NASFAA's 2006-2007 Chair Janet Dodson e-mailed NASFAA members on Wednesday urging them to contact their senators and representatives to educate lawmakers about the good work that financial aid professionals do helping students overcome barriers to education.
Dodson wrote that the recent scrutiny and press coverage of the financial aid profession is not flattering, but offers an opportunity to work with lawmakers now that they are focused on the important subject of higher education financing.
"Your e-mail or faxed letter will help policymakers and their staff to make educated policy decisions based in reality rather than the exaggerations they see in the press," Dodson said.
Dodson also offered tips and resources to help members communicate effectively with lawmakers.
The text of the letter as well as the tips and resources are included below.
11 April 2007
Dear NASFAA Member:
The recent inquiries into the preferred lender practice and other alleged abuses are anything but flattering for our profession, and they have created unprecedented publicity for student loan and college financing issues. While the negative publicity creates a challenge, it also gives us a golden opportunity. The headlines and investigations mean that lawmakers will give this subject serious attention. Lawmakers will be especially interested in hearing from the people with their boots on the ground, who know how the system works at a practical level.
I am writing to encourage you to contact your U.S. senators and representatives immediately to tell them how your school's financial aid office works to help students find the money they need to attend college. You devote a great deal of your time to educating students about financial aid. Now it is time to educate our lawmakers about the good work that financial aid professionals do helping students overcome barriers to education.
Your e-mail or faxed letter cannot wait until next week. Now is the time to write your lawmakers and give a clear, straightforward view of the student loan programs, preferred lender lists, and how your financial aid office helps families. This will help policymakers and their staff to make educated policy decisions based in reality rather than the exaggerations they see in the press.
Your job is easy. All you have to do is tell the truth. Help your lawmakers see you as a calm voice offering a sensible view of this complex situation.
In your own words,
- Explain that while you do not condone abuses in the student aid programs, these practices do not occur at your institution and are rare among your colleagues. Tell them that you do not delay approval of loans, accept expense-paid trips, or receive gifts in exchange for steering loans to a certain lender.
- Let lawmakers know that the recent hype surrounding student loans is incomplete, and as a professional who works every day to help students overcome financial barriers to education, you would like to tell the whole story.
- Remind lawmakers that everyone's goal is the same: to provide the best loans possible to students. Use real-life examples of the problems faced by your students and describe how you resolved them.
- Describe the careful process you use to achieve this goal, including how you inform families about borrowing options; why and how you use tools such as preferred lender lists (if you use them) and how you develop these tools; and how you select the best loan products that offer good terms and conditions. Tell lawmakers why superior service is as important as other borrower benefits.
Let your representatives know how the recent news stories create distrust and harm the students everyone is trying to help. If students don't think they can turn to financial aid offices for guidance, they may turn to high-priced student aid consultants, lenders whose marketing approaches encourage students to borrow as much as possible, or simply uninformed relatives or neighbors.
Please act now. Please write an e-mail or send a fax to every member of your congressional delegation, senators, and representatives this week. You may use the tips below to help you develop your letter.
We need every NASFAA member to communicate with his or her representatives--even if you have never contacted Congress before. Now is the time to make your voice heard.
Sincerely,
Janet Dodson
2006-07 NASFAA Chair
Tips for Writing to Congress
There are many ways that we can effectively communicate our concerns to members of Congress. Perhaps the most common way is by sending a letter via e-mail or fax.
For many, there is a certain fear in contacting a congressional office for the first time. This feeling is a natural, and it is probably similar to the feeling many students and parents get when contacting a student aid office for the first time.
Remember these three thoughts as you attempt to contact your congressional office:
- Members of Congress work for YOU;
- Members of Congress want to provide service to their constituents;
- Members of Congress want to be informed and work with you.
In addition, don't feel as though you need to know all of the technicalities of processing a bill. It will assist you in knowing how the system works, but it should never prevent you or your students from contacting the congressional office.
Detailed resources about the legislative process may be found for the Senate here and for the House here.
Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks security at the U.S. Capitol has been increased. Please e-mail or fax your letter to your Members of Congress. If you send your letter by U.S. Mail, it will be diverted to a facility that checks it for security risks. This process will delay your letter by at least ten days to two weeks.
When writing to members of Congress, the salutations Dear Senator (last name), and Dear Representative (last name) should be used.
Postal and e-mail addresses, fax, and phone numbers for senators are available on-line at www.senate.gov/senators/index.cfm. The same information for representatives is at www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW.html
When drafting your letter remember to:
- Tell your story
- Be positive
- Stay on point
- Encourage communication and collaboration
- Use e-mail or fax (U.S. mail to Congress is slowed by extensive security measures).
- Send a copy to NASFAA at Web@NASFAA.org
Posted 04/12/07 to www.NASFAA.org. Redistribution to non-NASFAA institutions is prohibited. Please submit Web Site questions or comments to Web@NASFAA.org.
