Successful Chat Event Targets Repayment

On May 8, 2001, Texas Guaranteed (TG) hosted a national chat event titled Know Before You Go into Repayment. The chat event targeted parents, students exiting college, and students entering repayment on their student loans.

The chat event, held from 6 to 8 p.m. (CDT), is one component of a much larger TG project in which TG Default Prevention aggressively pioneers new methods for reaching out to students. The goal of the chat and other project components is to provide information about student loans and financial aid, increase student knowledge and awareness, and in turn, reduce delinquencies and defaults.

"At TG, we think it's important to reach out to students in various ways. By developing new methods of communication and trying a variety of vehicles, we can do more to reach those students who might otherwise not have access to the information they need," said Shelia Dunlap, Manager, TG Default Prevention. "Gone are the days when we could wait for students to show up and ask for help. We are committed to finding the most effective ways to reach students and thus reduce delinquencies and defaults."

Throughout the event, chat counselors provided immediate responses to questions submitted by participants. Those counselors were Stacy Flood, Austin Community College Financial Aid Counselor, and several TG team members: Patty Boman, TG Customer Assistance; Kelly Kaelin, TG Policy and Regulatory Affairs; Kristin Miller, TG Default Prevention; and Rosie Wilson, TG Default Prevention. Additional TG team members worked before and during the event to help assure its success.

The Mapping Your Future (mapping-your-future.org) team provided technical assistance for the chat night, and the event was accessible through Adventures in Education (AIE) (AdventuresInEducation.org or AIE.org). Michelle Enriquez, AIE's Web Content Director, served as the event's moderator.

Preliminary results of the chat indicate that students from several states joined the chat and posed many interesting questions. Results and full transcripts are available online at mapping-your-future.org/services/chatqa.cfm?E=20010508& title=May%208,%202001.

Questions and More Information
For questions or more information about TG's default prevention efforts, contact Shelia Dunlap at (800) 252-9743, ext. 4642, or send an e-mail message to prevent.default@tgslc.org.

For more information about AIE and the Know Before Your Go chat series, contact Michelle Enriquez, at (800) 252-9743, ext. 4588, or send an e-mail message to michelle.enriquez@tgslc.org.

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