In this special episode of “Off The Cuff,” NASFAA President Justin Draeger talks about recent changes to the National Association for College Admission Counseling’s (NACAC) code of ethics with Jon Boeckenstedt, vice provost for enrollment management at Oregon State University. The changes come amid an investigation from the Department of Justice into the group’s possible violations of laws related to restricting competition. In September, delegates voted to strip provisions that previously prohibited colleges and universities from recruiting students already enrolled at other universities, offering incentives to students to apply early decision, and soliciting transfer applications from previous years. In the interview, Jon tackles outstanding questions, such as what impact these new rules will have on students weighing their options for higher education and institutions attempting to fill seats and balance their budgets for the upcoming school year, among other unintended consequences. Plus, Justin and Jon discuss which types of students the new rules will have the greatest effect on, and how that plays into college access and financial aid. "Off The Cuff" will return to its regularly-scheduled content after Thanksgiving with a new episode!

This week on "Off The Cuff," Megan rejoins the team as they discuss the latest news on the fate of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program as the Supreme Court heard oral arguments this week. First, at 2:25, Allie, Rachel, and Megan discuss member feedback from the previous episode. At 6:37, Megan dives into the details of the DACA case and three possible outcomes for the program's future. Rachel brings everyone up to speed on the federal budget process at 15:20, as lawmakers approach another deadline on November 20. And at 19:27, Allie explains news out of the Department of Education, as the agency announced Friday it would forgive the student loan debt and restore Pell Grant eligibility for more than 1,500 former students who attended certain Dream Center institutions. Plus, the team poses a new question to listeners: What strange superstitions or rituals do you perform on a regular basis?

This week on "Off The Cuff," the team dives into a number of issues, including a recent community letter from more than two dozen higher education organizations calling into question the Department of Education's recent guidance on foreign gifts reporting. First, Allie gives a group a rundown of feedback from last week's episode, as members shared the most embarrassing ways they've been injured. At 5:23, Justin shares his experience on a recent trip to California for the CASFAA conference before heading to Las Vegas (7:20) for NASFAA's Board of Directors meeting. At 8:30, Rachel covers the background of the federal foreign gifts reporting requirement and why some institutions have come under fire by ED, while Justin expands on the community letter NASFAA joined 29 other organizations in submitting. At 17:28, Jill examines the final regulations on accreditation and state authorization and how the changes — including new disclosure requirements — will impact institutions. At 24:09, Justin and Jill cover more guidance from ED on revisions to standard term lengths, before the team poses a new listener question for the week: Do you think it's OK to decorate for the holidays before Thanksgiving?