Missouri Code of State Regulations
Title 6 - DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Division 10 - Commissioner of Higher Education
Chapter 2 - Student Financial Assistance Programs
Section 6 CSR 10-2.180 - Minority and Underrepresented Environmental Literacy Program

Universal Citation: 6 MO Code of State Regs 10-2.180

Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 18, September 16, 2024

PURPOSE: This amendment updates the definition of approved institution to reflect statutory revisions.

(1) Definitions.

(A) Academic year shall be from July 1 of any year through June 30 of the following year.

(B) Advisory committee shall be the Minority Environmental Literacy Advisory Committee created under section 173.240, RSMo.

(C) Applicant means a student who has filed a complete and accurate application to receive a Minority and Underrepresented Environmental Literacy Program award as prescribed by the department and who qualifies to receive such award under section 173.240, RSMo.

(D) Approved institution means any institution located in the state of Missouri that meets the requirements set forth in subdivisions 173.1102.1(2) or (3), RSMo, that has been approved under 6 CSR 10-2.140.

(E) Award year shall be from July 1 of any year through June 30 of the following year, excluding summer terms.

(F) Completed secondary coursework or completion of secondary coursework shall be graduation from high school or the virtual public school established in section 161.670, RSMo, receipt of a general education development (GED) diploma, completion of a program of study through homeschooling, or any other program of academic instruction that satisfies the compulsory attendance requirement under section 167.031, RSMo.

(G) Consortium agreement means a written agreement between two (2) or more approved institutions that allows students to take courses at a school other than the home school and have those courses count toward the degree or certificate at the home school and that complies with United States Department of Education requirements for federal student financial assistance.

(H) Department means the Department of Higher Education created by section 173.005, RSMo.

(I) Expenses mean any educational-related expenses including, but not limited to, tuition, fees, and room and board.

(J) Full-time student means a student who is enrolled in at least twelve (12) semester hours, eight (8) quarter hours, or the equivalent in another measurement system, but not less than the respective number sufficient to secure the certificate or degree toward which the student is working in no more than the number of semesters, or their equivalent, normally required by the institution for the program in which the student is enrolled. Provided, however, that an otherwise eligible student having a disability as defined by Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act ( 42 U.S.C. 12101-12213) who, because of the student's disability, is unable to satisfy the statutory minimum requirements for full-time status under Title IV student aid programs shall be considered by the approved institution to be a full-time student and shall be considered to be making satisfactory academic progress, as defined in subsection (1)(O) of this rule, while carrying a minimum of six (6) credit hours or their equivalent at the approved institution.

(K) Initial recipient means a student who qualifies under section 173.240, RSMo, has filed an accurate and complete application by the deadline established by the department for the Minority and Underrepresented Environmental Literacy Program, has been selected to receive an award by the advisory committee, and has not received a Minority and Underrepresented Environmental Literacy Program award in any prior academic year.

(L) Program shall mean the Minority and Underrepresented Environmental Literacy Program created under section 173.240, RSMo.

(M) Renewal recipient means a student who received a Minority and Underrepresented Environmental Literacy Program award in any prior academic year, who meets the requirements set forth in section 173.240, RSMo, and who has filed an accurate and complete application by the deadline established by the department for the Minority and Underrepresented Environmental Literacy Program, and has been selected to receive an award by the advisory committee.

(N) Residency, for the purpose of this rule, shall be determined by reference to the standards set forth in the determination of student residency rule, 6 CSR 10-3.010.

(O) Satisfactory academic progress shall be a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of at least two and one-half (2.5) on a four-point (4.0) scale, or the equivalent on another scale, and, with the exception of grade point average, as otherwise determined by the approved institution's policies as applied to other students at the approved institution receiving assistance under Title IV financial aid programs included in the Higher Education Act of 1965. The calculation of CGPA shall be based on the approved institution's policies as applied to other students in similar circumstances.

(P) Severely underrepresented minority ethnic group means African Americans, Hispanic or Latino Americans, Native Americans and Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders as referenced in the 2011 publication of Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation: America's Science and Technology at the Crossroads, authored by the Committee on Underrepresented Groups and the Expansion of the Science and Engineering Workforce Pipeline; Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy; Policy and Global Affairs; National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine.

(2) Responsibilities of Institutions of Postsecondary Education. Institutions participating in the program must meet the institutional responsibilities set forth in 6 CSR 10-2.140(5).

(3) Responsibilities of Advisory Committee. The advisory committee shall meet at least annually to select initial and renewal recipients.

