News Graphic 04/17/2014

Copyright © 2014 Conley Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. 04/17/2014 April 18, 2014 5:11 pm / Powered by TECNAVIA

Copy Reduced to %d%% from original to fit letter page

Page B10 / News Graphic Thursday, April 17, 2014SOUTHERN OZAUKEE

T h e r emay be a bitof hyperbolein thisc o l u m n ’ stitle, but notm u c h .C u r r e n t l y,hundreds ofarea high

school seniors and their families have the financial aidpackages from colleges strewn across their kitchen tablesand are attempting to figure out what they are being offeredand can afford. They must make their decisions by May 1,the National Candidates’ Reply Date. Unfortunately, sincecolleges use so many multiple, inconsistent formats in theirfinancial aid packages, making “apples-to-apples”comparisons is very challenging.

Much of this is due to the specialized vocabulary. Everyprofession has its own terms and acronyms, and colleges donot take a back seat: EFC, COA, grants, scholarships,subsidized loans, unsubsidized loans, Perkins Loans, PellGrants, work-study awards, Stafford Loans, Direct Loans,PLUS Loans, FAFSA, CSS/Profile, full demonstrated need,gapping, merit-based, need-based, student employment,need-blind, unmet need, preferred packaging, net pricecalculators ... whew! It is no wonder that many families seehieroglyphics, all of which is compounded by the lack of auniform financial aid notification format. Think opaque,not transparency.

I will try to make it simple, but it’s not. Let us start withCost of Attendance (COA). Every financial aid notificationshould include this figure. It reflects the full cost prior toany financial aid, including such items as tuition, room andboard, fees (health, rec center, lab, etc.), books, supplies,transportation and personal expenses. The problem,though, is that not every school defines COA in the samemanner. In order to make accurate comparisons, focus onlyon the costs for which the school will bill you, i.e., tuition,room and board and fees. There, of course, will be costsassociated with the other items, but these are not oweddirectly to the school and they can be managed andminimized.

Once you have computed each school’s COA in aconsistent manner, look in the award notification for yourExpected Family Contribution (EFC). This figure is derivedfrom the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student

Assistance) and is based on a formula that includes theparents’ and student’s income, assets, family size, numberfrom family in college concurrently, age of oldest parent,etc. If the award letter’s EFC does not match the one fromyour FAFSA, contact the school and inquire. (If you arecomparing a school that also required you to submit theCSS/Profile, there may be a difference between yourFAFSA’s EFC and the one listed in your award notification.)

Theoretically, the formula to compute financial aid issimple: COA minus EFC equals full demonstrated need. It isfrom this latter figure that a college will structure itsfinancial aid offer. Do not expect, though, that a college willdesign a package that will meet the full difference betweenits COA and your EFC. Only the most wealthy, selectiveschools meet full demonstrated need with no loans beingrequired and their numbers are dwindling. It willoverwhelmingly be the case that even with the financial aidbeing offered, there will be a “gap” between the COA andyour EFC.

So, how to compare the financial aid packages? Most willinclude a combination of grants, scholarships, loans andstudent employment. Ah, but the devil is in the details. Myadvice: focus foremost on the “gift” aid (if any), dollars thatneither must be borrowed (loans) nor earned (studentemployment) and thus directly reduce the COA. Gift aidcomes in the form of “grants” and “scholarships.” Grantsare need-based; scholarships are merit-based. Grants maycome from either the college’s own funds or from the federalgovernment; scholarships come from the school. Yourfamily will need an EFC below a certain number (this varieson multiple factors) to be eligible for grants, but Bill Gates’kids can receive scholarships. Obviously, it is the “gift” aidthat really counts, thus you should subtract it from the COA.

Your financial aid award package undoubtedly willinclude some combination of loans and studentemployment. These items are known as “self-help” aid. Thereal question is, “Should such items even be listed as afinancial aid award?” When an individual must pay backmoney or earn it, is it really being “awarded” to her/him? Iam not trying to be sarcastic here. I am only stating thatwhen evaluating various college’s financial aid packages,you need to take a close look at three percentages: (1)percentage of COA covered by “gift aid; (2) percentage ofCOA covered by “self-help” aid; (3) percentage of COA ofunmet need that still remains.

Let us take a closer look at this “self-help” aid. Thefinancial aid letter most likely will not use this term, so you

must identify “self-help” items carefully. Also, since nearlyevery school has its own individualized notification format,it can be difficult to make valid comparisons. Often, thesame type of offer, such as a federal loan, will be identifiedwith different terms (Direct, Stafford, Ford) by differentschools. When it comes to loans, remember that the sourceis the federal government: the colleges are just serving asthe conduit. The real distinction in loans is between“Subsidized” and “Unsubsidized” ones. If you must take outloans, favor the former over the latter. Subsidized loansinclude no accruement of interest while the student is inschool; unsubsidized loans begin adding interest to the debtimmediately. Also, historically, the interest rates ofunsubsidized loans have been double that of subsidizedones. Additionally, if your financial aid packages include anoffer of a Parent PLUS loan, run away from it if you can.These loans have high interest rates and loan originationfees, and (in my opinion) a family would be better off takingout a home equity loan than a PLUS loan. If you choose toaccept any of the aforementioned loans, remember that youdo not have to borrow the full loan offer. Regarding studentemployment/work-study, my advice would be to accept it.These earnings will not reduce the college’s invoices, butthe monies can be used for books, personal expenses and/orgeneral “knock around” money for pizza and (uh-hum)beverages.

