House Votes to Repeal 2 Controversial Education Department Rules

The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to repeal the regulations on the federal definition of a credit hour and state authorization of distance education programs.  Now, the U.S. Senate must take up the issue of repealing these regulations.  It will be a tougher battle to get a favorable vote in the Democratic-controlled Senate.  Even if the Senate passes the repeal legislation, President Obama could still veto the bill to repeal these over-reaching regulations into the higher education industry.

You can read the entire article at:

http://chronicle.com/article/House-Votes-to-Repeal-2/130962/

Thanks.

Review President Obama's FY 2013 Education Budget

Have you had an opportunity to review some of the details of President Obama’s education budget?

In his State of the Union Address, the President laid out a plan for ensuring that our students and workers get the education and training they need to take on the jobs of today and tomorrow. He also later laid out a comprehensive approach to tackle rising college costs. The Administration firmly believes that education cannot be a luxury – it is an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.

You can read the entire article at the following website:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/factsheet/an-economy-built-to-last-and-expanded-college-opportunity

SASFAA Conference Information

Good morning SASFAA Colleagues,

More important information to know before the SASFAA conference:

1.       All meeting rooms will have Wi-Fi for members who want to access presentations online with laptops or IPAD.

2.       If an attendee would like to receive CEU's (Continuing Education Units) from AFCPE - Association for Financial Counseling Planning and Education there will be a sign up sheet at the conference registration table. Upon return to your campus you will have confirmation of your CEUs earned at SASFAA.

3.       Check daily for SASFAA 2012 presentations that are available to download for the conference.

Safe Travels to SASFAA!

Shelley Park

SASFAA Conference Chair

More Important Information for the SASFAA conference:

Good Afternoon SASFAA Colleagues

1.  All meeting rooms will have WiFi for members who want to access presentations online with laptops or IPAD.

2.  If an attendee would like to receive CEU's(Continuing Education Units) from AFCPE - Association for Financial Counseling Planning and Education there will be a sign up sheet at the conference registration table. Upon return to your campus you will have confirmation of your CEUs earned at SASFAA.

3.  Check daily for SASFAA 2012 presentations that are available to download for the conference.

Safe Travels to SASFAA

Shelley Park

SASFAA Conference Chair

SASFAA Board Meeting

Good morning SASFAA,

I hope everyone had a great weekend and that you’re getting ready to join us in Greensboro, NC for our annual conference.  The agenda looks fantastic and I would like to thank the Conference Committee and Local Arrangements Committee for doing such a great job getting things arranged for what should be an awesome event.

The SASFAA Board will be meeting in Greensboro just prior to the conference.  Our official meeting will be Saturday (25^th) and Sunday morning the (26^th).  Please do not hesitate to let me know if there are any items you would like the Board to review at this time.

Have a great day, and I wish you safe travels to Greensboro!

Brad Barnett

SASFAA President

Have You Considered Attending the SASFAA New Aid Officer's Workshop

2012 SASFAA
New Aid Officers Workshop
North Carolina Central University
Durham, NC
June 17-22, 2012

-- Registration Begins March 1 --

Purpose
The SASFAA New Aid Officers Workshop is an intense professional development activity designed to provide a working knowledge of the federal financial aid programs, as well as an understanding of the laws and regulations that govern these programs. The curriculum will take the student from A-Z covering the basics of financial aid.

Intended Audience
The workshop is intended for new financial aid administrators with less than three years of experience in the field of financial aid. Other individuals whose professional responsibilities include significant contact with the financial aid process are welcome to attend the workshop on a space-available basis. Preference will be given to financial aid administrators.

Format of Workshop
A carefully selected faculty of experienced aid administrators selected from the SASFAA states and representing diverse institutions will provide instruction. These individuals will team-teach and work with the same class of participants throughout the week. Instruction will include the use of case studies, lectures, and interactive instruction. The faculty will be on site for the entire week, providing opportunities for ample interaction outside the classroom.

Location and Dates
The workshop will be held on the campus of North Carolina Central University (NCCU).  Founded in 1910, NCCU's historic campus is in Durham, in the heart of North Carolina's vibrant Research Triangle.   Visit NCCU’s website at www.nccu.edu to view the campus.  Classes will be conducted in classrooms that contain PC’s, and other equipment.  Participants should plan to arrive no later than 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 17, 2012 to check-in and take care of on-site registration activities. Check-in and on-site registration will be from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 17, 2012.

The first class begins at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 17, 2012. The workshop will end on Friday, June 22, 2012 by 11:30 a.m. for room check-out.  Participants may arrive on Saturday, June 16, 2012. Check-in and on-site registration will be available from 12:00 pm until 4:00 pm on Saturday. There is an additional charge of $20 if you arrive on Saturday.  Please make your travel arrangements to allow you to arrive before the workshop begins on Sunday afternoon and for you to attend all of the Friday morning activities.

