The Unofficial SMART Scholarship Forum

recipient99 wrote:
...If you are basing this on your personal experience with the Program, then I wager that you have had a different experience with them than I have had. "Scheming" rather than "trustworthy" or "understanding" would be a more likely term I would choose to describe how they've dealt with me...

Guest wrote:The SMART Program would like to build a relationship of trust and understanding with the participants.

recipient99 wrote:I don't see how it could possibly be legal to force the participants to comply with the terms of a contract that they didn't sign (if they change the terms of a contract, that would make it a different contract, correct?). Can anyone offer confirmation as to whether they are seriously trying to to defend this legally, or is this just an empty threat?

If anyone can offer an explanation of how such an action might be legally defended, this would be very beneficial to all participants. If it really is legal, this could have serious consequences (especially if the program administration decided to do something ridiculous like change the contract to say that they can extend Phase II by an indefinite period. Based on my experience with them, I really wouldn't be all that surprised if they tried to do something like this).

2011 cohort wrote:In the handbook revised email, it said the revised handbook apply to ALL cohort years.

empty wrote:

Three Point One Four wrote:

empty wrote:Guest is correct. If you search the new handbook for the terms "internship support" and "cash award" there are no matches. I suspect that each cohort will have different paperwork in this regard and so they didn't include it as a part of the standard handbook for all cohorts.

The handbook update email that they sent out said one of the changes was that the cash awards are now referred to as stipends. Maybe that is why you couldn't find anything.

Those were the search terms because that is what another post quoted. Apparently that quote was not referring to the revised handbook, thus making this thread much longer than it need to be due to confusion (partially on my part).

Three Point One Four wrote:

empty wrote:Guest is correct. If you search the new handbook for the terms "internship support" and "cash award" there are no matches. I suspect that each cohort will have different paperwork in this regard and so they didn't include it as a part of the standard handbook for all cohorts.

The handbook update email that they sent out said one of the changes was that the cash awards are now referred to as stipends. Maybe that is why you couldn't find anything.

guestUF wrote:

Three Point One Four wrote:

guestUF wrote:What is this 'handbook update email'? I have not received any communication except the award email.

Maybe it only went out to previuos cohorts, I am 2011, since it would be your first handbook and changes wouldn't mean anything to this year's cohort.

Ok, things are starting to make more sense now.

Three Point One Four wrote:

guestUF wrote:What is this 'handbook update email'? I have not received any communication except the award email.

Maybe it only went out to previuos cohorts, I am 2011, since it would be your first handbook and changes wouldn't mean anything to this year's cohort.

Three Point One Four wrote:Also, Go Gators!

guestUF wrote:What is this 'handbook update email'? I have not received any communication except the award email.

Three Point One Four wrote:

empty wrote:Guest is correct. If you search the new handbook for the terms "internship support" and "cash award" there are no matches. I suspect that each cohort will have different paperwork in this regard and so they didn't include it as a part of the standard handbook for all cohorts.

The handbook update email that they sent out said one of the changes was that the cash awards are now referred to as stipends. Maybe that is why you couldn't find anything.

empty wrote:Guest is correct. If you search the new handbook for the terms "internship support" and "cash award" there are no matches. I suspect that each cohort will have different paperwork in this regard and so they didn't include it as a part of the standard handbook for all cohorts.

Guest wrote:

guestUF wrote:

Guest wrote:Yeah, they don't list the Internship Support Payments, nor do they give a general guideline for what your stipend level should be depending on your academic achievements. I don't know if this means different cohort years will be paid differently, or if we all can see varying pay scales in the future.

They do list,
"Internship support payments in the amount of $1000/week*.
*Multi-year participants only; some restrictions apply",
in the Award Notification and Service Agreement as well as cash award annual rate which looks to be the same as before, for me at least with $38,000 for PhD.

The updated handbook does not contain this information. Is that all it says about the ISP? Does the award still go up to $41,800?

Guest wrote:

guest22 wrote:GuestUF stated the ISP is noted in "the Award Notification and Service Agreement" which seems to indicate that it was addressed in a recent service agreement that he received. Just my guess from what he wrote.

Yes, GuestUF, is that EXACTLY what it said about the internship payments? Us past year scholars are extremely paranoid about this stuff after what happened with the internship funding this summer.

guest22 wrote:GuestUF stated the ISP is noted in "the Award Notification and Service Agreement" which seems to indicate that it was addressed in a recent service agreement that he received. Just my guess from what he wrote.

guestUF wrote:

Guest wrote:Yeah, they don't list the Internship Support Payments, nor do they give a general guideline for what your stipend level should be depending on your academic achievements. I don't know if this means different cohort years will be paid differently, or if we all can see varying pay scales in the future.

They do list,
"Internship support payments in the amount of $1000/week*.
*Multi-year participants only; some restrictions apply",
in the Award Notification and Service Agreement as well as cash award annual rate which looks to be the same as before, for me at least with $38,000 for PhD.

Guest wrote:Yeah, they don't list the Internship Support Payments, nor do they give a general guideline for what your stipend level should be depending on your academic achievements. I don't know if this means different cohort years will be paid differently, or if we all can see varying pay scales in the future.