Collecting References!
What are ways to improve information updates more accurate if we received false references?
There are many strategies to avoid receiving bogus reference data. As mentioned in our course, asking students for people to whom they would like to send a Graduation Announcement is a great way to obtain information (borrowers are more likely to give valid information in this scenario). Also suggested is sending a confirmation letter to each reference.
Other participants in this forum ask for emergency contact information or request references on more than one occasion (e.g. entrance interview and externship).
Working with your placement office is also important. Students actively looking for jobs may be more likely to cooperate than students at an exit interview.
Kellee,
At the beginning of each term, each student fills out a student contact form before they can register. It has a space for their current temporary address and then a space for a permanent address, which usually the parents address is given. I was just thinking how easy it would be to add a space for an emergency contact on this form. Something easy to do, but it would offer more information.
Brenda
I definitely like the idea of making students update their information each term. This is so much more effective than the typical entrance/exit scenario where students are only prompted twice over their entire enrollment.
Have students fill out paperwork with at least 3 emergency contact names. These are usually correct and can be accessed by both academic and financial aid offices.
Also, after the student is enrolled for a few terms, have them update these papers.
Improving information updates can begin with the Admissions department, then it transfers to the Financial Aid, Academics and then Career Services. One of the tools used is an Externship Packet by Career Services that the Student's fill out and it's mandatory in the packet the student has to fill out their updated information and provide three references which are verified before they are approved for externship. In a way we avoid receiving false references becasue they are verified before the student leaves school.
This is an excellent example, Kimberly. Your school has thoroughly and effectively involved the Career Services department in your default prevention efforts, and you are forcing students to be involved in the process.
I assume an Entranve Interview form is collected? If so use one that pertains to student loans and bears a somewhat more formal status than a college created form. Ours have both the guarantor and DOE addresses, etc. to further the perception of seriousness. I would also inform students that the references they are supplying will be verified. In the case of false information being provided I would follow through with an ethics violation to stress the importance of honesty in providing the college with information it needs. After one or two students have the experience of being "called" on their false submissions the word would circulate and the proces would be taken seriously.
Thank you for these suggestions. I believe this is the first time a participant has brought up the concept of “honesty” and student ethics. This is an approach we have not discussed but one that can certainly be considered, especially for schools that face ongoing problems with incomplete or bogus reference information.
I came from Admissions and I agree that Admissions, FA and Career Services are the 3 critical departments that need to verify these references. We are going to be implimenting an "update your information" on the front page of our student college website before they can log-in. This may be a very easy way for them to give us updated info on a timely basis.
I love the idea of an "update your information page" on the website before allowing them to log-in. What a great way to keep records up to date.
Having been used as a reference by a niece and then contacted by the school only when they could not find her, it is very important that this not be the first communication. It would have been much better to hear about her successful application or graduation before the skip search call. This would also have verified the contact information was correct.
Very true! Verifying references not only ensures you have good contact information but let's the reference know early on what the association is with the school.
We have found that most our students don't have all the needed info for their references so we have the students call their references while they are in the office with us. This allows the student to get the information but also to notify the references that they are being used as a reference.
Melissa,
Excellent idea! I think many of us have been in the position of filling out an application only to realize that we don’t have all the necessary information handy (e.g. the current address or home phone for extended family members).
It is great that you work proactively with students to complete this paperwork; too often we have seen student information sheets that offer six digit phone numbers, omit last names, or are [intentionally?] illegible. When we receive this sort of data, it is clear to us that the FA personnel did not review the students’ submissions, and this makes it much more difficult for the school and for third-party default prevention partners to effectively communicate with students (let alone locate skip borrowers).
Kellee Gunderson
These are all great strategies. I cant wait to start implementing them here. We often get addresses, phone numbers, etc, that after we follow-up, are not correct.
Treva,
I hope that the suggestions from this course and from the other participants prove to be successful for you. Old or inaccurate data is certainly a challenge for all of us. Timely verification is helpful, such as calling references to verify them upon receipt and mailing helpful information to students each semester. Creating more opportunities for students to update their information is also important, particularly when we can gather data from other departments that might speak to them more often (e.g. career services).
Kellee Gunderson
