It’s hard to believe that summer is already over and fall is well underway. For most of us, fall brings a flurry of activity to our offices and schools. This year, we are much more somber. The usual excitement that accompanies a new school year has been dimmed by the tragic destruction of Hurricane Katrina.

The victims of this disaster are in our thoughts and we hope all of you that have families and friends in those areas found them unharmed. TriState is looking for a “personalized” outreach effort to assist our “neighbors in need.” If you have a suggestion for donations or would like to help, please contact Bob Foltz (bob@kellys-kitchen.com).

We know several schools in the TriState area have helped to accommodate displaced students from Louisiana. These institutions and their staff should be commended for their quick response and tremendous efforts. Work like this reminds us what a great Association we have.

This issue highlights all of the hard work this Association does. Committees have been planning for the past several months to prepare for the 2005-2006 year. Please be sure to check out the Committee Updates and State News to learn more about Association activities. We also invite you to learn about the members “behind the scenes” who dedicate their time and energy to the Association. Each issue we plan to highlight several volunteers in the Members in the Spotlight feature.

We have also dedicated a special section of this newsletter to Larry DiGregorio, who passed in March. Larry was the epitome of what TriState represents, true dedication and commitment to the financial aid industry. We will miss you, Larry.

There are also several exciting features inside. We hope that articles on FERPA, alternative loans and Historically Black Colleges & Universities will be of interest to you. Don’t miss the story about the summer visit to Capital Hill. As financial aid professionals, we need to be advocates for the Title IV legislative issues that affect our schools and students. Be sure to check out our new column, Legislative Tips and News.

As always, being a member of TriState has many great advantages including professional development and networking opportunities. See the Calendar of Events for more information.

Hopefully, you will find this Newsletter beneficial. As always, your feedback is encouraged. Members are asked to contribute their ideas, articles, stories or news for publication. If we don’t know about it, we can’t publish it! We sincerely appreciate all of those members who contributed toward this issue. Special thanks to Sharon Hassan, Debra McCain, Jennifer Hoffman-Bastos, Beth Parker, Aristea Williams, Scott Filter, Darwin Morency, Linda Pacewicz, Gene Logan and Ian Crawford. Bob Foltz did an outstanding job coordinating the tribute to Larry DiGregorio. Thank you to all of those who shared their memories, Marilyn King, Sam Magrone, Greg Martin, Cissy VanSickle and Gary Spoales. Also, we truly appreciate Karen Price and Taisha Winters who agreed to be our featured members for this issue. Committee Chairs and State Presidents also deserve a round of applause for their timely submissions to this issue. And, be sure to check out some of TriState’s sponsors on their special thank you page. Thank you all so much!

We’re hoping to add more stories about the members in the next issue. There are many ways you can help! Articles, book reviews, office news, financial aid trivia or funny stories, photographs and upcoming events are wonderful contributions. If you have items to submit for the newsletter, please contact Melissa Rakes at mrakes@dtcc.edu.

Article Guidelines
Full articles should be no longer than two typed pages, single-spaced. It is requested that all submissions be provided in 10 pt size with Arial font type. All articles submitted for publication will be reviewed by the Editorial staff. Submissions should be of a professional interest to the association and not include marketing and/or advertising of products, services, websites or personnel.

We hope to hear from you. Your ideas and suggestions are vital to the success of this publication. What do you like in the newsletter? What would make it better? What do you want to hear about? Please feel free to contact any member of the newsletter with your comments.

Happy reading! We wish everyone a safe and happy fall!