still apply for Emergency Grants. 
• Financial Aid sent out emails to students at the end of May about scholarship renewals for the 2021-2022 academic year.
• Incoming Fall 2021 freshmen students will be subject to pre-COVID merit scholarship renewal requirements.
• Financial Aid is still developing a policy for continuing students. However, those students will not be required to meet their original merit scholarship 30-60-90 credit hour benchmarks. A different credit hour benchmark will be created for continuing students and will be provided to staff and students before the start of the Fall 2021 semester.
• The Student Service Center (SSC) and Welcome Center have often been used interchangeably in the past. The SSC has decided to switch to only using the name Welcome Center when referencing their building and the services available there.

Things to mention to students in your appointments:

• Remind students that N grades can affect a student’s ability to meet Standard Academic Progress (SAP) by lowering their pace.
• Students can start verifying their FASFA for next year. They can view their verification requirements in Academica under the Financial Aid tab. It is always best for students to get this done as soon as possible. Please continue making an effort to mention this in your appointments. Students that need help completing their FASFA forms can register for a FASFA Friday event with the Financial Aid Office.
• The new SSC phone system is use and it allows students to elect to have a representative call them back when they are available. Students will need to stay on the line for a minimum of 6 minutes before getting an option to set up a call back appointment.
• Students that receive federal financial aid loans may apply unused 2020-2021 aid in the Spring/Summer semester. Students that receive Pell grants may be awarded a grant for the Spring/Summer semester if they were a full-time student in the Fall and Winter semesters. Students should be directed to Financial Aid to discuss their financial aid situation for the Spring/Summer semester, but they can also view Spring/Summer Financial Aid info here: https://wayne.edu/financial-aid/applying/spring-summer.
• The Wayne State University Student Service Center Express (SSCX) Program is an interactive virtual presentation geared towards getting students ready for the Fall semester. Students attending these events will get important information about general financial aid, billing, registration, and important academic calendar dates. Students can learn about SSCX and register for date here: https://wayne.edu/studentservice/bulletin.

Ryan Ferrante (ak8629@wayne.edu), Elizabeth Hill (ay9449@wayne.edu), and Desmond Mack (ef2085@wayne.edu) are the advisor representatives on the committee. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about how students and advisors interact with the SSC or if you have ideas about how to improve the student experience working with advisors and the SSC.