The independent auditor identified certain concerns as set forth in the SFA Enrollment Reporting Control Deficiency, dated June 30, 2025. All concerns appear to relate to mid-semester withdrawals of students; all will be resolved by the continued implementation of previous corrective action plan (CA...
The independent auditor identified certain concerns as set forth in the SFA Enrollment Reporting Control Deficiency, dated June 30, 2025. All concerns appear to relate to mid-semester withdrawals of students; all will be resolved by the continued implementation of previous corrective action plan (CAP) and the facilitation of the additional plan details set forth herein. As background to these issues, Eastern Wyoming College (EWC) experienced unique circumstances related to the transmission of student information as a result of its status on Heightened Cash Monitoring (HCM2). Simply, the systems in place between the college, the federal government, and a third-party vendor did not communicate accurately, principally due to timing issues of student information and EWC's requests for reimbursement of financial aid. In the previous audit (2023-24), these types of issues were identified and remedied through EWC's corrective action plan. At that time, EWC committed to manually updating the Clearinghouse/NSLDS systems to ensure timely enrollment reporting. This effort was put in motion beginning in October 2024. EWC submits the concerns identified in the latest report were largely being corrected by the previous plan and the resolution of the timing issues due to EWC's move from HCM2 to HCM1 statuses. As part of EWC's continued effort, it is worthwhile to note additional information, issues and resolutions. Enrollment reporting at EWC has been historically managed by the Data Analyst. This singular reporting has allowed data to be reported consistently and efficiently. However, because the analyst does not work in either the Registrar or Financial Aid Offices, the reporting has not been able to adeptly identify and address unusual cases. The current reporting structure requires additional review and oversight. Therefore, as part of corrective actions, the Registrar or designee will manage enrollment statuses for all mid-semester college withdrawals. The Registrar is in the best position see the student's enrollment and to identify the accurate dates. The Registrar will be the final decision maker regarding the reporting of information. In addition, the Financial Aid Office, as part of their R2T4 calculation checklist when an official withdrawal form exists, will ensure that any completed courses from Block A do not impact the student's reported status of withdrawn. The Financial Aid Director, either as part of the initial calculation or the follow-up internal audit, will confirm whether any credits are earned prior to a student's withdrawal. Further, the director will ensure that any withdrawal is separately reported because current, standard reporting may not identify this status change. Delayed reporting as noted in the associated finding, will no longer be an issue now that all systems are aligned following the college's move from HCM2 to HCM1 status. This allows National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) to be notified of awarded aid, which will then allow the National Student Clearinghouse to effectively report all students, as required. In addition to the systems working as designed, EWC will conduct an internal audit each semester and will review students who withdrew during the term to ensure that all systems were updated correctly, and all offices reported accurate dates. In addition, all offices involved will create a collective Standard Operating Procedure manual related to enrollment reporting in addition to each office's separately documented procedures. Anticipated Completion Date: September 2025 Contact Person: Rebecca McAllister/Xi Feng/Dave Bluemel