TITLE 32: ENERGY CHAPTER II: DEPARTMENT OF NUCLEAR SAFETY SUBCHAPTER e: GENERAL ADMINISTRATION PART 700 DEPARTMENT OF NUCLEAR SAFETY SCIENCE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM Section 700.10 Purpose 700.20 Definitions 700.30 Scope of Science Education Scholarship Program 700.40 Qualification Criteria 700.50 Conditions of Award 700.60 Scholarship Application and Selection Process 700.70 Scholarship Application Procedures AUTHORITY: Implemented and authorized by the Nuclear Safety Education Assistance Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1988 Supp., ch. 144, par. 2504 et seq.). SOURCE: Adopted at 13 Ill. Reg. 17444, effective October 30, 1989. Section 700.10 Purpose The purpose of this Part is to implement a scholarship program to help advance the body of knowledge and assure the continued availability and expertise regarding radiation safety matters by supporting educational programs and research related to nuclear safety, including radiation protection and nuclear engineering, in Illinois public institutions of higher education, and by supporting participation in these programs by qualified students. Section 700.20 Definitions "Act" means the Nuclear Safety Education Assistance Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1988 Supp., ch. 144, par. 2504 et seq.). "Adult" means a person eighteen years of age or older. "Approved program of research" means an academic investigation approved by and conducted by or under the control of a public institution of higher education, as determined by the Director of the Department in accordance with the provisions of this Part. "Department" means the Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety. "Director" means the Director of the Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety. "Eligible program of study" means a formal course of study leading to a Baccalaureate or higher degree from a public institution of higher education, as determined by the Director. Eligible programs of study include, but are not limited to, the following: Biology, Chemistry, Engineering, Geology, Health Physics, Hydrogeology, Industrial Hygiene, and Physics. Expertise in the foregoing subjects is needed for the Department to fulfill its statutory responsibilities under the Radiation Protection Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1987, ch. 111«, par. 211 et seq.), the Illinois Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1987, ch. 111«, par. 241-1 et seq.), and the Illinois Nuclear Safety Preparedness Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1987, ch. 111« par. 4301 et seq.). "Illinois Resident" means a person who, at the time of applying for a scholarship under this Part, is either: An adult whose domicile has been in Illinois for a period of at least two years immediately preceding submission of an application for a scholarship; An adult whose domicile is in Illinois and at least one of whose parents has established and is maintaining a residence in Illinois; A minor whose domicile is in Illinois. A minor's domicile is that of his parents if they are living together, or that of the living parent if one is deceased, or if the parents are separated or divorced, that of the parent to whom the custody of the minor has been awarded by court decree or order, or in the absence of a court decree or order, that of parent with whom the minor has continuously resided for a period of at least two years, or if the minor has a legal guardian other than a parent, the residence of that legal guardian; or An emancipated minor who has maintained a domicile within the State of Illinois for a period of at least two consecutive years immediately prior to applying for a scholarship or whose parents have established and are maintaining a domicile in the State. An emancipated minor is one who is completely or predominantly self-supporting. Marriage shall be regarded as affecting the emancipation of minors, whether male or female. "Minor" means a person under the age of eighteen. "Public institution of higher education" means an Illinois public institution of higher education as defined in "AN ACT creating a Board of Higher Education, defining its powers and duties, making an appropriation therefor, and repealing an Act herein named" (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1987, ch. 144, par. 181 et seq.). "Scholar" means the recipient of a scholarship for an eligible program of study leading to the award of a baccalaureate or higher degree. Section 700.30 Scope of Science Education Scholarship Program a) The Science Education Scholarship Program includes scholarships and grants for special study and education projects designed to enhance the study of and body of expertise in those sciences pertaining to nuclear safety and related fields. b) Under the scholarship program the Department shall, in accordance with the provisions of this Part, award fully funded college scholarships. The Department's scholarships will pay the scholars for educational expenses associated with attending a public institution of higher education. Expenses paid by the Department shall be limited to tuition and fees, room and board, required books, and miscellaneous expenses (e.g. travel, daily expenses, etc.). Miscellaneous expenses will be limited to $200 dollars per month. If a scholar chooses to live off campus, the scholarship will provide room and board funds only up to that amount assessed for on campus room and board by the public institution of higher education that the scholar will be attending. If the public institution of higher education that the scholar will be attending does not provide room and board, the Department will provide room and board funds only up to that amount estimated by the public institution of higher education as being a reasonable estimate for off campus room and board. In the event that no such reasonable estimate is provided to the Department, the Department will determine, by consulting other area institutions of higher education, and provide a reasonable sum per semester towards room and board. c) In order to promote greater understanding of the role of the administrative agency in assuring radiation safety, the Director also may offer temporary or part-time employment with the Department to scholars. Section 700.40 Qualification Criteria a) Basic Eligibility