Financial Resources

Diplomas/Mailing Addresses, Transcripts, Commencement Photos and Middletown Cash Refunds – 6/4

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Greetings!

I hope you’re enjoying the summer and looking forward to the next leg of your journey. There are still some lingering questions and loose ends to tie up; hopefully, the information below is helpful.

Diplomas, Diploma Addresses and Official Transcripts

Any changes to diploma mailing addresses are due to Tracey Stanley in the Registrar’s Office by 4:30pm, EST today, June 4th. Include your name, WesID and your new address in any correspondence with Ms. Stanley about updating your diploma mailing address. Future inquiries about your mailing address and changes should be directed to Ms. Stanley. The Registrar’s Office staff is working with a vendor to mail diplomas this month; you should receive them by July 5th if not earlier.

Official transcripts with your degree conferral date are available now. You may request an official transcript through the Registrar’s Office and the National Student Clearinghouse. You may also request Enrollment and/or Degree Verification through the Registrar’s Office. Additionally, employers may call the National Student Clearinghouse at (703) 742- 4200 to verify degree completion.

Employers can verify degrees by calling this number.

Commencement Photos and Follow Up

Wesleyan partnered with GradTrak® Graduation Images and professional photographers  to take a candid photograph of each graduate present at the ceremony. You will receive a free passport-sized digital proof of these photos on an order card within 5 to 7 days following the ceremony. Questions may be emailed to service@gradtrak.com.

You may order online at www.gradimages.com or call (800) 261-2576. To pre-register your permanent email address and receive a $5.00 coupon towards a purchase of $25.00, please visit www.gradimages.com and click on Pre-Event Registration. You may add contact information for up to six additional relatives and/or friends. GradTrak® will never sell or share the address/email information provided to them.

Middletown Cash Refunds

Contact Cathy-Lee Rizza at the WesCard Office (wescard@wesleyan.edu) to make the initial request for a refund of your Middletown Cash (note: points are not eligible for refunds). She will help you close your Middletown Cash account, and your balance minus a $25.00 administrative fee will be transferred to your student account. You will then need to fill out a refund request form on the front page of the student accounts website.

I will be working most of the summer, so feel free to reach out with any other questions or concerns. I’m also preparing to welcome the Class of 2025 this fall, so you will most likely see some changes to my outgoing messages.

Have a wonderful summer!
Dean Leathers

Tanesha A. Leathers, PhD (she/her/hers)
Dean for the Class of 2025
Interim Dean for the Class of 2022, Li-Ro
Congratulations to the Class of 2021!
Wesleyan University
Middletown, CT 06459

Middletown Cash Refunds

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Contact Cathy-Lee Rizza at the WesCard Office (wescard@wesleyan.edu) to make the initial request for a refund of your Middletown Cash (note: points are not eligible for refunds). She will help you close your Middletown Cash account, and your balance minus a $25.00 administrative fee will be transferred to your student account. You will then need to fill out a refund request form on the front page of the student accounts website.

Student Employment Phishing Email Alert

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 Dear Student,

We have been made aware that students are receiving emails posing as the Financial Aid Department as well as emails advertising student employment opportunities that are not legitimate.  Given this increase in phishing emails, we wanted to provide you with some guidance on how to determine if a job opportunity is legitimate.

If an email appears to be strange in nature, confirm its authenticity before automatically complying with the request.  Emails that appear to be very vague in content and ask you to click on a link or to respond immediately without much detail for the purpose of the email would fit this description.  Even if an email is from a known source, but not someone ordinarily associated with financial aid or student employment (ex: a faculty member) should be questioned.

For student employment opportunities:  Handshake contains up to date information about student employment opportunities for students available directly through Wesleyan.  Jobs posted by Wesleyan University Student Employment on Handshake have been vetted by our office before being made available to students; therefore, it is the best way to search for legitimate job opportunities.  Students are welcome to seek employment outside of Wesleyan but should exercise caution when considering opportunities from other employers, particularly when seeking remote employment.  Students should always research any employer and/or offered job opportunity; if an opportunity sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. You should note that it is possible for a fraudulent email to come from a legitimate Wesleyan email address if the account has been hacked, so job opportunities sent to you from a Wesleyan email address should be researched as you would any other job.

