Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit

Office of Financial Aid and Scholarship Programs launches ‘I Otto Know This!’

Tuesday, April 6, 2010, By Daeya Malboeuf
Share

The Syracuse University Office of Financial Aid and Scholarship Programs has launched a multi-faceted program designed to promote lifelong fiscal fitness for all students.  Extending far beyond traditional financial aid office services, “I Otto Know This!” is a multi-level effort that provides real-life money management skills and resources.

Named in honor of beloved SU mascot Otto the Orange, the new program includes complementary components, including Life Skills online modules, the Money Awareness Program (M.A.P.), the Federal TEACH Grant, in-person presentations and financial aid e-news updates.

Life Skills is an interactive Web-based tool that provides tips, quizzes, information and customizable scenarios relative to budgeting, credit reports, credit scores and debt management. Students have online access to important financial information throughout their academic careers to reinforce time and fiscal management skills beyond their education.

The Money Awareness Program (M.A.P.) is a two-part grant and educational program developed to enable students to make smart decisions about money, while helping reduce their educational loan burden. M.A.P. enhances the SU experience by replacing some students’ high-interest loans with University grant funding—equaling on average $5,000-$7,000 annually.  The program is geared toward sophomores, juniors or seniors who have borrowed alternative loan funding in addition to the maximum federal student loans to pay for college and who are making satisfactory academic progress toward their degrees. Each participating student is required to take part in a financial literacy session once a semester. The goal of the financial literacy component is to help students understand credit and basic financial management skills.

The Federal TEACH Grant is offered to select students who intend to teach in a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves low-income families. Grants of up to $4,000 per year are available to students who agree to teach for at least four years within eight years of finishing their teacher preparation program and to teach high-need subjects in designated schools that serve low-income students.

And “I Otto Know This!” is a new e-newsletter feature that strives to keep students current with financial information to help them better understand how to manage their money. Topics include credit, credit scores and reports, budgets, identity theft and saving.

Financial literacy efforts are not uncommon on U.S. college campuses. A recent Student Loan Analytics survey of 260 financial aid administrators indicates that 43 percent of institutions offer literacy counseling. What differentiates the SU program is that it addresses literacy in multiple ways. While nearly 80 percent of surveyed administrators report efforts limited to in-person workshops, “I Otto Know This!” combines key financial literacy components with active solicitation of student participation for counseling and additional grants. The program is intended to serve all SU students, including undergraduate, graduate, law and University College (some colleges only provide counseling to certain populations).

“Funding a college education needn’t be a source of confusion and anxiety,” says Youlonda Copeland-Morgan, SU associate vice president of enrollment management. “We’re aiming here to elevate the perception of a financial aid office as a reactive and process-oriented place to something far more valuable. We’re creating a more proactive role for our students and ourselves that will provide lifelong dividends in confidence and peace of mind.”

For more information on the “I Otto Know This!” program, visit http://financialaid.syr.edu/otto.htm  or call 315-443-5909.

  • Author

Daeya Malboeuf

  • Recent
  • Drama Department to Virtually Present New Theatrical Work Inspired by University’s 150th Anniversary
    Saturday, January 23, 2021, By Erica Blust
  • Professor Rahman Awarded Google Grant to Engage Underrepresented Students in Computing Research
    Saturday, January 23, 2021, By Alex Dunbar
  • Special Collections Research Center Launches Latin American 45s Digital Collection
    Saturday, January 23, 2021, By Cristina Hatem
  • VPA Faculty to Present World Premieres at Society for New Music Concert Jan. 31
    Saturday, January 23, 2021, By News Staff
  • ‘Democracy on Trial: Can We Save It?’
    Friday, January 22, 2021, By News Staff

More In Uncategorized

“People with disabilities desperately need the vaccine. But states disagree on when they’ll get it.”

Scott Landes, associate professor of sociology in the Maxwell School, was quoted in The Washington Post story “People with disabilities desperately need the vaccine. But states disagree on when they’ll get it.” Landes, an expert on the sociology of disability,…

“SU Professor says President’s Closed Social Media Accounts Fall Under Big Tech’s Terms of Service”

Roy Gutterman, associate professor of magazine, news and digital journalism in the Newhouse School and director of the Tully Center for Free Speech, was interviewed for the WAER story “SU Professor says President’s Closed Social Media Accounts Fall Under Big…

“First Amendment doesn’t guarantee you the rights you think it does.”

Roy Gutterman, associate professor of magazine, news and digital journalism in the Newhouse School and director of the Tully Center for Free Speech, was quoted in the CNN story “First Amendment doesn’t guarantee you the rights you think it does.”…

“Big Tech’s Crackdown on Donald Trump and Parler Won’t  Fix the Real Problem With Social Media”

Whitney Phillips, assistant professor of communication and rhetorical studies in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, was interviewed for the Time Magazine story “Big Tech’s Crackdown on Donald Trump and Parler Won’t  Fix the Real Problem With Social Media.”…

Danielle Smith writes “Images of the Capitol Riot Reflect a National Crisis.”

Danielle Smith, professor of African American studies in the College of Arts and Sciences and Director of the Renée Crown University Honors Program, wrote an op-ed for History News Network titled “Images of the Capitol Riot Reflect a National Crisis.”…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2021 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.