(4) Basic Eligibility Policy. To qualify for a Minority and Underrepresented Environmental Literacy Program award, an initial or a renewal recipient, at the time of application and throughout the period during which the recipient receives the award, must meet the following requirements:

(A) Comply with section 173.1110, RSMo;

(B) Be a Missouri resident;

(C) Have completed secondary coursework;

(D) Have maintained a cumulative grade point average of at least three (3.0) on a four-point (4.0) scale in high school or, if currently enrolled in college, have maintained a cumulative grade point average of at least two and one-half (2.5) on a four point (4.0) scale; and

(E) Be enrolled full-time in one (1) of the areas of study indicated in subsection 6. of 173.240, RSMo.

(5) Application and Evaluation Policy.

(A) The department shall annually prescribe the time and method for filing applications for financial assistance under the Minority and Underrepresented Environmental Literacy Program. It shall make announcement of its action in these respects.

(B) Students shall apply annually for financial assistance under the Minority and Underrepresented Environmental Literacy Program by completing and submitting the application prescribed by the department by the deadline established by the department.

(C) The department will verify each student's application for a Minority and Underrepresented Environmental Literacy Program award meets the eligibility criteria established in this rule.

(D) The department will provide applications for all eligible students to the advisory committee for review and selection of recipients.

(6) Award Policy.

(A) Minority and Underrepresented Environmental Literacy Program awards shall be allotted and issued for one (1) award year, unless otherwise specified on the application.

(B) A renewal recipient may continue to receive an award under the Minority and Underrepresented Environmental Literacy Program so long as the applicant-
1. Maintains satisfactory academic progress;

2. Otherwise meets the criteria of the Minority and Underrepresented Environmental Literacy Program; and

3. Continues to be selected as a recipient by the advisory committee. The selection process will include consideration of information evidencing the applicant's continued pursuit of an environmentally-related career path, including, but not limited to, volunteer activities, job shadowing, or summer employment in an environmentally-related field.

(C) The department shall establish the amount of the award annually and shall make announcement of its action in this respect.

(D) The department shall make awards in the rank order established by the advisory committee until all available funding has been expended to the nearest whole award amount for the time frame specified on the application.

(E) Renewal students shall have priority when establishing the rank order for awards.

(F) After renewal students, initial students who are members of a severely underrepresented minority ethnic group shall receive priority over members of other minority ethnic groups or students who are otherwise underrepresented in environmental fields when establishing the rank order for awards.

(G) Students who remain unfunded after awards have been made may be considered for an award in accordance with their rank order if funding becomes available.

(H) A student who has been denied a Minority and Underrepresented Environmental Literacy Program award for lack of satisfactory academic progress may not receive another Minority and Underrepresented Environmental Literacy Program award until the enrollment period after the applicable standard has once again been met.

(I) Minority and Underrepresented Environmental Literacy Program awards will be made for use during the normal academic year, but no funds for Minority and Underrepresented Environmental Literacy Program awards will be granted for use for summer terms.

(J) No Minority and Underrepresented Environmental Literacy Program award will be made retroactive to a previous academic year. A Minority and Underrepresented Environmental Literacy Program award will be made retroactive to a previous semester only upon the sole discretion of the department.

(K) Minority and Underrepresented Environmental Literacy Program awards will be issued only after certification of full-time attendance of the student by the institution. For a student enrolled as part of a consortium agreement, the student must be considered to be enrolled full-time under the provisions of the consortium agreement to be certified.

(L) Only one-half (1/2) the annual Minority and Underrepresented Environmental Literacy Program award will be issued in a semester of that award year.

(M) The applicant's award will be sent to the approved institution to be delivered to the student's account. The institution shall retain the portion of the award that the student owes for expenses and promptly give the applicant any remaining funds.

(N) An applicant's failure to provide information requested by the department by the established deadlines may prevent the applicant from being considered for a Minority and Underrepresented Environmental Literacy Program award.

(O) The department has the discretion to withhold payments of any Minority and Underrepresented Environmental Literacy Program awards after initiating an inquiry into the eligibility or the continued eligibility of a student or into the approved status of an institution.

(P) A student may transfer the Minority and Underrepresented Environmental Literacy Program award from one approved public or private institution to another without losing eligibility for assistance. The student must notify the department of the transfer.

(7) Information Sharing Policy. All information on an individual's Minority and Underrepresented Environmental Literacy Program application will be shared with the financial aid office of the institution to which the individual has applied, or is attending, to permit verification of data submitted. Information may be shared with federal financial aid offices if necessary to verify data furnished by the state or federal governments as provided for in the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. sections 552, 552a.

*Original authority: 173.240, RSMo 2010.

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