Codes of Conduct

SUNY Code of Conduct

The Fashion Institute of Technology works diligently to ensure that its officers, employees, and agents avoid conflicts of interest in connection with their responsibilities relating to providing and administering student loans for our students.  In accordance with state and federal law, you should be aware that the following activities are prohibited.  Some of these prohibitions involve technical definitions which can be found by referring to the applicable state and federal law.  If you wish to obtain this information, please contact the financial aid department.

  1. The Fashion Institute of Technology does not enter into any revenue-sharing arrangement with any lender.
  2.  No officer, employee or agent of the Fashion Institute of Technology who is employed in the Financial Aid Department or who otherwise has responsibilities with respect to education loans, will solicit or accept any gift or other thing of value from a lender, guarantor, or servicer of education loans.  You should be aware that certain items provided or contributed by lenders are not considered gifts, such as training materials, philanthropic contributions unrelated to education loans, and entrance and exit counseling services.
  3. No officer, employee or agent of the Fashion Institute of Technology who is employed in the Financial Aid Department or who otherwise has responsibilities with respect to education loans, will accept from any lender or affiliate of any lender, any fee, payment, or other financial benefit (including the opportunity to purchase stock) as compensation for any type of consulting arrangement or other contract to provide services to a lender or on behalf of a lender relating to education loans.
  4. The Fashion Institute of Technology will not, for any first-time borrower, assign, through award packaging or other methods, the borrower’s loan to a particular lender or refuse to certify, or delay certification of, any loan based on the borrower’s selection of a particular lender or guaranty agency.
  5. The Fashion Institute of Technology will not request or accept from any lender, an offer of funds to be used for private education loans, including funds for an opportunity pool loan, to students in exchange for the campus providing concessions or promises regarding providing the lender with a specified number of loans made, insured, or guaranteed, a specified loan volume, or a preferred lender arrangement for such loans.
  6. The Fashion Institute of Technology does not request or accept from any lender any assistance with call center staffing or Financial Aid Department staffing.
  7. No employee of The Fashion Institute of Technology who is employed in the Financial Aid Department or who otherwise has responsibilities with respect to educations loans or other student financial aid and who serves on an advisory board, commission, or group established by a lender, guarantor, or group of lenders or guarantors, will receive anything of value from the lender, guarantor, or group of lenders or guarantors for such service.

NASFAA Code of Conduct

The primary goal of the financial aid professional is to help students achieve their educational potential by providing appropriate financial resources. To this end, this Statement provides the financial aid professional with a set of principles that serves as a common foundation for accepted standards of conduct.

The staff of the Financial Aid Department at The Fashion Institute of Technology follows these principles outlined by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA).

The financial aid professional shall:

  • Be committed to removing financial barriers for those who wish to pursue post-secondary learning.
  • Make every effort to assist students with financial need.
  • Be aware of the issues affecting students and advocate their interests at the institutional, state, and federal levels.
  • Support efforts to encourage students, as early as the elementary grades, to aspire to and plan for education beyond high school.
  • Educate students and families through quality consumer information.
  • Respect the dignity and protect the privacy of students, and ensure the confidentiality of student records and personal circumstances.
  • Ensure equity by applying all need analysis formulas consistently across the institution’s full population of student financial aid applicants.
  • Provide services that do not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, age, or economic status.
  • Award only those race-based scholarships that support the institution’s mission and do not place a burden on non-minority students.
  • Recognize the need for professional development and continuing education opportunities.
  • Promote the free expression of ideas and opinions, and foster respect for diverse viewpoints within the profession.
  • Commit to the highest level of ethical behavior and refrain from conflict of interest or the perception thereof.
  • Conduct periodic review of all institutional policies to ensure all ethical principles are being met.
  • Maintain the highest level of professionalism, reflecting a commitment to the goals of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators

NASFAA Statement of Ethical Principles

The primary goal of the financial aid professional is to help students achieve their educational potential by providing appropriate financial resources. To this end, this Statement provides the financial aid professional with a set of principles that serves as a common foundation for accepted standards of conduct.

The staff of the Financial Aid Department at The Fashion Institute of Technology follows these principles outlined by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA).

The financial aid professional shall:

  • Be committed to removing financial barriers for those who wish to pursue post-secondary learning.
  • Make every effort to assist students with financial need.
  • Be aware of the issues affecting students and advocate their interests at the institutional, state, and federal levels.
  • Support efforts to encourage students, as early as the elementary grades, to aspire to and plan for education beyond high school.
  • Educate students and families through quality consumer information.
  • Respect the dignity and protect the privacy of students, and ensure the confidentiality of student records and personal circumstances.
  • Ensure equity by applying all need analysis formulas consistently across the institution’s full population of student financial aid applicants.
  • Provide services that do not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, age, or economic status.
  • Award only those race-based scholarships that support the institution’s mission and do not place a burden on non-minority students.
  • Recognize the need for professional development and continuing education opportunities.
  • Promote the free expression of ideas and opinions, and foster respect for diverse viewpoints within the profession.
  • Commit to the highest level of ethical behavior and refrain from conflict of interest or the perception thereof.
  • Conduct periodic review of all institutional policies to ensure all ethical principles are being met.
  • Maintain the highest level of professionalism, reflecting a commitment to the goals of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators