EAB financial aid optimization documents
It is a clone of this request.
| Submitted | Dec. 7, 2021 |
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Communications
From: Todd Feathers
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Massachusetts Public Records Law, I hereby request the following records:
1) All financial aid descriptive analyses performed by EAB and provided to the university as described on page 46 of the attached contract for EAB's financial aid optimization services.
2) All aggregated data analysis reports or documents provided to the university by EAB as described on page 49 of the attached contract.
3) Documentation of the financial aid optimization statistical model built for the university by EAB, described on page 46 of the attached contract. This should include any documents describing the variables incorporated into the model(s) and how those variables are weighted, the model(s)' accuracy metrics (such as AUC), the model(s)' parameters, the machine learning techniques employed, and any validation or disparate impact analyses performed.
4) A de-identified copy of the admissions and financial aid data the university provided to EAB in order for EAB to design its financial aid optimization model, as described on page 46 of the attached contract. Please note, I am not asking for any personally identifiable information about students. Rather, I'm asking for a copy of the dataset that excludes identifiable information such as student names and street addresses. This can easily be done by removing those columns from the spreadsheet.
5) All other contract documents, including memorandums of understanding and statements of work, between the university and EAB regarding financial aid optimization services and/or enrollment optimization services.
I ask that all fees be waived as I am a journalist and intend to use the requested records to publish articles in the public interest. In the event you choose to impose fees, I request a detailed breakdown of the fees, including the hourly wage of each employee involved and an explanation justifying the employee hours required to fulfill the request.
Should you choose to reject this request or redact portions of it, I ask that you provide a detailed breakdown of the statutory exemptions and associated case law underlying your decision to withhold each/any portions from public review.
I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as we believe this request is in the public interest, as suggested but not stipulated by the recommendations of the Massachusetts Supervisor of Public Records. The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for commercial usage.
I expect the request to be filled in an accessible format, including for screen readers, which provide text-to-speech for persons unable to read print. Files that are not accessible to screen readers include, for example, .pdf image files as well as physical documents.
In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Todd Feathers
From: Framingham State University
Todd:
I am in receipt of your public records request included below. I was hoping that we might speak soon to discuss the option of an extension beyond the required 10 business days. I can make the request of the Supervisor of the Records of the Commonwealth, but it is generally their preference if the requestor and the public agency are able to agree upon an extension without the formality of a ruling from their office.
Let me know if you would be in agreement with an extension to January 14, 2022.
Also, one of the departments who hold some of the named records has inquired as to whether you are seeking ALL records identified in #4 of the request. Once personally identifiable information subject to FERPA protections have been removed from this data set, this manager indicates to me that these are just number sets and depending upon your intended use, that one set might be representative and sufficient.
Finally, as there is no date range on your request, I am assuming that you want the information for the life of the contract until the present. If that is inaccurate, please let me know so that we can proceed in the right direction and I can accurately determine a cost estimate for this request.
Thank you -
Ann McDonald
Ann S. McDonald, Esq.
Chief of Staff, General Counsel and Secretary to the Board of Trustees
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Framingham State University
amcdonald3@framingham.edu<mailto:amcdonald3@framingham.edu>
Telephone: 508-626-4529
FAX: 508-626-4002
[image001]
This email message and any attached files are confidential and are intended solely for the use of the addressee(s) named above. This communication may contain material protected by attorney-client, work product, or other privileges. If you are not the intended recipient or person responsible for delivering this confidential communication to the intended recipient, you have received this communication in error. Any review, use, dissemination, forwarding, printing, copying, or other distribution of this email message and/or any attached files is strictly prohibited. If you have received this confidential communication in error, please notify the sender immediately by reply email message and permanently delete the original message and any associated attachments.
-
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From: Todd Feathers
Hi Ann,
Thank you very much for your help on this. I'm happy to agree to an extension until January 14.
I'd like to get a little more information about the datasets responsive to Item 4—just one set may indeed be enough but I want to make sure. I left you a message with my cell number or you can reach me quicker at todd.feathers@themarkup.org.
Thanks!
Todd
From: Framingham State University
Please find our initial response to your public records request received on December 8, 2021.