High school seniors and their parents are at the precipiceof what can be a life-changing decision. How to pay forcollege is a key metric, especially as horror stories aboundabout millions of students drowning in college debt. Justremember, though, the average college graduate earnsbetween $800,000 and $1 million more than a high schoolgraduate in her/his 40-year work career. One rule of thumb:Your total student debt upon graduation should not exceedwhat you expect to earn annually in your first full-time jobafter college. Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota has introduceda bill in Congress that would make uniform all financial aidletters. Perhaps such a “truth-in-lending” format wouldmake the deliberations of students and families a bit easier.

Tom Tonnesen is the director of College Admissions Pathways(CAPs) and works with students and their families on the entirecollege search, admissions, test preparation and financial aidprocesses. He is a member of the National Association for CollegeAdmission Counseling (NACAC). Contact information:tonnesen@caps2college.com; 377-0302 (home/office); 262-389-4588(cell); or www.caps2college.com.

THE INS & OUTSOF COLLEGEADMISSIONS

TOMTONNESEN

Comparing financial aid offers: Akin to deciphering hieroglyphics

By Denise SeyferNews Graphic Correspondent

Restoration activities at Hidden Springs WetlandComplex in Germantown maybe should not bekept hidden. In April, Waste Management,

Mequon Nature Preserve, and other local ecologicalgroups recruited approximately 50 volunteers, adultsand children, to cut, haul and stack nearly three acresof slashed buckthorn, an invasive plant growing inWisconsin, all in the name of renewing our earth.

The goal of WM Wildlife Habitat Council Projectssuch as Hidden Springs at Orchard Ridge Recyclingand Disposal Facility is to promote sustainability andconservation education by partnering with localgroups such as Mequon Nature Preserve to bestow tothe next generation a planet that exists in bettercondition than we inherited.

“Waste Management, as a company, set asustainability goal to have 100 wildlife habitatcertifications protecting 25,000 acres of wildlifehabitat by 2010,” said Greg Konsionowski, chemist ofWM Environmental Monitoring Group. “The HiddenSprings project helped Waste Management achieveand exceed its goal a decade ahead of schedule.”

“We (also) have a shared watershed, theMenomonee River,” said Kay Amland, director ofdevelopment at Mequon Nature Preserve, whoappreciates the partnership.

Restoration efforts abounded when stacks of downed trees and slash -– woody debris onthe forest floor – were removed from the stream corridor and banks of Hidden Springs inpreparation for the installation of native plants along the shoreline and in the stream.

“Native sedges, rushes, grasses and forbs planted along the stream corridor willincrease water quality bystabilizing the shorelines,absorbing nutrients fromthe water and slowing themovement of sediment andsilt through the stream,”said Clayton Frazer, seniorecologist and MNP boardmember.

Mequon NaturePreserve leads efforts

Mequon Nature Preservewas established in 2000,after Ozaukee WashingtonLand Trust, GreaterMilwaukee Foundation anda push from Mequon’sformer mayor, ChristineNuernberg, who wasinstrumental in theacquisition efforts,

purchased the 438 acres. It was given tothe city of Mequon.

In turn, Mequon allowed the naturepreserve to rent the land and run its ownrestoration project. The long-range goalof MNP is to restore the land to itsoriginal forested, wetland and prairiestate.

Wetlands carry out importantfunctions in our environment.

They are a habitat for birds, reptilesand amphibians which control pestpopulations. Wetlands also serve as floodcontrol, whereby runoff sits in the wetland versus seeping into the roadways and sewersystems.

Last, it recharges or stabilizes the water table, which tends to counteract usage,Amland said.

Nickels cited the wetlands at the preserve “have remained constant for the last 10 yearswhere there has been a 20 percent drop within Mequon,” he said.

Buckthorn creates a battle not only at MNP, but also, in the community and atneighboring wetland restoration projects. It stifles growth.

“Water doesn’t get the chance to infiltrate or get cleaned by any plants; whatever isthere flushes right off into ditches and sewers,” said Jason Nickels, education andrestoration director at MNP. “(Buckthorn) has a dense canopy that shades other growthout.”

Buckthorn removal best practicesNickels said removing buckthorn can be backbreaking. He suggested pulling smaller

growth by hand and laying sod over the area to smother new growth.For thicker, larger bushes, Nickels recommended using the “cut-stump treatment,”

chainsawing the plants down, then following up with effective herbicide.Buckthorn slash does have value, especially at MNP and Hidden Springs. “Numerous brush piles were created that will serve as wildlife habitats,” Frazer said.

