Okla. Admin. Code § 610:25-29-4

Current through Vol. 42, No. 8, January 2, 2025

Section 610:25-29-4 - Principles for awards, continuation of awards, disbursements, refunds, and applications

(a)Award amounts. Subject to the availability of funds, the State Regents shall award:

(1) For participants enrolled in an institution in the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education, an amount not to exceed the equivalent of the average dollar amount of undergraduate resident tuition that the eligible Program participant is obligated to pay.

(2) For participants enrolled in a private institution of higher education, an amount not to exceed the equivalent of the average dollar amount of undergraduate resident tuition that the eligible Program participant would receive if enrolled in a school within the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education.

(3) For participants enrolled in a postsecondary career technology education program, an amount not to exceed the equivalent of the dollar amount that the eligible program participant is obligated to pay, which amount shall not exceed the amount the participant would have received for comparable enrollment at a two-year institution within the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education. An award to an eligible participant who is enrolled in a postsecondary vocational-technical program may be used to pay for both vocational-technical and college work if both are required by the academic program.

(b)Award limitations.

(1) Program benefits will not be awarded for courses or other postsecondary units taken by the participant:

(A) That are in excess of the requirements for completion of a baccalaureate program.

(B) That are taken more than five (5) years after the student's first semester of participation in the program, except in hardship circumstances as determined by the State Regents. Even when such a hardship is found to exist, in no event shall the participant receive benefits after the participant has been enrolled for a five (5) year cumulative time period.

(2) Program benefits shall be awarded to not more than 300 eligible participants annually, subject to the amount of funds available for the program and the number of eligible participants. [70 O.S. §2625(E)]

(3) If sufficient funds to provide awards to the maximum number of eligible participants are not available, the State Regents shall make awards based upon need.

(A) For all academic years, participants who have previously received awards shall be given an absolute priority for continued financial support by the Program, superior to any residents who are applying for such benefits for the first time.

(B) Thereafter, the order of preference of the applicants for awards based upon need shall be determined by the State Regents using the following factors:

(i) the family income of the applicant from taxable sources is not more than Seventy Thousand Dollars ($70,000.00 per year),

(ii) the applicant attended a Tulsa public school where seventy-five percent (75%) or more of the students enrolled in school qualify for the free and reduced lunch program, and

(iii) the applicant resides in a census block area within the Tulsa School District where thirty percent (30%) or more of the residents are at or below the poverty level established by the United States Bureau of the Census. [70 O.S. §2623]

(C) When the factors listed above prove inadequate to narrow the pool of applicants sufficiently, the State Regents shall consider, as an additional order of preference factor, applied to applicants otherwise deemed eligible pursuant to the provisions of this subchapter, whether the applicant is a direct lineal descendant of a person who resided in the Greenwood Area in the City of Tulsa between April 30, 1921 and June 1, 1921.

(i) Except for the absolute priority given to eligible participants who have already received an award(s) under the Program, this factor shall be applied to all applicants regardless of race when utilized by the State Regents.

(ii) The Oklahoma Historical Society shall verify all applicant claims of lineal descent.

(D) When making awards, the State Regents shall take other grants and scholarships received by the eligible participant into consideration. In such cases, the Program benefit may be used to cover additional educational costs not covered by the other grants and scholarships.

(4) The award for the high school scholarships shall be limited to a one-year full-time-equivalent period. Following successful completion of such award, recipients who meet the criteria provided in610:25-29-4(b)(3)(B)shall be eligible to apply and be considered for continued participation in the full Tulsa Reconciliation Education and Scholarship Program. Any student subsequently awarded such scholarship shall have the duration of the high school scholarship deducted from five-year limit on scholarship eligibility. [70 O.S. 2623]

(c)Disbursement. Funds will be disbursed from the Tulsa Reconciliation Education and Scholarship Trust Fund to the institution at which the student is enrolled. The high school scholarship award may only be funded with state funds appropriated to the Tulsa Reconciliation Education and Scholarship Trust Fund and income therefrom, and shall be made subject to the availability of such funds. [70 O.S. 2623]

(d)Refunds. Refunds resulting from student withdrawal will be remitted to the State Regents.

(e)Application.

(1) Students must fully complete an application form provided by the State Regents.

(2) Applications will be processed by the State Regents according to deadlines established annually.

(3) Any falsified or incomplete information on the application form may result in disqualification from the Program.

(4) The State Regents shall designate Langston University administrators to assist with coordinating the application process. The coordination shall include the following:

(A) Distribution of the application form and collection of completed application forms, and

(B) Organization of an advisory committee of Tulsa community members with a connection to the Greenwood Area to review the applications and make recommendations to the State Regents for scholarship recipients who meet all applicable eligibility requirements.

(i) The advisory committee shall consist of seven members, appointed by the Chancellor for Higher Education, including the President of Langston University, or designee; the Superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools, or designee; two members of the Oklahoma Legislature representing the Greenwood Area in the City of Tulsa, or their designees; and three members of the Tulsa community with a connection to the Greenwood Area. At least two of the members of the advisory committee shall be descendants of a person who resided in the Greenwood Area in the City of Tulsa between April 30, 1921 and June 1, 1921.

(ii) The President of Langston University, or designee, shall be responsible for coordinating the advisory committee and shall submit to the Chancellor for Higher Education a list of proposed committee members for review and approval.

Okla. Admin. Code § 610:25-29-4

Added at 19 Ok Reg 1505, eff 5-28-02; Amended at 20 Ok Reg 2679, eff 7-25-03

Amended by Oklahoma Register, Volume 41, Issue 21, July 15, 2024, eff. 7/25/2024