Introduction by Barbara Mistick

Dear Colleagues:

With 10 days left before the end of FY 2024, Congress has yet to pass a continuing resolution (CR) to avoid a government shutdown. While there was lots of drama this week in the House, it ultimately failed to pass Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) bill (H.R. 9494) to extend government funding through March 28, 2025. It is unclear what the House will do next.

The Senate also has not acted, but leadership has indicated support for a CR until December 13 or 20, teeing up a post-election lame duck session that would then be needed to keep the government open. With the toss-up elections less than two months away, next steps are being scrutinized by both sides of the aisle and both sides of the Capitol through the lens of their best political positioning.

I want to thank those who have replied to my request last Friday for feedback on whether delaying the reporting requirements on the Financial Value/Gainful Employment rules until January 15, 2025, is long enough. I continue to welcome feedback on this matter. Please send any comments you have to president@NAICU.edu.

FAFSA Follow Up Survey. A reminder that yesterday we launched our follow-up FAFSA survey to better understand the effects on campuses of both the delay in FAFSA completion and processing, and the changes made to the student aid eligibility need analysis formulas. The follow up survey is so we can gather additional feedback and compare the situation before and after the start of the academic year.

In addition to the initial questions we posed in June, we have added five questions regarding the Department of Education’s performance in communicating with you about FAFSA availability and processing. These questions were added at the request of lead congressional staff who are interested in feedback from our membership and with whom NAICU met and shared the initial survey findings.

We had an exceptional response to the June survey, and I hope you will again take the time to complete the follow-up version.

Soundbites

• Two new Title IX guidance documents were released this week to aid institutions that are operating under the new 2024 regulations. The resources, provided by the Department of Education, include guidance on new and updated requirements for Title IX coordinators and guidance clarifying prohibitions against discrimination based on pregnancy or related conditions and parental, familial, or marital status.

• Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) House and Senate champions of expanding SNAP benefits to college students introduced the Student Food Security Act (H. R. 9521 / S. 5004). The bill would increase SNAP eligibility for low-income college students by making permanent the expansion provided during the pandemic. It also develops multi-agency coordination for outreach to potentially eligible students, collects data on student food and housing insecurity, creates a SNAP student hunger demonstration program, and establishes a $1 billion grant program for institutions to meet college student basic needs. NAICU joined 80 organizations in endorsing the bill.

I hope you have a pleasant weekend.