Federal Updates

Reauthorization watch
Last week, TG updated its Higher Education Act reauthorization page on TG Online with information on and links for five recent developments.

Current special allowance rates: quarter ending March 31, 2005
Special allowance rates for the quarter March 31, 2005, are now available.

TG Updates

TG launches Center for Financial Aid Policy in Community Colleges
In response to the unprecedented growth in community college enrollment nationwide, TG has initiated a center focused on helping community colleges meet their enrollment and graduation goals. The Center for Financial Aid Policy in Community Colleges' mission is to shape effective financial aid policy and practices that impact student enrollment, retention, and graduation rates at community colleges.

Trends and Issues

Edufacts™ — March 2005
This month, Edufacts looks U.S. Census Bureau information that confirms the widening income gap between workers with various levels of a college degree and those with a high school diploma or less.

TG co-sponsors chat event to help borrowers having problems making student loan payments
Deferments, forbearances, and default prevention will be the topics of an upcoming Mapping Your Future™ online chat event scheduled for Tuesday, April 12, 2005 at 6 p.m. (CDT) on the Mapping Your Future website, www.mapping-your-future.org.

Common Manual

Common Manual Updates
Information on recent updates to the Common Manual.

Legislative Update

The March 30 issue of TG's Legislative Report includes updates on the adoption of the House and Senate FY 2006 budget resolution; an overview of bills before Congress that affect student financial aid and higher education; a Texas legislative update on bills passed in the House and Senate that affect student financial aid and higher education; and an update on TG's Sunset Advisory Commission review. 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...

According to a CNN article, more college campuses around the nation are using recreation centers — equipped with basketball courts, weight equipment, swimming pools, and even rock-climbing walls — to woo prospective students. The article states this is part of a trend of schools attempting to attract students with various perks like private bathrooms and cable television. Some schools are spending millions of dollars to build or upgrade their recreation centers. School administrators say the recreation centers address students' increased involvement in athletics and fitness, provide an additional social setting on campus, and offer faculty members a place to exercise as well. To read the article, visit www.cnn.com/2005/
EDUCATION/04/01/
campus.rec.centers.ap/
index.html.