When communicating with an employer, receiving emails from potential employers, or searching for a job, be on the lookout for the following “Red Flag” situations:

·         Makes an offer for a position without ever interacting/interviewing you

·         You receive an email from an employer you have had no interaction with offering you a job or to “make money quickly”

·         Offers a large sum of money for minimal work.  Remember that the Connecticut minimum wage is $12 an hour

·         Offers payment before you do any work or sends you compensation unexpectedly

·         Requests for you to make a payment upfront via transfer/wire money, money order or courier

·         Requests your personal information – social security number, credit card information, bank account number, copies of your license, passport, photograph, or other personal documents

·         Posting lacks all or some of the following information: company name, address, contact information, telephone number, domain email address, etc.

·         Postings with spelling and grammatical errors

·         Employer website without a clear description of the business, contact information, or job descriptions

If you suspect a posting is fraudulent, be sure to proceed with caution.  Do not provide any personal information and do not click on any links. End all communications with the employer immediately and, if Wesleyan University is mentioned in the email, contact the ITS Security group at security@wesleyan.eduASAP for assistance and advice on how to proceed.

You can find additional information regarding student employment on our website and additional information about fraudulent job postings here.  If you have any questions, please reach out to studentemployment@wesleyan.edu.

Sincerely,

Financial Aid Office
Student Employment Office
Jen Duncan, Associate Director of Financial Aid

Claudia Morrow, Associate Director of Financial Aid

Robyn Ewig, Senior Assistant Director of Financial Aid

Allison Soden, Student Employment Coordinator

Ali McFadzen, Department Assistant

Wesleyan University
Office of Financial Aid
237 High Street
Middletown, CT 06459
Tel: (860) 685-2800
Fax: (860) 685-2801

IRS COVID-19 Stimulus Checks and F/J Students

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This is a reposted message from OISA and the Controller’s Office.

Dear international students,

Please see the message below from Christine Rodrigue about COVID-19 stimulus checks. If you have additional questions, please reach out to Christine at crodrigue@wesleyan.edu.

Hope you all are well!

Chia-Ying

 

Dear F and J Students and Scholars,

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Federal Stimulus Package enacted in April 2020 was intended to help taxpayers, businesses, tax-exempt organizations and others affected by the coronavirus.  The package included Economic Impact Payments, more commonly referred to as Stimulus Checks, to individual taxpayers.

In December 2020, the U.S. government approved the second pandemic stimulus payment under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, providing an additional one-time payment of up to $600 per eligible taxpayer.

Individuals eligible to receive the stimulus checks:

  • must be a US Citizen or Resident Alien for tax purposes
  • cannot be claimed as a dependent by another taxpayer
  • must have a valid Social Security Number (SSN), and
  • have gross income of up to $75,000 ($150,000 for married couples)

You are not entitled to receive stimulus checks if you are:

  • A Non-Resident Alien (F-1 and J-1 Students are Non-Resident Aliens during the first five calendar years of presence in the U.S.)
  • A single taxpayer with an adjusted gross income (AGI) above $99,000
  • A head of a household with an AGI over $136,500
  • A married couple with an AGI over $198,000
  • A child over 16 or a college student under age 24

If you received a stimulus check, you should verify your 2019 tax year U.S. residency status.  If you determine that you were a Resident for tax purposes in 2019, then you are entitled to the stimulus checks.  If you determine that you were a Non-Resident for tax purposes in 2019, then you received the payment/s in error, and you should follow the instructions provided by Sprintax and the IRS (links below) to return the payment/s to the IRS.  By keeping a stimulus check that was issued in error, you may incur penalty and interest payments or jeopardize your future U.S. visa or Green Card applications.


Everything a non-resident in the U.S. needs to know about the COVID stimulus checks–Sprintax provides further clarity and guidance for international non-immigrant students and employees, specifically non-resident aliens for tax purposes.

IRS Economic Impact Payment Information Center

I hope you are doing well and staying healthy.

 

Take good care,

Christine Rodrigue

Sr. Accountant/Tax Specialist

Wesleyan University

Controller’s Office

International Compensation and Taxation

Applications for Winter Session Aid Open – Initial Deadline 10/26

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Applications for Winter Session aid are currently open in Portal/Courses/Winter Session. The deadline to apply and receive your award before registration opens is Monday, October 26 at noon. Applying for aid does not mean you have to take a Winter Session course. Registration for Winter Session will open on Tuesday, November 3. Winter Session has 2 sessions this term. Please visit the Winter Session site for complete details or email winter@wesleyan.edu.

WasteNot/Resource Center Appliance Donations

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Do you have appliances that are unused? Do you wish there was a way to donate those items?  DONATE HERE

The Resource Center, in collaboration with WasteNot, have organized a donation spreadsheet for Wesleyan students to donate appliances to fellow peers who may not be able to afford appliances (e.g. fridges and microwaves) to live comfortably.

