Federal Updates

ED Moves LaRS Deployment to October
The January 8, 2002, Shoptalk Online (Edition 136) reported that ED has been redesigning the Lender Reporting System to allow lenders and servicers to submit—online—the Lender's Interest and Special Allowance Request and Report (a.k.a. LaRS), which will replace ED Form 799. LaRS was scheduled to debut in April 2002 and was postponed to June 2002.

TG Updates

TG Announces Partnership Agreements with Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Texas NAACP
At its recent 2002 Annual Conference, TG formalized agreements to work with two Texas organizations to reach more students and families about the value of higher education. On Thursday, April 11, TG's President and CEO Milt Wright signed two Memoranda of Understanding, one with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) and another with the Texas NAACP.

Conference Sponsors Helped Make the Big Picture Possible
Each year TG's Annual Conference offers the financial aid community the opportunity to spend three days delving into topics that enhance their skills as facilitators of higher education while spending some enjoyable time with their peers. On behalf of the conference attendees, TG extends a special thank you to the sponsors that made this year's event so successful.

2002 Conference Presentations Available Online
The TG 2002 Annual Conference was filled with valuable information. If you missed a session that you'd like to know more about, you can get the basics for many of the sessions at www.tgslc.org/resources/presentations.cfm.

A Day in the Life…The Series Continues
Following earlier discussion of the Awareness and Origination loan phases, Shoptalk Online continues its series this month by examining the Interim Phase in the life of a loan. Once a loan has been made, where does a customer go for general answers to what, when, why, and how?

A Day in the Life

• ...of TG's Customer Assistance
• ...of TG's Loan Guarantee Operations
• ...of TG's Educational Alliances

This, That, and the Other...

A recent report by the State Public Interest Research Groups' (PIRGs') Higher Education Project asserts that the academic performance of college students working 25 or more hours per week suffers due to their number of work hours. The report, At What Cost?: The Price that Working Students Pay for a College Education, is available at www.pirg.org/highered/
atwhatcost4_16_02.pdf.

At What Cost? provides research—based on ED's 1999-2000 National Postsecondary Aid Survey (NPSAS)—that shows that:

• 46% of all full-time working students work 25 or more hours per week.
• 42% of these students reported that working hurt their grades.

The research used for the report also shows a negligible or even positive impact on grades for students who are working fewer hours—either 16-24 hours or 1-15 hours per week.

Take a look at Adventures In Education, TG's Public Awareness website.