Federal Updates

Deferment form news
There are two developments in the world of FFELP deferment forms this week. The first concerns the emergency extension of the current forms, and the second concerns the development of Spanish-language versions of the forms.

TG Updates

TG announces upcoming Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) enhancements
This fall, TG will introduce its Next Day Funding (NDF) EFT process, which will compress our three-day funding into an overnight process. In addition to faster funds delivery, TG's Change Transaction and Disbursement Roster processing will be enhanced from the evening batch method to hourly processing.

Skill builders: What did you say? Learn to be a better communicator
Communicating effectively often can be difficult, especially with all of today's distractions, but anyone can learn to be a better communicator.

Partner resources: NASFAA and TG — working together to promote advancement of student aid
TG is a member of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) and often works with the organization to share professional expertise with industry partners, associates, and customers.

Question of the week
Can a borrower receive teacher loan forgiveness on a Consolidation loan?

Trends and Issues

The in-school consolidation "aftermath": Determining Stafford loan aggregate limits for borrowers with Consolidation loan
Consolidation. In recent months, we have heard this word repeated over and over again as throngs of borrowers, including many thousands of borrowers still in school, rushed to consolidate prior to the increase in student loan interest rates. But now that the dust has settled, what will the aftermath of the in-school consolidation rush be?

Common Manual

New training brief provides information on chapter restructure
A new training brief from the Common Manual Policy Committee explains the recent revisions to Chapter 4 of the manual, titled "School Participation." Chapter 4 of the 2005 version of the Common Manual was restructured into two chapters in order to better place the contents into the manual's life-of-the-loan format.

Legislative Update

The August 4 issue of TG's Legislative Report includes a congressional update on: the College Access Initiative provision included in the House Higher Education Act reauthorization bill; HHS, Labor, and Education FY 2006 Budget; and Reconciliation/Appropriations. 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...

For years, students have relied on college brochures and "the best" rankings from national publications. Now students have another resource to help them decide on which school best fits their needs and personalities: Schools that Rock: The Rolling Stone College Guide. According to an article in USA Today, the new book details music programs, courses, and local music scenes at colleges and college towns across the nation. The guide describes musical offerings at both classical music schools, such as Julliard, as well as contemporary music classes at other universities. It also explores the various types of careers available to those who seek to enter the music industry. To read the article, visit www.usatoday.com/
news/education/2005-07-27
-college-rock_x.htm.