Dear Colleagues,

Both chambers of Congress were back in session this week, and everyone is back to school. This confluence of events is traditionally marked in Washington by the annual gathering of the entire education community (preschool through postsecondary education) at the annual Committee for Education Funding gala, which NAICU regularly sponsors. It was a lively event, honoring Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and John Tester (D-MT) and Representatives Alma Adams (D-NC) and Jared Huffman (D-CA). NAICU was delighted to host several key congressional staff members at our table. 

While it was a celebratory night, the focus on education funding was a reminder of the advocacy work we have ahead to protect federal student aid in the congressional funding process. With a government shutdown deadline looming just two weeks away, there is much work to be done to complete the appropriations process. 

As I’ve alerted you, current proposals in the House and Senate include significant cuts to federal student aid, with the House proposing to eliminate Federal Work-Study (FWS) and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG) all together (see story below for more details). Responding to these threats, NAICU launched an advertising campaign targeting congressional leadership and appropriations committee members and placed banner ads on Politico’s online education pages. The message calls on Congress to reject the proposed cuts to FWS and SEOG and instead fund these critical student aid programs to invest in America’s future. 

I hope you will consider spreading the 15- or 30-second versions of the ad online via your social media feeds. We have multiple versions of the ad available on our website for use on social media. The start of the campaign coincided with a letter I sent to House and Senate Appropriations Committee members, urging them to fund the student aid programs as they finalize FY 2024 this fall.  

ADVOCACY REMINDER – Overtime Rule. Comments to the Department of Labor regarding its recently released overtime rules are due by November 7. My recent Action Alert provided key details on the increase in the threshold for employees to be considered exempt from overtime pay from $35,568 to $55,068. I hope you will take the time to assess how this will impact your campus and provide comments to the Department. If you conduct an internal analysis and decide to comment, please email your assessment and/or a copy of your comments to NAICU’s Director of Tax Policy, Karin Johns (Karin@naicu.edu). This feedback will be very useful in our advocacy here in Washington. 

ADVOCACY REMINDER – Veterans. If your institution has been flagged for a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) risk-based survey, NAICU would like to know more about this experience. The House Committee on Veterans Affairs is planning an oversight hearing this month and we want to make sure we are representing your concerns. If you were flagged by the VA and are willing to share feedback about the survey and process, please email NAICU’s Senior Director of Budget and Appropriations, Stephanie Giesecke (Stephanie@naicu.edu).  

Soundbites

• Representative Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Chair of the House Education and Workforce Committee, and Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, sent a letter to Secretary Cardona asking the Department of Education to explain the statutory authority recently used to justify forgiving an additional $39 billion in student loans for 804,000 borrowers. The letter highlights the disparity between this round of forgiveness and last year’s GAO report, which found a comparatively small number of 7,700 borrowers who were potentially eligible for up to $49 million in forgiveness.  

• A federal judge in Texas again ruled this week that the Obama Administration exceeded its authority by establishing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in 2012. This is the second ruling against the program by U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Hanen, who issued the previous ruling in 2021. Like the 2021 ruling, this latest ruling takes no action against any individual, but leaves the program in limbo and prevents any new enrollees. 

Finally, one last reminder. Institutions have until Monday, September 18, to sign up to participate in the College Cost Transparency Initiative prior to its public launch on September 25. The initiative has established common terminology that institutions would voluntarily adopt when making award offers to prospective students so families clearly understand the terms and can compare the costs of different institutions. I encourage you to consider adding your institution to the initiative’s principles and standards. It is important that independent institutions are seen as visible advocates for college cost transparency. 

I hope you have had a safe and happy return to campus and that your academic year is off to a terrific start. I know I am asking a lot of you during a very hectic time on campus but your voice is important an important one. Thank you for your continued commitment to NAICU and to private, nonprofit higher education. 

Regards,
  
Barbara
   
Barbara K. Mistick, D.M.
President, NAICU