Ann McDonald
Ann S. McDonald, Esq.
Chief of Staff, General Counsel and Secretary to the Board of Trustees
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Framingham State University
amcdonald3@framingham.edu<mailto:amcdonald3@framingham.edu>
Telephone: 508-626-4529
FAX: 508-626-4002
[image001]
This email message and any attached files are confidential and are intended solely for the use of the addressee(s) named above. This communication may contain material protected by attorney-client, work product, or other privileges. If you are not the intended recipient or person responsible for delivering this confidential communication to the intended recipient, you have received this communication in error. Any review, use, dissemination, forwarding, printing, copying, or other distribution of this email message and/or any attached files is strictly prohibited. If you have received this confidential communication in error, please notify the sender immediately by reply email message and permanently delete the original message and any associated attachments.
-
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From: Todd Feathers
Hello Ann,
My apologies for not confirming our conversation in writing earlier. Yes, I agree to the updates you laid out in the letter.
Thanks very much for the help and happy holidays!
Todd
From: Framingham State University
January 14, 2022
MuckRock News
DEPT MR 121963
411A Highland,Ave.
Somerville, MA 02144-2516
121963-07772261@requests,.muckrock.com<mailto:121963-07772261@requests,.muckrock.com>
c/o Todd Feathers
Dear Todd::
Per your public records request dated and received by my office on December 7, 2021 for:
"1) All financial aid descriptive analyses performed by EAB and provided to the university as described on page 46 of the attached contract for EAB's financial aid optimization services."
FSU Response: Records attached in a FERPA compliant data set and related analysis.
"2) All aggregated data analysis reports or documents provided to the university by EAB as described on page 49 of the attached contract."
FSU Response: Records attached in a FERPA compliant data set and related analysis.
"3) Documentation of the financial aid optimization statistical model built for the university by EAB, described on page 46 of the attached contract. This should include any documents describing the variables incorporated into the model(s) and how those variables are weighted, the model(s)' accuracy metrics (such as AUC), the model(s)' parameters, the machine learning techniques employed, and any validation or disparate impact analyses performed."
FSU Response: FSU does not possess responsive records to this request other than content provided in the files attached.
"4) A de-identified copy of the admissions and financial aid data the university provided to EAB in order for EAB to design its financial aid optimization model, as described on page 46 of the attached contract. Please note, I am not asking for any personally identifiable information about students. Rather, I'm asking for a copy of the dataset that excludes identifiable information such as student names and street addresses. This can easily be done by removing those columns from the spreadsheet."
FSU Response: Records attached in a FERPA compliant data set and related analysis.
"5) All other contract documents, including memorandums of understanding and statements of work, between the university and EAB regarding financial aid optimization services and/or enrollment optimization services."
FSU Response: Records attached.
I appreciate your agreement to the modification of your original request to limit the data sets to single representative examples of each data sent or received periodically to/from Framingham State University and EAB in the performance of the existing contracts.
I have attached the data and records to this email. The files are quite expansive, so do please let me know if you have any problems accessing the information. Feel free to contact me directly should you have any other questions regarding the fulfillment of this request.
Sincerely,
Ann S. McDonald, Esq.
Chief of Staff, General Counsel & Secretary to the Board of Trustees
Records Access Officer
ATTACHMENTS:
Files of Admissions related records (2)
Zip Files of Financial Aid related records (2)
Zip Files of Contracts with EAB
cc: file
Ann McDonald
Ann S. McDonald, Esq.
Chief of Staff, General Counsel and Secretary to the Board of Trustees
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Framingham State University
amcdonald3@framingham.edu<mailto:amcdonald3@framingham.edu>
Telephone: 508-626-4529
FAX: 508-626-4002
[image001]
This email message and any attached files are confidential and are intended solely for the use of the addressee(s) named above. This communication may contain material protected by attorney-client, work product, or other privileges. If you are not the intended recipient or person responsible for delivering this confidential communication to the intended recipient, you have received this communication in error. Any review, use, dissemination, forwarding, printing, copying, or other distribution of this email message and/or any attached files is strictly prohibited. If you have received this confidential communication in error, please notify the sender immediately by reply email message and permanently delete the original message and any associated attachments.
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