Federal Updates

• ED Seeks Nominations for Spring 2002 Negotiated Rulemaking
  ED announced in the December 5, 2001 Federal Register that it will hold negotiated rulemaking (Neg Reg) sessions in spring 2002. ED is also soliciting nominations of individuals to participate in the negotiations.
• 2003 Interest Rate Problem: The Problem and Possible Solution
  There's been a lot of talk for the past few months about the 2003 interest rate problem. What's it all about? Is there really a problem? Is there a solution?
• Perkins Prom Note Corrected
  ED has announced corrected versions of the new Perkins Loan Program and National Direct Student Loan (NDSL) promissory notes that were recently released in Dear Partner Letter CB-01-13.
• Closed School Corner
  The Department of Education (ED) reports one school closure.

TG Updates

• 2002 TACAC Hotline to Include Online Chat
  On Saturday and Sunday, January 19 and 20, 2002, the Texas Association for College Admission Counseling (TACAC) and LoanSTAR Educational Loans will conduct a College Information Hotline at LoanSTAR's headquarters in Bryan, Texas.
• Additions to AdvanTG™ Manual Offer Help with Reports and Change Transactions
  TG has added two new easy-to-use sections to the AdvanTG 3.0 Manual—the Change Transaction Addendum and the Reports Addendum—to help users get the most out of the AdvanTG reporting and change transaction functions.
• TG Presenters Share Expertise at Fall Training Conference
  Several TG team members participated as session presenters and moderators at the 2001 National Council of Higher Education Loan Programs (NCHELP) Fall Training Conference in November in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Trends and Issues

• Crime Data, Other Information Help Students Make Decisions about School Selection
  For the second year in a row, the Department of Education has compiled and posted data of on-campus crime statistics for more than 6,000 postsecondary schools throughout the nation.

Legislative Report

• The December 3 edition of TG’s Legislative Report includes articles about the court-approved redistricting plan for Texas, the first annual Texas Higher Education Star Awards, a joint economic committee report about tax reduction and economic benefits, and an FY 2002 appropriations update. Read the entire issue at www.tgslc.org/tgslc/publications/lege_report/2001/lr_011203.cfm.

This, That, and the Other

• According to a recent report issued by the American Council on Education (ACE), over the decade of the 90s, annual federal student loan volume and the annual number of loans made more than doubled. According to ACE's report, entitled "Student Borrowing in the 1990s," however, for those students who complete their programs and who borrowed to finance their education, their "debt levels remain reasonable." To access the report, visit www.acenet.edu/resources/reports/student_borrow_90s.pdf.

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