Cost
Registration fee for the workshop is $675, if registration is completed by May 26, 2012 and $725 if registration is completed after May 26, 2012. The registration fee includes all instructional materials, most meals, housing and your 2012-2013 SASFAA membership ($35).  Early arrivals- those arriving on Saturday, June 16, 2012 will be charged an additional $20 fee to cover the additional night’s lodging.

Housing
Housing will be provided in Ruffin Hall located on NCCU’s campus.  This facility opened in August 2005. This suite style, building has a combination of two person suites with a lounge area and bathroom within the suite. Ruffin is located in the West Campus on the corner of Fayetteville and Larson Streets.  You must provide your own television, laptop and other electronic devices. Wireless access is available in many areas of campus. Each bedroom has one single bed, one desk and chair, one chest-of-drawers, and one closet.  Linens include one pillow, one pillowcase, two sheets, one thin blanket, bath towel and washcloth.

Food
All meals will be cafeteria meals except for Wednesday night.   Beginning with dinner on Sunday, June 17, 2012, participants will be provided breakfast, lunch, and dinner except for Wednesday dinner which is on your own. Morning and afternoon breaks will be provided. There are several special activities and functions planned throughout the week.

TravelNorth Carolina Central University is located in Durham, NC.  Raleigh Durham International Airport (RDU) services seven (7) major airlines and/or commuter flights from around the country.  You are responsible for your transportation from the airport to NCCU.  Shuttle services are available.  A list of shuttle services will be posted to the SASFAA website.   For driving directions, please visit NCCU’s website at http://www.nccu.edu/aboutnccu/drivingdirections.cfm

Registration

Beginning March 1 you can register for this workshop online at www.sasfaa.org under Training.  Space is limited so register early!

For more information contact:

Runan Pendergrast, SASFAA Vice President
Bluegrass Community & Technical College

859-246-6305
runan.pendergrast@kctcs.edu

Mandy Branch-Friar, Curriculum Coordinator
University of Georgia

706-542-2033mzweig@uga.edu

What's Next With President Obama's Budget Request?

President Obama initiated the FY 2013 budget process with the release of his budget request on Monday, February 13.  Now begins the long process of discussing and negotiating the final budget.  Read below an outline of how the budget process evolves.

This information was submitted by Amy Berrier on behalf of the SASFAA Legislative Relations Committee.

Budget Request – Check.  What’s Next?
Monday’s release of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 budget proposal is the first step in a lengthy budget process for the upcoming fiscal year.  Below you will find a summary of the next steps for the FY 2013 budget cycle.  As we have seen last year, a full budget cycle is not often seen through requiring the need for stopgap funding measures, often referred to as continuing resolutions.

The President’s budget proposal is a formal request for funding for the next fiscal year.  This budget proposal (often referred to as the budget blueprint) is usually issued between February 1-14.  This formal request is issued to the United States Congress.  The President’s proposals found in the budget request require action by Congress.

•       February

o       Initial budget request to Congress by President

•       March – Budget resolution process – Congress considers the initial budget request.  Budget resolution is used to set self-imposed budgetary parameters, also in the aggregate, to serve as guidelines for future spending legislation

o       House and Senate Budget Committees have jurisdiction over federal spending priorities
o       Congressional Budget Committees markup respective budget resolutions (how much revenue expected and how much will be spent during FY)

•       April

o       According to the Budget Act, the Senate is required to report its version of the budget resolution by April 1.
o       The House is not mandated to report its version at this time, but tradition is that the House follows the Senate with its release of their version of the budget resolution.
o       A budget resolution may include a reconciliation instruction, or an authorization to amend entitlement programs.  Reconciliation is not subject to Senate filibuster.
o       As long as the net effect of a reconciliation bill is to reduce the deficit, a wide range of program changes that affect spending and revenues may be included in the legislation.
o       After Congressional Budget Committees review their budget resolutions, they then appoint conferees and work towards reaching a conference agreement.  Both Houses of Congress must pass by a majority vote the conference report on the budget resolution.
o       April 15 – After Budget conference report – formal result of the budget resolution process – often referred to as a “budget blueprint” because it does not contain specific levels of funding and is non-binding.  Congress usually misses this target date.
•       President sends detailed budget request to Congress – line by line funding levels for upcoming FY and proposed aggregate levels for the following five years

•       May-June

o       Appropriations Committees draft bills - Based on the Budget Conference Report and the president’s detailed budget request, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees hold hearings and markups for twelve appropriations bills.
o       Following approval of the budget resolution, funding levels for government programs are debated and set by the 12 appropriation subcommittee’s, which come up with detailed spending instructions for federal agencies.

•       July

o       Appropriations bills voted on and passed – Technically, the twelve bills are to be passed before the August recess to ensure completion by October 1, the beginning of the new fiscal year. Rarely does Congress meet this self-imposed deadline.
o       Often times—as has been the case in recent years—Congress has failed to pass the twelve appropriation bills before the start of the fiscal year and therefore has operated under a continuing resolution (CR) until the passage of an omnibus spending bill, which combines all 12 appropriations bills into one.
o       Reconciliation legislation can be considered any time before the next budget resolution.

Legislative Relations Committee