Complete West Scholarship Guidelines

A. WEST SCHOLARSHIP FUND grant recipients are required to carry/maintain the following minimums:

B. Following the end of any semester or term, if the GRADE POINT AVERAGE falls below 1.50, the student will be dropped from further scholarship consideration for the period of one year without the benefit of a probationary period.

C. Each scholarship recipient must MAIL HIS/HER GRADE REPORT WITHIN 14 DAYS FOLLOWING EACH TERM/SEMESTER (Note: This means report card - not transcript. The transcript is required only with a scholarship application - new or renewal.) A photocopy of the grade report provided by the school or from the Internet will be acceptable. In order to ensure grades are at or above the minimum GPA as stated above, scholarship checks for winter and spring term/semester will not be mailed to the college Financial Aid Office until grade reports for the previous term/semester are received in our office. Due to this policy, students should be aware that scholarship funds for winter and spring term/semester may not arrive at the college at the beginning of the term/semester and should plan accordingly.

D. Each student whose TERM GPA, CUMULATIVE GPA, or CREDIT HOURS falls below the recited minimums must submit a letter to the COMMITTEE, along with a copy of their grade report. The committee will allow a one-term probationary period (during which the student will continue to receive their award) to meet the minimum requirements. If the minimums are not met after one term/semester the scholarship will be terminated for the rest of the current school year. If the deficiency occurs during the final term/semester of the school year the probation will carry over into the next school year. Continued use of WEST SCHOLARSHIP FUND dollars without notifying the committee may result in immediate cancellation of scholarship eligibility with no provision for reinstatement. Grade reports and correspondence must be received by the COMMITTEE within a reasonable amount of time, (approximately two weeks), in order to qualify for consideration.

{ Return to page top }

E. If a personal problem prevents the student from carrying 12 credit hours, the COMMITTEE will permit the student to continue with a reduced study load for that one term or semester. However, the amount of the grant for the term/semester directly following will be apportioned according to the reduced study load based on the 12-hour minimum (i.e., the student completes 9 credit hours winter term; spring term award will be 9/12 of awarded amount). If a student foresees conditions, which will result in his/her carrying a study load less than the minimum, including taking an "incomplete", dropping or failing a course, the COMMITTEE should be notified immediately.

F. An ACKNOWLEDGMENT FORM is included with an award letter to any successful applicant. It must be completed, signed and returned to the COMMITTEE within approximately two weeks. By completion of this form, the student will have attested by signature that he/she has thoroughly read and clearly comprehends the contents of this Student Manual. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THE STUDENT MANUAL ON A PLEA OF "NOT HAVING READ", OR "NOT UNDERSTANDING", OR "IT SLIPPED MY MIND", WILL NOT SERVE AS AN ACCEPTABLE EXCUSE.

G. All Students submitting new applications for academic scholarship award from the Merle S. and Emma J. West Scholarship Fund will be required to include the results from either and ACT test or a SAT Test. *(EXCEPTION: Not applicable for VOCATIONAL students.)

H. Each recipient is required to keep the COMMITTEE informed of his/her current permanent mailing address and current college mailing address.

{ Return to page top }

I. FIFTH YEAR STUDENTS: At their discretion, the COMMITTEE may:

1. Extend eligibility where illness or unique personal problems have caused unavoidable delay.
2. Extend eligibility where the course originally selected is structured to require five or more undergraduate years for completion. (i.e. pharmacy, architecture, etc.)
3. Extend eligibility beyond the fourth year to participants who have changed majors or changed courses in "midstream". If granted, the funding may be reduced from the normal scholarship amount. A student making a fifth year request is cautioned that the COMMITTEE is much more inclined to grant a first time awardee his/her first year before granting a student who had changed courses his/her fifth year.

J. In order to provide a better measure of a student's aptitude for post-high school training, the COMMITTEE has adopted the requirement that each new applicant submit a full-page composition with his/her application. The composition must include the student's original thoughts. The COMMITTEE will select a subject for the composition each year. All students are cautioned that their composition enters into the consideration process for selection of awardees.

K. Each applicant must include with his/her new application a copy of all pages of his/her Free Application for Federal student Aid (FAFSA) determination or Student Aid Report (SAR). If not included, the application will be considered incomplete. In addition each applicant must include a copy of his/her Award Letter. The Award Letter is the letter from the school you will attend, listing your financial aid package. If you have not received this letter from the school by the application deadline date, please submit it immediately upon receipt.

{ Return to page top }

L. Each student is directed to MAIL all correspondence, including application forms to the following address: WEST SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE c/o U. S. Bank, P.O. BOX 3168, Portland, OR 97208. Hand delivery of items to the COMMITTEE or a U. S. Bank Branch is not acceptable. "Lost in the Mail" is not considered an excuse; thus, applicants are encouraged to obtain a return receipt for items mailed. Mail without US Post Office postmarks received after the application deadline date will not be considered.

Foreign Study

The following provisions govern a WEST SCHOLARSHIP FUND award to a student who desires to enroll and attend a foreign school under the auspices of an American school:

A. Applications for foreign study are considered on an individual basis.

B. The award must be in compliance with Internal Revenue Service regulations in order to maintain the tax-exempt status of the WEST SCHOLARSHIP FUND. This may result in a more complicated application process for the student.

C. Increased costs related to foreign study must be borne entirely by the student. It is the policy of the COMMITTEE to award the same amount of funds for foreign study as for study in a domestic school.

D. If, because of foreign study, the student requires extended schooling to complete degree requirements, "Fifth Year" funding from the COMMITTEE may or may not be granted.

E. The applicant must provide the COMMITTEE with the following documentation from their domestic school:

• The course of study at a foreign school is compatible with the student's present course of study, and the proposed foreign study is an extension of the student's present curriculum.
• The domestic school will accept all (or at least 12) of the credit hours per term earned at the foreign school.

The applicant must provide a complete statement and description of :

• Name and location of the proposed foreign school
• Nature and description of proposed course of study
• Complete financial statement and budget, including anticipated receipts and expenses
• Proposed dates of departure and return
• Name and address of the domestic sponsoring institution

G. Upon approval of foreign study, the COMMITTEE will disburse the funding to the proper institution within a reasonable payment schedule. A personal or telephone conference with the COMMITTEE may be arranged, if the foreign study conditions remain unclear to the student.

For your convenience, applications may be downloaded and completed in the application section of this site.

{ Return to page top }

[email protected]
[email protected]