SARA Gets You Out of Jeopardy! Physical Presence Data

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In this collection of questions and answers related to SARA (State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement), you will find information on enrollment data reporting, SARA institution requirements, student complaints reporting, and scenarios determining SARA coverage. These topics cover aspects of institutional compliance and operations under SARA regulations.

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SARA Gets You Out of Jeopardy! Physical Presence SARA Miscellany Data Placements Applications $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $200 $200 $200 $200 $200 $200 $200 $200 $200 $200 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $500 $500 $500 $500 $500 $500 $500 $500 $500 $500 Final Jeopardy Final Jeopardy

1 - $100 What data point is used to determine the NC- SARA institution payment rate? Fall IPEDS FTE (full time equivalent) enrollment for ALL students, not just distance education students

1 - $200 Must all SARA institutions report enrollment data? Yes

1 - $300 When do institutions report out-of-state distance education enrollment data? Spring each year after IPEDS data has been reported

1 - $400 If the institution is not yet a SARA institution does the institution need to report enrollment data to SARA? No, only institutions that are approved and participate in SARA must report data.

1 - $500 When are student complaints reported to NC- SARA and by whom? The complaints are reported quarterly by each SARA State Portal Entity.

2 - $100 The admissions staff member signed the lease on his apartment and pays rent in a state other than the home state of his institution. The only phone he has is a cell phone, and it is his personal phone. He does not conduct recruitment activities from his home, only paperwork. Is this covered by SARA? Yes

2 - $200 Our Financial Aid office uses a 1-800 number call center as the starting point for all calls into their office. This call center is located in a SARA state (Texas). I saw in the Policies and Standards (Section 5, #1, g) that maintaining a phone exchange is considered a physical presence. Do 1-800 number call centers fall under this definition of physical presence? A call center creates physical presence

2 - $300 The admissions counselor corresponds with prospective students, parents, and counselors via email, mail, and phone for recruitment purposes from her home office. She also documents her recruitment activities and completes basic office tasks. She does not host anyone in her home office. Her physical address is not listed on her business cards or the institution web site. Is this covered by SARA? No

2 - $400 Does SARA also mean reciprocity between those SARA states regarding local or national advertising and recruiting? Yes - if SARA policies are followed.

2 - $500 A student completes a course through a SARA approved IHE. The student earns a grade of "C" or better. Is the receiving IHE in the student's home state (also a SARA participant) required to accept the course? No. SARA plays no role in course transfer, only with state authorization. Each institution continues to maintain its own credit transfer and articulation agreements.

3 - $100 Are J-terms and maymesters covered by SARA? What about field trips? Field trips are covered as long as they meet SARA policy. J-terms and maymesters are reviewed by the SPE of the state in which they occur.

3 - $200 Does a contract date of a renewal of a field placement contract trigger a change to the contract? Yes. Existing contracts among provider institutions and sites used for supervised field experiences as of the date that an institution begins participating in SARA are not impaired, revised or otherwise affected by SARA. At the time that any provision of such a contract is changed, the new contract must comply with SARA policies.

3 - $300 Our school is near the Indiana border, so I expected that some of my students will be requesting internships in Indiana. My school is not listed as a SARA member. Would my school need to pay to be a member before I can legally set up fieldwork contracts with Indiana facilities? It depends! For SARA coverage, the institution must be a participating SARA institution. But the institution could also complete the regular state authorization process.

3 - $400 My institution has ignored state authorization in the past. There are only a handful of online courses, but lots of field experiences in several states and field trips. Do I have to follow state authorization? We ve not been challenged on this in the past? Yes! Join SARA. It covers distance education not just online activity. The institution could also complete the regular state authorization process.

3 - $500 Does SARA approve programs, institutions or both? What if one program triggers physical presence? There is no option other than to have an entire institution classified as either SARA or non- SARA.

4 - $100 What 2 items must be submitted with all SARA Institution Applications 1. Evidence that the institution s principal campus is domiciled in a state that has joined the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) initiative and is authorized to operate in that state. 2. Evidence that an institution is a U.S. degree- granting institution accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education.

4 - $200 What third document may be required by all non-public institutions with the SARA application? A financial responsibility index score from the U. S. Department of Education that is 1.5 or above, or, if its score is between 1.0 and 1.5, demonstrate to its home state s portal entity that it is nevertheless sufficiently financially stable to justify participation in SARA.

4 - $300 What are the C-RAC Guidelines? Interregional Guidelines for the Evaluation of Distance Education adopted by the Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions, as summarized in SARA policy 5(2)1-9.

4 - $400 Who initials and signs the Institution Application? Is this the same for the renewal application? The Chief Executive Officer (President) or Chief Academic Officer signs institution applications in all cases. Yes, it is the same for both applications.

4 - $500 How often do institutions renew? How often do states renew? How much notice are they provided by NC-SARA? Institutions renew yearly. States renew every two years. 90 days notice is provided to institutions by NC-SARA. States receive 90 days notice from their regional compact

5 - $100 If the institution is not a member of SARA and has a student taking an online course who resides in a SARA state, would the institution have to seek authorization in the student s state? Yes if the student s state authorizes online education.

5 - $200 Does SARA or SECRRA membership cover on- ground recruiting and/or advertising by an out- of-state institution for the purposes of enrolling resident students? SARA does. SREB encourages all institutions and states in the region to join SARA. SECRRA dissolves June 30, 2017.

5 - $300 Our Florida school is looking at state approval for distance education and has been looking into SARA membership. It appears Florida is not a member of SARA, and therefore we are not able to apply for membership. Is there any alternative for Florida colleges in lieu of applying directly to each state for distance education authorization? True, institutions can not apply to participate in SARA until the state has joined SARA. Until June 30, 2017 Florida institutions have access to SREB s Electronic Campus Regional Reciprocity Agreement (SECRRA). They may also obtain approval state by state from institutions not in SECRRA.

5 - $400 Do the four regional education compacts do accreditation? Name the four regional education compacts. No. Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC) New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE)

5 - $500 I am currently living in California and my next duty station will be either Florida or DC. At first, my institution told me SARA was preventing me from enrolling in a distance education program in my current or future state... However, from what I understand now, if these states were to join SARA, it would not be a problem. Correct? You are the good guys! Correct!