<p>From the e-mail:</p>
<p>*To: Rensselaer Students
From: Eddie Ade Knowles, Ph.D., Vice President for Student Life
Paul Marthers, Vice President for Enrollment and Dean of
Undergraduate and Graduate Admissions
Date: February 17, 2010
Re: Financial Aid and the Revised Housing Grant Policy </p>
<p>In response to a number of inquiries and concerns regarding financial aid
and housing grants, a revised policy has been developed and approved for
implementation, effective February 17, 2010. The following memo provides
details regarding the new policy that we are sharing with students,
members of the campus community, and parents. </p>
<p>Financial Aid and the Housing Grant Policy
The central goal of the Rensselaer financial aid program is to meet
student need -- as much as is possible -- with Institute funds. The
housing grant (also referred to as a "room and board scholarship")
program was implemented to help students defray the full cost of
attendance at Rensselaer. "Full cost of attendance" is defined as the
annual tuition plus room and board charges to live in Rensselaer housing
and eat on the Institute meal plan. Therefore, full cost of attendance
necessarily implies living in Rensselaer residence halls and eating in
Rensselaer dining facilities. </p>
<p>The housing grant program was never intended to provide portable funds
that would help students pay for room and board charges incurred in
off-campus living and eating arrangements. In this regard, because the
housing grant program was designed to help students defray the full cost
of attendance at Rensselaer (that is, Rensselaer fees for tuition plus
campus-based room and board), the grants were not intended to be able to
be converted into tuition scholarships in the event that a recipient
chose to live and eat off campus.</p>
<p>Starting with the Rensselaer Class of 2014, housing grants will no longer
be offered to incoming students. Instead, new students who qualify will
receive financial assistance from Rensselaer (to the best of the
University's capacity to provide it) net of their expected family
contribution toward the cost of attendance.</p>
<p>Housing Grant Policy for Classes of 2011, 2012, and 2013</p>
<p>Students Living in a Rensselaer Residence Commons
Any continuing student (i.e., those in the classes of 2011, 2012 and
2013) holding a housing grant will retain that grant as long as that
student continues to live in a Rensselaer residence commons as an
undergraduate.</p>
<p>Students Living in Greek Houses
Any continuing student (those in the classes of 2011, 2012 and 2013)
holding a housing grant, who has been accepted as a member of a
fraternity or sorority that has signed the Greek Life Commons Agreement,
will be permitted to live in the house and continue to receive a housing
grant while enrolled as an undergraduate, for a maximum of five years.
However, in no case will the maximum payment exceed the value of the
pre-existing housing grant, and in no case will the amount of payment
from the housing grant exceed the baseline cost of living in the sorority
or fraternity. The baseline cost of living will be reviewed and
validated annually by the Bursar; and as a service to the house, billing
will continue to be done through the Bursar's Office.</p>
<p>Students Not Living in Rensselaer Residence Commons or Greek Commons
The following policies will apply for current housing grant recipients in
the classes of 2011, 2012 and 2013, while they remain enrolled as
undergraduates at Rensselaer (for a maximum of five years).</p>
<ol>
<li> If a student with a housing grant voluntarily moves off campus, that
student automatically forfeits her/his housing grant.*</li>
<li> All students who wish to continue their housing grant, but who are not
living in approved Greek housing, may participate in the Residence
Commons Room Selection and Lottery Process, and must accept the bed
available in order to continue to receive the housing grant. </li>
<li> If a student elects to decline the bed offered and chooses to move off
campus, that student forfeits her/his housing grant.</li>
<li> If a student with a housing grant who has not signed a lease to live
off campus (as of the date of this notice), participates in the lottery
and is unable to obtain a bed and thus is required to move off campus,
that student will receive 50% of the housing grant for one semester, and
the balance of that student's unmet need will be determined by the
Financial Aid office.</li>
</ol>
<p>Please note, an exception to Point 1, above, will be made for students
with housing grants who have already signed leases (as of the date of
this notice) to live off campus for 2010-11. For one more academic year
(2010-2011), Rensselaer will honor the 2009-2010 Housing Grant Policy
that was previously stated on the financial aid and residence life web
sites. That policy was as follows: students who choose to live off campus
for the 2010-11 year will be allowed to apply their housing grants toward
the cost of a Rensselaer meal plan, but those grants will be honored only
up to the value of the meal plan (e.g., if your grant is $5,000 and you
select a meal plan that costs $4,860, your housing grant amount will be
reduced to $4,860).</p>
<p>This means that housing grant recipients who can show proof that they
have already signed leases to live off-campus during the 2010-11 academic
year may use their housing grants to purchase a Rensselaer meal plan, but
only up to the cost of that meal plan. In no circumstances can Rensselaer
housing grants be used to pay for off-campus rental charges. </p>
<p>It should be clearly noted that the use of a housing grant to purchase a
food plan for students living off campus is limited only to the 2010-2011
academic year. This provision will terminate at the end of the 2010-2011
academic year. Students who fall into this category, who wish to retain
their housing grants past the 2010-2011 academic year, would be expected
to participate in the Residence Commons Room Selection and Lottery
Process, as described in Points 2-4, above.</p>
<p>Who Should I Contact If I Have More Questions?
We understand that individuals may have questions regarding financial aid
and the housing grant, and other housing issues. Below, you will find the
appropriate offices that may assist you in this process. </p>
<p>Students with questions regarding the status of their housing grant are
encouraged to contact the Office of Financial Aid at (518) 276-6813 or
via e-mail at <a href="mailto:financial_aid@rpi.edu">financial_aid@rpi.edu</a>. </p>
<p>Students with questions related to housing issues such as the lottery and room availability are encouraged to contact the Office of Residence Life at (518) 276-6284 or via e-mail at: <a href="mailto:res_life@rpi.edu">res_life@rpi.edu</a>. In addition, you may find information on the Residence Life web site at Residence</a> Life, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.</p>
<p>Students with questions regarding the status of Greek houses and the
Greek Life Commons Agreement are encouraged to contact the Dean of
Students Office at (518) 276- 6266. </p>
<p>In the near future, another electronic communication will be sent with
more details regarding housing issues, along with links to this memo that
will also be posted on the Financial Aid and Residence Life websites,
respectively.
*</p>