This week on “Off The Cuff,” Justin, Megan, Jill, and Rachel delve into the Title IV implications of the Coronavirus on students in disrupted study abroad programs. At 10:43, Jill answers questions from members about whether the Department of Education (ED) will offer regulatory relief for universities and students. At 19:20, Megan talks about Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and her defense of President Donald Trump’s fiscal year 2021 budget proposal as it relates to higher education, and details a letter ED’s general counsel wrote on DeVos’ behalf defending her refusal to testify on a slew of issues from sexual assault on campus to student loan forgiveness. Rachel discusses welcome upgrades to the student-facing portion of the federal student aid website at 26:24, and the group wants to know: What food do you spend an exorbitant amount of money on?
This week on “Off The Cuff,” Justin, Megan, Jill, and Allie discuss the most recent Democratic presidential debate, and dive into former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s platform to reform higher education, which includes reinstating gainful employment regulations and free tuition at four-year universities for low-income students. At 17:12, Jill answers pressing questions from members about the Annual Student Loan Acknowledgement — formerly known as the Informed Borrower Tool — and at 29 minutes in Allie delves into new quarterly data from the Department of Education on student loan default and loan forgiveness. At 33:32, Megan details recent results from an initiative to enroll more Pell-eligible students at top-tier universities, and the group wants to know: What message do you use to sign off on your emails? Warmly, and until next time, the “Off The Cuff” team.
This week on “Off The Cuff,” Justin, Megan, Rachel, and Allie dive into President Donald Trump’s fiscal year 2021 budget proposal released earlier in the week, and break down its intentions for setting borrowing limits for graduate students and parents. First, however, Justin discusses some frustrations among the higher education community surrounding the Department of Education’s new website for students to acknowledge their loan debt — formerly known as the Informed Borrower Tool — and broken links on the Information for Financial Aid Professionals (IFAP) website. At 13:35, the group delves into the budget’s cuts to student aid, plans to evaluate a restructure of the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA), and new borrowing caps on PLUS Loans. At 30:48, Justin discusses a new report about the growing popularity of income-driven repayment plans and their costs over the next decade, and the group wants to know: what have been your best and worst Valentine's Day experiences?