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This week on "Off the Cuff," Allie, Jill, and David recap the latest negotiated rulemaking session that focused on a number of issues, including cash management, distance education, R2T4, and more. Plus, the team dives into reported issues stemming from the FAFSA soft launch, some fixes that have been made available to students and families, and where financial aid professionals can keep tabs on issue alerts and progress.

Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, last Thursday introduced the College Cost Reduction Act, which seeks to address issues around college cost, accountability, and transparency. This article, the first in a three-part series analyzing the bill, focuses on aspects of the bill that would create a standardized financial aid offer for institutions to use. Additionally, the article touches on updates the bill would make to the College Scorecard, and the creation of a new Postsecondary Student Data System.

NASFAA is looking for a student to fill a 12-week paid internship with its 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. 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, Feb. 9, 2024, for priority consideration.

Financial Aid advising is an essential component of Prison Education Programs (PEPs). Many PEPs rely on the paper FAFSA when serving students who are incarcerated. We expect many new PEPs will enroll their first students in the fall of 2024. During this workshop, on Wednesday, January 31, at 2 p.m. ET, we will walk through the 2024-25 FAFSA completion process, highlighting the most complex form and verification questions. Register today to reserve your seat.

Please join us in congratulating Nicolette Ratcliff, FAAC®, who was promoted from associate director of client services to associate director for processing operations at Virginia Tech, and Cora Manuel, formerly the director of financial aid at Mills College at Northeastern University, who is now the director of enrollment and marketing at California State University Maritime Academy. Celebrate your own career developments by completing the "Movers and Shakers" form to share the news with your colleagues.

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