Due to limitations of items donated to WasteNot, ONLY freshmen will be able to have access to the spreadsheet on Friday, Sept 11th.

The spreadsheet will be on a first come- first served basis starting Saturday, Sept 12

Waste Not Want Not Flyer

 

This spreadsheet acts as a medium, meaning that the students are responsible for contacting the individual donor for the item(s) pickup.

  • Students/Staff are allowed to donate more than one item, however please make a new entry for each item
  • When the donated item has been picked up, please change the color of the entry to red or email sfortson@wesleylan.edu or galice@wesleyan.edu
  • The donated item must abide by the university’s fire hazard guidelines, which can be found here.

Please note, if the item is large, consider borrowing a trolley from WesStation

Link to Spreadsheet

Wesleyan Financial Aid and Student Accounts Virtual Q&A on 7/20

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The following is a message from Admissions, Student Accounts, and Financial Aid.

 

Dear students and families,

I hope that you and your loved ones remain well during these challenging times.

In an effort to keep you well-informed, Director of Financial Aid Bob Coughlin, Director of Student Accounts Robert Mirabal, and I invite you to attend a live webinar this Monday, July 20, from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. (Eastern time). This session will address concerns we’re hearing from students and families in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and will speak to how to manage student accounts.

During the session, Bob and Robert will also respond to questions you may have pertaining to their respective areas. We encourage you to submit questions in advance.Please also note that both students and family members may use the same link to access the webinar.

Financial Aid and Student Account Q&A
Monday, July 20, 2020
12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. (Eastern time)
Access via Zoom

Webinar ID: 916 9414 1689

Password: 553090

Find your local number: https://wesleyan.zoom.us/u/adD1wg6oqi

We look forward to visiting with you soon.

Best regards,

Amin Abdul-Malik Gonzalez ‘96
Vice President and Dean of Admission & Financial Aid

Bob Coughlin, Director of Financial Aid

Robert Mirabal, Director of Student Accounts

COVID-19 Student Action Fund: Application due by June 3

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Deadline Reminder: Apply by June 3!

Less than a week to go! CGI U is seeking student leaders to apply for the COVID-19 Student Action Fund, a new initiative launched by President Bill Clinton and Chelsea Clinton that will support select students at universities across the world who are committed to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

Working within the CGI U Commitment to Action model, this fund will provide at least $100,000 USD in total funding to students, with each grant awarded ranging from $2,000 to $5,000 USD. Current CGI U students, former CGI U students, and new students are all eligible to apply, including those graduating in this current term.

All applications must be submitted by 11:59PM ET on Wednesday, June 3, 2020 to cgiu.org/covid19fund.

Student Employment Update

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Dear Members of the Wesleyan Community:

I would like to share some important information concerning the student employment program at Wesleyan.

All student employees should speak with their supervisors to determine whether remote work is possible for the positions they held prior to the transition to a remote campus. Students who can continue to work remotely should do so and, in accordance with the University’s student weekly payroll schedule, submit their hours for approval on a weekly basis.

Students who had been working to fulfill their semester’s work-study expectation, but are unable to continue to work remotely for the remainder of the semester will receive the income they were receiving prior to the move to remote learning, up to their maximum work-study allocation for the semester. Their payment will be based upon an average of the total amount of pay they already received for the spring semester (i.e., earnings received from December 16 through March 22), divided by the number of paychecks the student received, up to the student’s work-study allocation.

Supervisors who have positions for remote work available are encouraged to post these positions on the Student Employment Office website: https://www.wesleyan.edu/finaid/employment/availablepositions/index.html.

Supervisors unfamiliar with posting positions through the Student Employment Office website are encouraged to visit the supervisor FAQs: https://www.wesleyan.edu/finaid/employment/employers/studentsupervisorfaq.html. These positions will be open to any student based upon the eligibility criteria set by the supervisor.

Additional details regarding Student Employment are available in the FAQ section for students on the COVID-19 website: https://www.wesleyan.edu/healthservices/coronavirus/faq/student.html. I encourage you to review the FAQ’s for important updates on this topic.

We know the disruptions of the COVID-19 outbreak have been significant. We hope that knowing that students who were working to fulfill their need-based work obligations will continue to have income for their campus jobs will be one less source of anxiety.

Should you have questions regarding remote student employment, please direct them to Covid-19Info@wesleyan.edu or call us at 1-888-675-2011 and we will respond as quickly and thoroughly as possible.

Please stay safe and let’s continue to take care of one another.

With appreciation and best wishes,

Amin Abdul-Malik Gonzalez ‘96
Vice President & Dean of Admission and Financial Aid