“Green ash was thinned in thisforested wetland in order to allowfor increased light infiltration tosupport the additional nativeplantings.”

Future ecological activities arebeing scheduled in collaborationwith partners such as MequonNature Preserve, WisconsinWaterfowl Association, PheasantsForever, WM and Eco-ResourceConsulting.

Consult the MNP website,www.mequonnaturepreserve.org,for upcoming events.

“We believe in restoring wildlifeand nature ... to achieve a morebalanced state,” said CathyGettelfinger, a participant fromMequon. “It’s not only anopportunity but a duty to take careof our earth.”

Drew and Christian Seyfer pitch into remove slash in Hidden Springs.

Photos by Denise Seyfer

Dawn Krueger, left, and Cathy Gettelfinger set anexample of stewardship at Hidden SpringsWetland Complex.

Bryce Krueger, 12, and Ryan Gettelfinger, 11, haultrunks and branches for the building of an animalhabitat.

A volunteer uses a chainsaw to slice through the thicker, largerbuckthorn trunks.

Nature’s stewards at workDon’t pass the buck, stop the spread of buckthorn

CEDARBURG — In an awards program full of Bulldog spirit and pride,more than 140 people attended the recognition of 61 Cedarburg High Schoolstudents honored with breakfast at the third annual 180˚ Award Program atNorth Shore Country Club, sponsored by Kapco.

The 180˚ Program recognizes students who have increased their semestergrade point average by .75 or more since the previous semester grade report.“By improving their academic achievement, they have increased thelikelihood of future success in life,” said CHS Principal Jeff Nelson. “Thisyear, we are recognizing 61 students and over the past three years, we haverecognized 151 students. The support of our parents and community for thisprogram has been great.” The program included awards led by NickiDonahue (math teacher), Greg Johnson (counselor) and Nelson. New thisyear was the addition of two teachers, Elizabeth Masslich (math teacher) andLisa Moore (English teacher), who represented the teachers who werementioned in a student survey as those who have impacted the students’ livesin a positive manner. Jim Kacmarcik, president of Kapco, offered hiscongratulations to the students on their achievement and challenged them tocontinue achieving great things. Kapco and the other sponsors’ donationsallowed students to attend the breakfast for free; each student received a raffleprize that was a minimum of a $20 gift certificate. The two students with thehighest improvement were awarded additional gift cards from Best Buy in the amount of $100 (JoeTenpenny) and $75 (Zach Kinsman).

The primary sponsor for the program was Kapco; the other sponsors included; Cedarburg EducationAssociation, Cedarburg Pet Care, Rod and Susan Copes, Joe and Carol Fisher, Kip and Karen Kinzel,Master Printwear, medical staff of Aurora Medical Center in Grafton, Jeff and Ginger Nelson, NetworkPhotography, Dr. James and Kathy Rossiter, Duey and Laura Stroebel, SWAG Promotions, Tailored LabelProducts, Worker’s Compensation Law Offices and anonymous donors.

Students who increased their grade point average (GPA) by 1.0 or more included Haley Abitz, KevenAusloos, Alexis Brewer, Nakai Cheney, Brandon Drescher, Alanna Fick, Katie Gasperetti, KayleeHirsbrunner, Duncan Isbister, Zachary Kinsman, William Klapka, McKenna Lewis, Riley Loper, MarissaMartinez, Joshua Mesenbrink, Amanda Moralez, Daniel Rhode, Cody Ries, Brittany Samson, SamuelSchaut, Gunnar Simenc, Joseph Tenpenny, Noah Tepps, Stephan Young and Monika Zoromski.

Students who increased their grade point average (GPA) by .75-.99 points included Kaitilyn Bestor,Matthew Brewer, Kathryn Camilleri, Adam Clark, Nicole Ernisse, Mason Etter, Gabriela Follett, JosefinaGemignani, Brady Groth, Natalia Haworth, William Helm, Jackson Hickenlooper, Leah Knopf, DevinKuhn, Brian Kwiatkowski, Jonathan Leach, Elliot Mac Donald, Collin Madison, Timothy Mathusek, AnnaMorrow, Jack Omer, Autumn Pitz, Kyle Polum, Curtis Rutkowski, Tyler Ryan, Amber Schmidt, BobbieSigler, Eric Torres, Kassi Uselding, Joseph Vitucci, Tessa Ward, Makala Wells, Samantha Whitrock, SeanWroblewski, Ryan Wyrostek and Jenna Zembrowski.

CHS students honored for 180-degree achievement

Bobby Sigler and Riley Loper

Tim Mathusek, Jackson Hickenlooper and Nakai Cheney

Joe Tenpenny, Jeff Nelson and Zach Kinsman

Tyler Ryan, Curtis Rutkowski and Joe Vitucci

Photos submitted

Sixty-one CHS students were honored at abreakfast for increasing their grade-pointaverage by .75 or more since the last gradereport.