Federal Updates

Operational burden lifted in post-TPD-discharge situations
At the December 2004 Electronic Access Conference (EAC), ED provided new guidance about certifying a loan for a borrower who has had a prior total and permanent disability (TPD) discharge. The new guidance eases the operational burden on borrowers and schools alike.

TG Updates

TG debuts 2005 TG Conference website
Excitement is building as student financial aid professionals and other industry partners make their plans to attend "Breakthrough! Higher expectations in higher education," the 2005 TG Conference. To provide attendees with a centralized information resource about the event, TG has developed the 2005 TG Conference website, available at www.tgslc.org/tgconference/.

Trends and Issues

New TG resource offers summary of perspectives on default
Understanding the many variables that play a role in student loan default is a critical learning objective for any financial aid professional. A wealth of knowledge on the subject is available from a variety of sources, and each of these sources provide further insight into the factors and challenges faced by the community. Often the biggest challenge, however, is gathering these resources in one location.

TG publishes new research on default at Texas A&M University
This month, TG has released Multivariate Analysis of Student Loan Default at Texas A&M University, a follow-up report to research conducted by TG, in partnership with Texas A&M University, to better understand the relationship between loan default and student characteristics.

Legislative Update

The January 18, 2005 issue of TG's Legislative Report includes an update on a request from House and Senate Budget, Education, and Reform leaders for an independent GAO report on the hidden costs of the Federal Direct Loan Program, a bipartisan bill that seeks to increase funding for Pell grants by $12 billion, and the adoption of the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission's report on TG. Keep up with the latest developments by reading the full report on TG Online at www.tgslc.org/lege_report/index.cfm.

This, That, and the Other...

On February 3 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. (CST), TG will host The FAFSA Made Easy, a video program to help students and families complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). In addition to learning how to fill out the FAFSA, high school seniors viewing the teleconference at host sites can enter their names into a drawing to win one of several $500 scholarships from TG. Any business, organization, school, or civic group interested in serving as a host site should call (800) 252-9743, ext. 2865, or send an message to awareness@tgslc.org.