The College of Southern Idaho abides by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrator’s (NASFAA) Statement of Ethics & Code of Conduct.
The College of Southern Idaho is a direct lending institution, which means that we lend students money directly from the federal government (U. S. Department of Education). CSI does not participate in any preferred lender arrangements.
Schools that participate in Title IV loan programs are required to publish and comply with the following in accordance with 34 CFR 601.21
- The College of Southern Idaho is prohibited from entering into revenue-sharing arrangements with any lender.
- Employees of the financial aid office are prohibited from receiving gifts from a lender, a guarantor, or a loan servicer. Agents who are employed in the financial aid office of the institution or who otherwise have responsibilities with respect to private education loans, must not solicit or accept any gift from a lender, guarantor, or servicer of private education loans.
- CSI will not enter into any consulting or other contracting arrangements. An agent who is employed in the financial aid office of the institution or who otherwise has responsibilities with respect to private education loans must not accept from any lender or affiliate of any lender any fee, payment, or other financial benefit (including the opportunity to purchase stock) as compensation for any type of consulting arrangement or other contract to provide services to a lender or on behalf of a lender relating to private education loans.
- CSI will not direct borrowers to particular lenders or delay loan certifications.
- CSI will not request or accept offers of funds for private loans to students in exchange for the institution providing concessions or promises regarding providing the lender with:
1. A specified number of private education loans;
2. A specified loan volume of such loans; or
3. A preferred lender arrangement for such loans.
- CSI will not accept staffing assistance from lenders. The institution must not request or accept from any lender any assistance with call center staffing or financial aid office staffing.
- CSI Advisory board members will not be offered compensation from lenders. Any employee who is employed in the financial aid office of the institution, or who otherwise has responsibilities with respect to private education loans or other student financial aid of the institution, and who serves on an advisory board, commission, or group established by a lender, guarantor, or group of lenders or guarantors, must not receive anything of value from the lender, guarantor, or group of lenders or guarantors, except that the employee may be reimbursed for reasonable expenses, as that term is defined in §668.16(d)(2)(ii), incurred in serving on such advisory board, commission, or group.
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
All information in the Office of Student Financial Aid is considered confidential and should not be shared with anyone outside of our office other than official CSI staff and faculty who have a need to know. Staff shall not share this information with others or indicate to others they have this information. Such confidential information shall not be used to make decisions which compromise the official processing in the Financial Aid Office.
FERPA
Conflict of Interest
The Office of Student Financial Aid Services staff will not perform any steps in processing a financial aid application in their own names, for anyone in their immediate family, or where there is a conflict of interest. All staff members who identify a conflict of interest shall inform the Director at the time they are identified of the name, relationship, and student ID number of the person who has applied for aid.