Requirements. The applicant must: 1) be an Illinois resident at the time of application; and 2) be accepted by or enrolled in a public institution of higher education as a full-time student, in an eligible program of study. The program of study must have direct application to the fields of endeavor of the Department (e.g. radiation protection, environmental monitoring, health physics). b) Academic qualifications: 1) If the applicant is a high school senior, the applicant must: A) be recommended by his or her science department director and high school principal, B) be in the upper 20% academically of his or her graduating class, and C) have displayed an interest in, and acumen for, the physical or biological sciences. This display may take the form, for example, of academic achievement, participation in science fairs, pursuing science courses at community colleges, performing independent extracurricular research, etc. 2) If the applicant is an undergraduate student, the applicant must: A) be enrolled in an eligible program of study, B) be recommended for the award by the dean or chairman of the science department in which the applicant is pursuing an eligible program of study, and C) have an overall academic average of B or better and an overall average of B or better in the science department courses. 3) If the applicant is a graduate student, the applicant must: A) be recommended for the award by the dean or chairman of the science department in which the applicant is pursuing an eligible program of study, B) have or have graduated with an overall academic average of B or better and an overall average of B+ or better in the science department courses, and C) describe the relevance of his proposed research program to either the statutory duties of the Department or the contribution of the proposed program to the body of knowledge of radiation safety. Section 700.50 Conditions of Award The applicant must agree in writing to the following conditions: a) The scholar will not change his or her choice of college or program of study without first obtaining the approval of the Director. b) If the scholar withdraws from, is dismissed from, or fails to continue to pursue an eligible program of study, the scholarship will be withdrawn and the scholar shall repay the State of Illinois in full for all expenses paid to that date in connection with the scholarship. Repayment shall be in accordance with the provisions of subsection (d). AGENCY NOTE: A scholar whose permanent residence changes from Illinois to another State, after selection for the scholarship program, will continue to be eligible for continuation in the scholarship program so long as the scholar continues to pursue an eligible program of study at an Illinois institution of higher education and meets the scholastic standards specified in this Part. c) If the scholar is an undergraduate student, the scholar must maintain both a cumulative average in all subjects of B and an average of B or better in the science department program of study. If the scholar is a graduate student, he must maintain a cumulative average of B+ or better. Averages shall be evaluated at the end of each regular grading period of the public institution of higher education. If the scholar fails to maintain these academic standards, the scholarship will be withdrawn and the scholar shall be responsible for repaying the State of Illinois in full for all expenses paid to the scholar in connection with the scholarship up to the date of withdrawal of the scholarship. A scholar who fails to maintain the required average in all subjects or in the eligible program of study, evaluated at the end of each grading period, may submit a letter to the Director requesting to be granted probationary status for one grading period in order to raise his or her grades to the required level. The Director will grant such request if the scholar has shown that the failure to attain the required averages resulted from good cause, e.g., illness, family responsibilities, etc. Failure to attain the required cumulative averages at the end of the probationary period will result in the loss of the scholarship and the scholar will be required to repay the State of Illinois in full for all expenses paid in connection with the scholarship to the date of withdrawal of the scholarship. Such repayment shall be in accordance with the provisions of subsection (d). d) If the scholar is required to repay the scholarship because the scholarship is withdrawn (see subsection (b)) or because the scholar has failed to maintain the required cumulative grade averages (see subsection (c)) the repayment shall be made in equal monthly installments over a period of ten years at ten percent simple interest. There shall be no early repayment penalty. The first repayment shall be due on a date specified by the Director, which date shall be no earlier then twelve (12) months after the scholar has ceased to be enrolled as a full-time student in a public institution of higher education. e) If such employment is offered, scholars that graduate without having the scholarship withdrawn must agree to accept employment, upon graduation, with the Department, the operator of a regional facility for the disposal of low-level radioactive waste in Illinois, or a public utility owning or operating a nuclear power plant in Illinois. Mandatory employment shall be for a period of one calendar year for each academic year of scholarship period accepted. Partial academic years shall be prorated. If employment with the Department, the low-level radioactive waste disposal facility or a nuclear power utility is not offered at least 30 days prior to graduation, the applicant is under no obligation to accept employment with the Department, the operator of a regional facility for disposal of low-level radioactive waste, or a public utility or to repay the scholarship expenses. Fulfillment of the employment obligation may be deferred during any period in which the scholar participates in full-time graduate studies leading towards an advanced degree. f) If the scholar completes the program but refuses to accept offered employment with the Department, the operator of a regional facility for the disposal of low-level radioactive waste in Illinois, or a public utility owning or operating a nuclear power plant in Illinois, he