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Great Lakes. Student loan debt letters are being mandated in a growing number of states. College Cost Meter™ is an affordable and versatile solution to send customizable student debt letters or emails, when it’s required or part of a student success program. Contact your Great Lakes representative or visit mygreatlakes.org/go/ccm for more information.

The negotiating committee tasked with attempting to rewrite a federal borrower defense to repayment rule made progress on Wednesday, tackling several more issues outlined for discussion, including the process to reconsider claims, whether to grant partial relief in some cases, what institutions must do if they are found to not be financially responsible, and disclosures associated with pre-dispute arbitration requirements.

The Student Aid Index has been in existence since the 2013-14 academic year, but there are a few things you may not know about this resource. For instance, the topics get updated on a regular and rolling basis as new information becomes available. And did you know it's mobile-friendly? That means you've got references, including legislation, regulation, the Federal Student Aid Handbook, Dear Colleague Letters, Electronic Announcements, and more right at your fingertips — anytime, anywhere. Please use our Index feedback form to tell us what we're doing well, what's missing, or what you'd like to see more of!

NASFAA is looking for a student to fill a 12-week paid internship with NASFAA's Policy and Federal Relations staff. The intern will help develop advocacy materials; attend and report on hearings, events, and meetings; analyze and summarize legislation and regulations; and much more. Those students studying in fields related to higher education, public policy, political science, and history may benefit most from this internship. If you know graduate or undergraduate students who may be interested, please encourage them to apply. This internship is supported by the Dallas Martin Endowment for Public Policy and Student Aid. Applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. ET on Friday, March 1, 2019, to be considered.

The NASFAA office will be closed on Monday, February 18 for the President's Day federal holiday. NASFAA's Today's News newsletter will not be sent and technical and membership support will not be available until the office reopens on Tuesday, February 19.

"Congress is expected to reauthorize the federal law governing higher education this year, which would most likely overhaul the federal student loan and work-study programs," according to U.S. News & World Report. NASFAA is quoted in the article. 

"In the weeks after Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives proposed to tax graduate student tuition waivers, many students were stunned by the potential for a big tax bill and unsure about how to respond. House GOP proposals would have stripped out a number of student benefits from the tax code, including the tax-free status of graduate students' tuition waivers," Inside Higher Ed reports.

"For all the friction that has torn at the revolving door of Essex County College's leaders in the last few years, 2018 will be the true test of whether the new overseers can extricate the institution from its precarious accreditation status," NJ.com reports.

"If your medical bills seem to be higher after a doctor's visit or you find yourself sitting alongside more patients in the waiting room than before, you aren't imagining things. New doctors are facing increased medical school student debt. Along with that debt comes the need to see more patients to make more money to pay down that steadily rising expense," according to the Miami Herald. 

"Alabama has developed various certifications that qualify job-seekers as 'ready to work' when they meet the criteria of their chosen profession and of the employer looking to hire, whether that be an automobile-related plant needing a robot operator, or an aviation facility needing technicians for engine assembly," according to AONow.com.

"In the 50 years since the Higher Education Act was signed into law, students, workers, businesses and our economy have all transformed in response to the technological revolution that has swept the globe. Yet our nation's approach to higher education seems to be stuck in neutral. It's time for our federal education policies to catch up with the reality of today's students, employers and job seekers in the new economy," Amanda Russel writes in an opinion article for the Des Moines Register. 

"Remedial education held real promise at its origin. It served as an on-ramp to college for students who were underprepared in the subjects of reading, writing, and mathematics. In the present day, however, remedial education often acts as an exit ramp, derailing many students in need of additional academic support from ever enrolling in college courses or completing their undergraduate degree," according to the Center for American Progress. 

The registration for the 2018 WASFAA Conference — Together We Rise — is open! The conference will be held on April 22-24 at the Grove Hotel in Boise, Idaho. The annual WASFAA conference is a unique training and professional development opportunity that will equip Financial Aid Administrators with the tools necessary to better serve students and families. Each year, more than 300 student aid professionals from across the Western region attend the conference to learn, network, and share best practices. Visit the conference site to view the tentative agenda, hotel information, things to do in Boise, and much more! Scholarships are available to help with registration through Feb. 22, 2018.

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