As an employee of the State of Georgia, we are obligated to be good stewards of the taxpayers’ tax dollars. As a financial aid professional, our obligation reaches beyond that. We must diligently administer complex federal and state aid programs and ensure we adhere to the numerous, and at times, complicated, statutory and regulatory obligations. Our students look to us for sound financial aid advice to help them navigate the maze of financial aid programs. It is important that we deliver financial aid counseling in an ethical, honest, and knowledgeable manner. Realizing that at times there will be gray areas on which we must make professional judgment calls, these professional judgment decisions will be made based on our knowledge of financial aid policy, verifiable documentation, and law, and carried out in a consistent and fair manner. We will work with students to resolve any discrepancy or conflicting data. Once we are made aware of inconsistent data, we are ethically-bound to correct it and report accurate data. In no way will we provide misleading or false information to enhance a student’s eligibility for financial assistance.
As directed in the Federal Student Aid Handbook, should one suspect that a student, employee, or other individual has intentionally misreported information or altered documentation to fraudulently obtain federal funds, one SHOULD report his/her suspicions and provide any evidence to the Office of Inspector General. ATC encourages all employees to be vigilant in reporting suspicious activity to safeguard the integrity of ATC financial aid office, the College, the Technical College System of Georgia, and the aid programs. If the suspect is an employee of ATC, the employee’s immediate supervisor should be notified, unless this person is also suspected to be entangled in the fraudulent activity, at which point the next level supervisor should be made aware of the suspicions.
The Atlanta Regional Office of the Inspector General (OIG) can be contacted at (404)974-9430 or the OIG National Contact Information is provided below.
Inspector General’s Hotline Office of Inspector General
U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-1500
1-800-MIS-USED
E-mail: oig.hotline@ed.gov
www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oig/hotline.html