February Update

Dear Alum, I hope all of you survived the the Polar Vortex of 2019 unscathed. January did not end the way many of use expected. Carmen for the first time in it's history was closed due to inclement weather for 4 consecutive days!

This issue like all have important content for you to use, but I'll also have a big announcement to make as well! Here is what you can expect in this issue:

• Addition of a new Post-Transition Coordinator!!
• Spring Campus Visits
• Completing your first End of Term survey through our Alumni Connect Portal
• Financial Aid

Thank you for your attention and be safe through the rollercoaster that is Wisconsin weather.

Welcome to the Team!

I would like to introduce to you Rebecca (Becky) Kurter who will be housed out of our Northwest Campus. Mrs. Kurter will work alongside me to support all alum, but our Carmen meeting spaces will be campus based. So you can get to know her better in person she will be joining me for my spring Campus visits so please make sure you signup one you know when we'll be at your campus!

Northwest Classes of 2017 and 2018, Mrs. Kurter and I are both available to meet with you so please do not hesitate to reach out to either of us. Here is Mrs. Kurter to introduce herself:

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I am from Milwaukee and lived here for my whole life. I am a first generation college student and the first one in my family to earn a Master’s degree. For fun I like taking walks with my dog Dobby and taking pictures of my cats for their Instagram account. I also like exploring all the fun things happening in our city with my partner Imran. I worked with College Possible, Alverno College and UW-Madison. I am very excited to join the Carmen Northwest family and be able to work with you all. 

Spring Campus Visits

Set Up a time to meet while we're on campus!

• 2/5 - UWM
• 2/6 - UWM
• 2/11 - UW Oshkosh
• 2/12 - UW Whitewater

• 2/13 - Alverno
• 2/20 - Stritch
• 2/21 - UW Parkside

Alumni Connect Portal

Our new alumni portal is now active! Please make sure you register your new account. This portal will allow me to better support you the text and email communication and provide a secure place for me to post materials and resources for you.

Once you have completed the profile set up you will be able to update your academic and financial aid information and contact me if you have any questions.

QUICK HINT: If you'd like to speed up the process in your profile set up copy this quote and finish the sentence:
As a graduate of Carmen, my hope is to further my education so that I can support myself and my family and grow as a life-long learner. I am considering majoring in

NOTE: An End of Term task has been assigned to all alumni. This is only accessible through the portal. Grades will be due by the end of February.

Step 1: FERPA Waiver (All Alum)

Step 2: Setup your Alumni Connect account

Financial Aid

FAFSA/Verification:

• If you still do not have your financial aid for this academic year please email me ASAP!
• There is still time to file your 2019-2020 FAFSA for next school year, but the earlier you complete it the faster you'll get your award letter for next year.
• If you have completed your FAFSA already, but are now being contacted to complete verification, you will need to get that done in order to get you financial aid for the next school year.
• GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN: While the shutdown has indeed ended on January 25th, but it was only a three-week agreement so check with your financial aid. The Department of Education has finally responded to request from financial aid offices on guidance during the shutdown. More details are in the article here, but your schools SHOULD accept copies IRS tax returns or if you need a signed non-filer statement letter (with income or without income).
  

All resources and meetings signups can be done through the alumni services page.

Recognize this form?
The 1098T form is to report your academic expenses on your taxes. To better explain it I'll refer you to a resource from UW-Milwaukee.

If you have further questions please contact your financial aid office.

What is AOTC and can I benefit from it?
The short answer is yes, you may be able to benefit from the AOTC. The American opportunity tax credit (AOTC) is a credit for qualified education expenses paid for an eligible student for the first four years of higher education. You can get a maximum annual credit of $2,500 per eligible student. If the credit brings the amount of tax you owe to zero, you can have 40 percent of any remaining amount of the credit (up to $1,000) refunded to you. Please refer to the IRS here for more information.

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