Published on Brock University (http://www.brocku.ca)

Frequently Asked Questions

Undergraduate Student Award Questions

Here are some questions we commonly hear from our donors regarding undergraduate student awards. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact us at awards@brocku.ca. Please read "How to Establish an Award at Brock University [1]" for an overview of the award establishment process.

Establishing and changing terms

Selecting a recipient

Communication

What level of donation is required to establish an award?

Brock is very grateful for all donations toward our general student awards endowmwnt, however to establish a named award, there are minimum giving levels required. Please refer to "How to Establish an Award at Brock University [1]" for details on minimum requirements.

What is the process for establishing an award?

The process of establishing an award involves the following:

Complete Undergraduate Award Terms Template form [15], to identify recipient selection criteria.
Prepare and circulate Draft Terms for approval by Brock University. The terms are circulated to: 1) Director, Student Awards; 2) Director, University Advancement; 3) Dean/Chair of academic unit (if applicable); and 4) Vice-president Academic.
Prepare Final Terms and return to donor for approval.
Endowments require a full fiscal year of investment to provide income for the award. Donors may provide the estimated first-year value in order to make the award as soon as possible.

What selection criteria is allowable?

When developing student selection criteria, Brock University tries to accommodate the donors wishes as much as possible. However, excessively narrow selection criteria will likely result in few or no applicants for the award. During the terms development process, we will try to identify the likelihood of the selection criteria yielding sufficient applicants. Allowing some flexibility within the terms will increase the chances of successfully making the award on a consistent basis.

A word about the Ontario Human Rights Code: Section 1 of the Ontario Human Rights Code (Code) provides that every person has a right to equal treatment with respect to services, goods and facilities, without discrimination because of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, family status or disability. Education and access to educational facilities are "services" under Code. Obviously, the means to access those services are directly or indirectly related to education. As well, scholarships and awards are significant for reasons other than monetary value alone. Recipients of scholarships or awards have benefits in employment and access to post-graduate training. If a person is unable even to compete for the assistance that leads to these benefits, he or she is placed at a significant disadvantage.

Criteria such as race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, family status, disability, etc. should not be the basis for deciding who gets a scholarship, unless particular exceptions apply. If you are considering using one of the prohibited criteria as a basis for selection for your, we will review the Ontario Human Rights Commission Policy on Scholarships and Awards [17] to ensure we are not contravening the Code.

How can I change the terms of my award?

If you’d like to alter the terms of your current award, just contact us at awards@brocku.ca [18] and arrange to we'll arrange a meeing to discuss your proposed changes. Once the terms changes are identified we will circulate th echanges to ensure that the university will be able to consistently make the award.

How does a student 'demonstrate' financial need?

Many awards require the applicant to demostrate financial need as part of the application. Brock University collects an online budget-style application that helps us determine level of need.

Current Undergraduate student applicants provide a budget which identifies Resources and Expenses. We apply a ‘reasonableness’ factor by comparing the budget to a typical student budget. The typical budget is an average of other applicants in similar circumstances. On the expense side, we look at living arrangements (at home or away from home), Marital Status (Single, Married) and dependent children as factors that affect the budget? On the resource side we ask about personal, parental and spousal incomes, as well as other resources such as scholarships, tuition waivers, government income and RESP’s. Like OSAP, we calculate and expected contribution from personal, parental and spousal income. Students are also asked for financial need comments that further clarify their financial circumstances. For example, a student may have higher living expenses than the typical student due to a disability or medical condition.

Entering Undergraduate student applicants provide the ‘Resources’ side of the budget as well as financial need comments. We use the typical expenses for these applicants.

Financial need is not tied directly to Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) eligibilty. If a student has qualified for OSAP, they are highly likely to qualify for awards requiring financial need. If they do not financially qualify for OSAP, they may still be eligible for an award based on the application information provided as above (provided they they satisfy the residency requirements). See below for more information regarding Ontario residency.

How is an Ontario resident defined?

Many awards at Brock university require Ontario Residency. For the purpose of awards, Ontario residency is determined by the applicants citizenship and length of residence in Ontario. For complete details review the following details. [19]

How will the award availabity be published?

Award availabilty is published in variety of ways. Primarily awards are published on the Student Awards and Financial Aid web site [21] which features a search engine [22] and a full listing of awards [23]. From time to time we will also send targetted emails to current and prospective students with information about the award.

When will the award recipient be selected and how do they receive their award?

If you are creating an award for an entering student, the selection is made in mid April and an offer is made at that time. The funds are awarded to the student when they confirm registration, normally at the beginning of August. All funds are credited toward tuition and residence fees.
If your award is designated for a current or graduating student the selection is made at the end of May when marks are finalized for the Fall/Winter session. If the student is returning in the Fall a credit is applied toward their tuition for the upcoming session. Graduating students are issued a cheque.
For returning student bursaries, the award is made after the published deadline (normally October 15) and credited to the student fees account.

Will I receive notification about the award?

You will receive a notice from the Student Awards and Financial Aid Office in November confirming the name and program of the recipient of your award. The notification will include a letter from the recipient(s) as well. Also included is a summary of the terms of your award.

In addition, the Office of University Advancement will provide you with an endowment summary of your award account, in Date required.

Who selects the award recipient?

Scholarships and Awards are the purview of Senate and may be selected in one of two ways, depending on the terms:

Normally the recommendation is made by the Bursary Officer or the Manager, Student awards, depending on the type of award.
Alternatively, an academic Faculty or Department can recommend a recipient for an award based on the terms specified by the donor. This is normally done when there are Faculty- or Department-specific criteria that require a deeper understanding of the applicants.

Due to Canada Revenue Agency regulations, normally, donors are not eligible to take part in the selection process. If no charitable receipt is issued, donors may take part in the selection process.

Does the award appear on the recipients’ academic transcript?

A: Awards whose terms specify a minimum 75% average are eligible to be listed on the academic transcript. By default, any award named ‘scholarship’ will have a minimum 75% average requirement.

Does the university issue media releases or other notices regarding award recipients?

Due to the number of awards at we are unable to coordinate media releases or other photo opportunities. If the donor wishes to issue a notice or arrange a meeting University Advancement will provide the recipients contact information.

Can I arrange to meet with the recipient?

If you’d like to meet with the recipient we can contact the recipient and inquire for you. Due to privacy laws, we are not able to provide the information directly to the donor.

In addition, some Faculties co-ordinate events to recognize award recipients and donors. During these events you are able to meet with the recipient of your award. Invitations are sent out directly from the Faculty for these events. For more information, please contact us at awards@brocku.ca [18].

How can I change the terms of my award?

Donor FAQ

For more information, contact the Student Awards and Financial Aid Office at awards@brocku.ca [24]

Source URL: http://www.brocku.ca/safa/donors/DonorFAQ