or she is required to repay the State of Illinois in full for all expenses paid by the Department in connection with the scholarship. If the scholar terminates employment, for any reason other than to pursue full-time graduate studies, or if the scholar has his or her employment terminated for cause prior to completion of the mandatory employment period, he or she is required to repay the State of Illinois in full for all expenses associated with the scholarship, prorated for the unexpired mandatory employment period. If the scholar is required to repay the scholarship under this section, the repayment shall be made in equal monthly installments over a period of two years at ten percent simple interest. There shall be no penalty for early payment. If termination by the employer is other than for cause, the scholar shall be under no obligation to repay the scholarship expenses. Section 700.60 Scholarship Application and Selection Process a) Scholarship applicants may apply for consideration for the award of Department scholarship by submitting an application, on a form provided by the Director of the Department. The application shall include the following information: 1) Evidence that the State residency requirement has been met; 2) Evidence of acceptance at or enrollment in a public institution of higher education. Letters of acceptance must be received by the Department before the Selection Board convenes; 3) For high school seniors, transcripts showing the applicant's high school graduating academic average; 4) For high school seniors, written recommendations of the science department director and high school principal; 5) For undergraduate and graduate students, transcripts showing the applicant's cumulative college academic average, and grades in science department courses; 6) For undergraduate and graduate students, written recommendations of the science department chairman and college dean; 7) A statement of the applicant's personal educational goals, including a description of the scope and nature of the proposed program of study; 8) A statement describing the applicant's financial need. b) Every applicant (if the applicant is an adult residing outside his or her parents' home) or the parents or legal guardian of every applicant citing financial need is required to submit financial information, which will be kept confidential. All confidential statements must be signed, certifying the parents' willingness to submit an official copy of their federal and state income tax returns, if requested. A statement of financial need must substantiate the applicant's inability to pursue or complete the eligible course of study due to lack of financial support from all other sources. c) The Director will convene and chair a Science Education Scholarship Selection Board to review applications for the scholarship. The Science Education Scholarship Selection Board will consist of the Director; the Managers of the Offices of: Environmental Safety, Administrative Support, Nuclear Facility Safety, and Radiation Safety; Chief Legal Counsel; and the Training/Human Resources Coordinator (non-voting). 1) Selection will be based on: A) Applicability of the proposed program of study to nuclear safety objectives, projects, or needs, B) Demonstrated acumen and scientific competence of the applicant, C) Recommendations of school officials, and D) Financial need. 2) If the Board is unable to select a scholarship recipient based solely on the written applications, the Board will require those applicants who are still under consideration after review of the written applications to appear before the Science Education Scholarship Selection Board. The purpose of the appearance would be to better define the applicant's stated educational program objectives and the relevance of these objectives to the Department's statutory duties. Information obtained during the appearances will be used to select among those applicants still under consideration. 3) In awarding scholarships under this Part, the Director shall give preference to qualified applicants who reside in a county where a regional facility for the disposal of low- level radioactive waste is located as provided in Section 6 of the Act. 4) In awarding scholarships under this Part, the Director will actively encourage applications from and give due consideration to qualified applicants who are minority persons or females, as defined in the Minority and Female Business Enterprise Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1987, ch. 127, par. 132.600 et seq.). Section 700.70 Scholarship Application Procedures a) Each applicant must submit: 1) an application, as provided in Section 700.60(a), with all written recommendations, transcripts and personal statements, by the announced deadline; 2) his or her social security number; and 3) a description of all additional gifts, grants, financial aid, specifying amounts and restrictions on its use. b) Information submitted on or in support of an application is not subject to return to the applicant. c) Unless the applicant is requested to appear before the Science Education Scholarship Selection Board, the selection will be based on the submitted documents and statements. d) Any change in the applicant's circumstances (e.g. acceptance into the college cited in the application; change in choice of program of study, financial need, etc.) must be submitted by separate letter prior to the convening of the Science Education Scholarship Selection Board. Failure to do so may be cause for disqualification. e) Incomplete applications will be placed in a pending status until all information is submitted. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all information is submitted. Applications not complete when the Science Education Scholarship Selection Board convenes will not be considered. f) Acceptance of any monetary award intended to cover all or part of tuition and fees, room and board, books and required materials will reduce the amount of support provided by the Department by an equal amount. g) Submission of an application containing false statements or data shall be cause for disqualification of the application and revocation of a scholarship. The scholar shall repay in full all expenses paid by the Department prior to revocation of the scholarship, in accordance with Section 700.50(d).