Is it the Board’s intent
that scholarship awards, to be issued under the Oregon Board of Accountancy
Pipeline Scholarship Grant Program, (Program), would be available to incoming
freshmen at an eligible institution? Or, rather is the intent to limit such
awards to
1) “established” students at eligible institutions, and
2) those who are already taking accounting and business courses?
I ask in that proposed OAR 801-060-0030 provides the definition for an
eligible student, i.e., a person that can receive a scholarship under the
Program. Specifically -
A) Proposed OAR 801-060-0030 (1) requires that a scholarship recipient be
currently enrolled in an eligible institution. Would this prevent the issuing
of a “tentative”” scholarship to a high school senior, (or person taking time
between high school and their higher education), who has the intent to enroll
in an eligible institution and planning to enter an accounting program? Based
on timing of the scholarship application and then award, institution
admittance, and completion of the actual enrollment process, there could be a
“gap”. Would OAR 801-060-0030, as
proposed, allow for a Program scholarship award, subject to the requisite
enrollment, with the scholarship withdrawn if required eligibility
requirements, including enrollment, are not timely met? If such a gap is an
issue, the wording of the proposed OAR could be at odds with a Board intent
of getting students into accounting early in their educational journey.
B) Proposed OAR 801-060-0030 (4) requires “good standing” for eligibility,
with good standing defined as maintaining a GPA of at least 2.5 in all accounting
and business courses. As worded, does this limit Program scholarship awards
to those students that have already taken at least one accounting and
business classes at an eligible institution? Freshmen students may not take
their first accounting or business classes until perhaps several
semesters/quarters into their educational journey. Are they, therefore,
ineligible for a Program scholarship award until they take such classes? This
could even make certain sophomores ineligible for a Program scholarship
award, at least until they were to take such specified classes. Again, the
proposed OAR wording may be at odds with a Board intent of getting students
into accounting early in their educational journey,
The proposed OARs provide the legal framework for any contract that the
Oregon Board of Accountancy, (as a Grantor), enters into with a Grantee.
(With the Grantee being the entity that awards Program scholarships.) As
such, I would think that the OAR should be fully, and clearly, reflective of
the Board’s intent. If a grant contact allows for incoming freshmen to be
eligible recipients, while the underlying legal framework, as per the
proposed OAR, is not written/interpreted as allowing such freshmen
eligibility, might such a grant contract be invalid ? (I guess for legal
minds to determine.)
If the Board’s intent is to delay Program scholarship awards until later in
a student’s accounting education process, i.e., to just upperclassmen, then
there may not be issues.
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