For the most part, we all went into this summer just like any other summer. It was time to close out the prior academic year and get ready for the new one. It was time to look at what we did as an association last year and plan for the next. It was time for vacations and relaxation. Okay, I don’t buy the last one either. It’s financial aid…who has time to relax and vacation in the summer? However you look at it, everything seemed to be moving along rather well, and then Hurricane Katrina hit.

The storm has impacted lives all over the country and had a big affect on many of our Virginia colleagues. As of 9/8/05, www.campusrelief.org listed 20 schools in Louisiana and 10 schools in Mississippi that have been closed and/or are experiencing delayed openings as a result of the damage caused by the storm.

Although Virginia is almost 1,000 miles away from the hardest hit area in Louisiana, many of our Virginia colleges are receiving requests from students to go to school here this semester. The fact that these requests are coming after the beginning of the traditional academic year is somewhat of a challenge, but I am proud to see our Virginia schools stepping up to do what we can to assist these students in need.

The other SASFAA state presidents, Guy Gibbs (SASFAA President), and I are continuing our discussions regarding what SASFAA can do to assist our colleagues in need. We are specifically looking at areas in Alabama and Mississippi that were hit the hardest by the storm. I am happy to say that we are very close to a resolution on what action will be taken. Guy will send an e-mail to the SASFAA membership once the final plans have been formulated. We will be sure to forward the message to the VAFSAA listserv as well.

Even though much of our time and attention has been focused on Hurricane Katrina, we also realize there is “business as usual” that must be attended to. The VASFAA committees are hard at work on their goals and objectives for the 2005-06 year. The committee chairs are also in the final phases of wrapping up their Committee Descriptions. These will be disseminated to the VASFAA membership once they have been finalized. I am extremely excited about this project being completed and being able to unveil the results to the membership.

The theme for 2005-06 is to “Be a Financial Aid Survivor.” As it turns out, due to Hurricane Katrina, this theme could not be more appropriate any other year than it is right now.

We will accomplish our goal of being a “Financial Aid Survivor” by excelling in the areas of Communication, Continuity, and Commitment, or what we have affectionately dubbed the "3 C’s". Looking over the past couple of months, it’s easy to see how the VASFAA members have risen to meet this challenge.

In the area of Communication, numerous e-mails, phone calls, and meetings have taken place to address the business of the association. Many committees are hard at work on achieving their objectives for the year. You can read more about the status of each committee by viewing their August Board Reports at www.vasfaa.org/docs/toc_about.html.

Many of the Committee Descriptions have been finalized for 2005-06, which will aid in achieving Continuity for recruitment of volunteers. These descriptions will give the committees a central focus that can be carried over on an annual basis. The descriptions will be posted to the VASFAA web site once they have all been received and formatted.

Your President-Elect, Erik Melis, has been hard at work appointing junior committee chairs. This will also aid in our Continuity efforts as those committees with a junior chair are not only looking at the current year, but they are also in the pre-planning phases for 2006-07.

In hindsight, you can learn several things from a tragedy such as Katrina. Something I have learned throughout this is that the Commitment VASFAA members have to their colleagues, students in need, and the profession as a whole, is an awesome thing to behold.

People from all across Virginia have stepped up to the plate to aid students displaced by the storm. We have opened our schools, opened our wallets with donations, opened our hearts with thoughts and prayers, and in some instances people may even be opening their homes. Some of our lender partners are also giving back to students by setting aside scholarship dollars for those affected by the storm, offering interest-free loans and/or providing repayment relief for many students.

It is truly amazing to see how Committed we are as a group to making a difference in the lives of individuals. That Commitment is also demonstrated in what our committee chairs and members are doing for VASFAA. Amongst all the turmoil brought about by the storm, people have not forgotten about their committee goals and are proceeding with their work for the membership.

We are entering the time of year where the membership will begin to see much more activity from our committees. Here are a few examples of what you will be seeing in the fall.

The VASFAA High School Guidance Counselor Workshops typically take place in the fall. Expect to see some activity from the VASFAA Secondary School Relations Committee as they begin to find locations and advertise the workshops.

The Support Staff Training Committee is in the process of developing training activities, some of which will take place this fall. You should receive information in the near future regarding the dates and topics of these workshops.

The Experienced Aid Officer’s Committee is working on plans for a fall Leadership Symposium. The committee ran into some stumbling blocks with finding hotel space, but quickly regrouped and formulated a new plan that should allow for this event to still occur in the fall.

The Training Committee is working on plans for a fall training event, as well as preparing for the Spring 2006 conference.

The Awareness Committee is in the planning phases for Super Saturday, which will take place at the beginning of 2006. They will begin looking for sites around the state to host this event, and begin advertising once the sites have been confirmed.

The Public Relations Committee is attempting to contact each committee member’s supervising thanking them for allowing them to volunteer and acknowledging them for their hard work.

The Diversity Committee is hard at work finding qualified speakers for diversity events to be held during the year, with the possibility of having a speaker at a fall event.

The Membership Committee is continuing to send updates to the listserv regarding membership in the association, as our membership drive for 2005-06 has begun.

The Newsletter Committee is displaying an informative fall newsletter for the membership.

The State Relations Committee is in the planning phases for a trip to the General Assembly at the beginning of the 2006. If you wish to be involved with this, please contact Michael Barree, State Relations Chair. Last year we had a strong contingent of VASFAA members visit with General Assembly members in January and we hope to do this again.

The Vendor/Sponsor Committee is arranging the Sponsorable Items List lottery that is scheduled to take place the end of September.

The Federal Relations Committee is continuing to monitor the pending Reauthorization and will send information to the VASFAA membership as needed. Hopefully there will be more to report as we progress into the fall.

The Conference Committee is hard at work planning the Spring 2006 conference. Much of the planning will be done in the fall.

The Archives Committee has undertaken the monumental task of electronically archiving VASFAA’s historical records. A lot of this work will take place in the fall.

I hope this gives you an idea of some things to look for from VASFAA in the fall. There are many other committees, such as Strategic Planning and Assessment, Research, Budget and Finance, and New Century Fund President’s Council who are also working on initiatives. Much of their work is currently being done “behind the scenes” right now. You can learn more about what all the committees are doing by reviewing their August Board Reports at www.vasfaa.org/docs/toc_about.html.

I want to thank everyone who has volunteered to work with VASFAA this year. VASFAA is strong because of you.