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This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin, Erin, and Allie dive into former Vice President Joe Biden's higher education platform, which proposes among other things doubling the maximum Pell Grant award, overhauling income-driven repayment, and restructuring the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Justin discusses news that a federal judge weighed publicly the idea of taking action against Education Secretary Betsy DeVos through sanctions or holding her in contempt for violating a previous court order to halt debt collection on former Corinthian Colleges students. Allie gives an overview of the latest quarterly data from Federal Student Aid, which showed the processing of borrower defense claims remained at a standstill as of June, and Erin examines the findings from an American Enterprise Institute report that claims loan servicers may not be entirely at fault when it comes to complaints filed with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Plus, the team wants to know: Do you have favorite kitchen items (like a "bacon plate" or "potato drawer") that you use only for specific purposes? Skip to 7:10 to get straight to member feedback and the policy discussion.

As more students with children enroll in higher education, institutions must quickly grapple with how to adapt to their unique needs. While a report released last month pointed to flaws in a federal program to help students pay for child care, universities and colleges are tapping into their state governments for funding to support student-parents — but more can be done to support schools in their efforts. 

The NASFAA office will be closed on Monday, October 14 for the Columbus Day federal holiday. The NASFAA website and other online services will still be available, but NASFAA's Today's News and technical and membership support will not be available until the office reopens on Tuesday, October 15.

Please join us in congratulating Michele Kosboth, formerly the director of student financial planning at Lasell College, who is now the director of financial aid at Oberlin College, Karen Fobert, who was promoted from associate director to senior associate director of financial aid at Lewis & Clark College, and Adam Colvin, formerly the financial aid compliance specialist at Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes Jewish College, who is now the associate director of student financial services at Lindenwood University. Let us also congratulate Judy Cramer, director of financial aid at Salem State University, who will retire after 30 years of working in financial aid at numerous institutions across the country. Judy reports she is excited to return to Virginia and be near her granddaughters, and volunteer in her community to help kids go to college. Cramer added that she looks forward to being a NASFAA Retiree and staying in touch with the many friends she made on her fulfilling and rewarding career path. Learn more about other colleagues' accomplishments, recognitions, and achievements, and submit your own on our Movers and Shakers page.

In response to the growing interest in financial aid offers, NASFAA convened the Examining Software Providers’ Compliance with NASFAA’s Code of Conduct working group to research student financial aid management software providers’ ability and willingness to adapt to changes in the landscape of aid offers by institutions, associations, or Congress. The group of seven includes four first-time committee members. The working group is charged with identifying options for policymakers and institutions that provide financial aid offices the tools to better work with the software providers to meet NASFAA’s Code of Conduct and to develop recommendations for NASFAA, Congress, or the Department of Education to improve the capabilities of software providers. Read the full working group charter.

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