6.2 Arizona Student Loan Code of Conduct

1. "Employee" or "School employee" means any employee, agent, student financial aid contractor, director, officer or trustee of the Maricopa County Community College District ("Maricopa"). For purposes of the Code provisions relating to gifts and stock ownership, this term includes family members of the Employee. For purposes of Paragraph 2 of this Code, this term includes family members living in the same household as the Employee.
2. "College" means all colleges, skills centers, campuses, departments or other components of the Maricopa County Community College District, including alumni associations.
3. "Student loan lender" or "lender" means any entity involved in making, holding, consolidating, originating, servicing or guaranteeing any loan to students or parents to finance higher education expenses. This includes lenders who provide private educational loans as well as lenders who provide loans that are made, insured or guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Education, except loans under the William D. Ford Direct Loan Program.

"Nominal value" means a total retail value of not more than ten dollars ($10.00) as calculated over a 12-month period, or as defined by a Maricopa policy consistent with applicable federal and state law. This paragraph shall not prohibit Maricopa employees from conducting non-student lending business with any lender or accepting or soliciting anything of other than nominal value in any activity unrelated to student loans.

1. avoid any equity or other interest in any student loan lender other than a remote interest (a remote interest is ownership of less than three per cent of the shares of a corporation for profit, provided the total annual income from dividends, including the value of stock dividends, from the corporation does not exceed five per cent of the total annual income of such officer or employee and any other payments made to him by the corporation do not exceed five per cent of his or her total annual income.)
2. avoid consulting or similar financial relationships with student loan lenders, and
3. comply with Maricopa's Conflict of Interest Policies & Procedures.

1. A College will not accept anything of value from a student loan lender in exchange for any advantage of consideration provided to the lender related to its education loan activity. This prohibition shall include, but not be limited to: (1) the College's receipt from any lender of any computer hardware for which the College pays below market prices, (2) preferential rates for, or access to, a lender's other financial products and (3) printing costs or services. Notwithstanding anything else in the paragraph, the College many accept assistance as contemplated by 34 CFR §682.200(b).
2. A College shall not engage in revenue sharing with a student loan lender. "Revenue sharing" means any arrangement under which a student loan lender pays a higher education institution or an affiliated entity or organization a certain sum, fee or percentage calculated in relationship to the volume of loans received by the lender from students of the institution.

1. Best Interest of Students Paramount. If a College decides to develop and/or publish any list of suggested, recommended or preferred student loan lenders ("preferred lender list" or "lender list"), the College shall develop and maintain any lender list based solely on the best interests of students and parents borrowers.
2. Required Disclosures. A College shall prominently disclose on all publications of a preferred lender list:
   
   1. the process and criteria by which the list was assembled;
   2. comparative information regarding interest rates and other benefits offered by the lenders; and
   3. that borrowers have the right and ability to select lenders not included on the list.
3. Prompt Certification of Loans from Any Lender. A College will timely certify any loan from any lender selected by the borrower that offers the loan, to the extent consistent with applicable federal student loan requirements. The College will not cause unnecessary certification delays fro borrowers who use a lender that has not been recommended or suggested by the School.
4. Minimum Number of Lenders Required. A College shall ensure that there are at least three (3) student loan lenders names on each preferred lender list which are not "affiliates" of each other, as described in 34 CFR §682.212(h)(3).
5. Review and Update of Preferred Lender Lists. Preferred lender lists must be reviewed and updated at least once a year. When publishing preferred lender lists, a College shall either rotate or randomize the list of lenders or list them alphabetically.
6. Loan Resale. A College shall require that all lenders on a preferred lender list commit in writing to disclose to the borrower before a loan agreement is signed whether there is an existing agreement to sell loans to another lender, and if so, the contact information for the lender who will be purchasing the borrower's loan. The College shall inform student and parent borrowers that lenders can, and do, sell student loans, and encourage borrowers to contact their lenders for more information. Further, the College may remove a lender from its preferred lender list if that lender sells loans without ensuring that the advertised loan terms and benefits are honored with the new lender.
7. Different Types of Loans. The College shall not include a student loan lender on a preferred list for one type of loan in exchange for benefits provided by the lender with respect to a different type of loan.

1. A College shall not enter into an opportunity loan agreement with a student loan lender under which the College provides concessions or promises to the lender that prejudice other borrowers. An "opportunity" loan means a student loan provided to borrowers with poor or no credit history, or who otherwise would not meet the student loan lender's eligibility criteria.
2. A College shall not certify student eligibility for an opportunity loan made available pursuant to an agreement between the College and a lender unless (a) the agreement includes the options of short term or partial loans not to exceed one year and (b) the College informs the borrower of the short term or partial loan option, so the borrower can consider different or less expensive financing if the borrower's financial condition improves.

1. Maricopa shall publish the Arizona Student Loan Code of Conduct prominently on a Maricopa website within ten business days of its adoption by the Governing Board.
2. All employees with direct responsibilities relating to student loans shall obtain training concerning the Arizona Student Loan Code of Conduct, applicable federal and state student loan laws and regulations and related Maricopa policies and procedures within 90 days of the date of hire. Each College shall adopt procedures to ensure these employees maintain current knowledge of the Code and applicable regulations.