SA Weekly: July 8
Civic Engagement Policy and Advocacy Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement
July 8, 2019
Welcome to SA Weekly, your destination for higher ed news, NASPA research and policy, constituent blogs, and more.
Brewing Battle Over Pell Grants “Lawmakers consider expanding Pell Grants to short-term job training, with backing from community colleges and business groups, while critics question the payoff for short-term programs.”
A Question of Authority “A federal judge stopped UVA from having a hearing that may have resulted in a student not receiving his degree for an alleged rape. The court questioned whether the university had jurisdiction since it happened off campus and was against a nonstudent.”
Slow Going on Faculty Diversity “Study finds colleges have made little progress on faculty diversity, particularly at research-intensive universities, despite more conversations about race and inclusion.”
California Legislation Targeting For-Profits Progresses “California moves toward creating the strictest regulatory landscape for for-profit colleges in the U.S., but proposed legislation has already been weakened.”
Iowa Governor Accused of Suppressing Student Vote “Students accuse Kim Reynolds of trying to disenfranchise them by scheduling a special election on a date when college voters won't be on campus.”
Coach's Lies Bring Harsh NCAA Punishment “NCAA comes down hard on UConn's former head men's basketball coach for giving false statements during an investigation of relatively minor rules violations.”
Time Cards for Adjuncts? “California's private colleges and universities could all be forced to move to time-card system for adjuncts -- unless a legislative fix is successful.”
Colleges Curtail Health Benefits for Domestic Partners and Retirees “Fewer colleges offer health-care benefits for domestic partners, both for same- and opposite-sex couples, new survey finds. Retiree benefits dip, too.”
Policy Update
Letters of Support
Driven by careful deliberation with senior-level staff and the consultation of NASPA membership, NASPA sign-on statements and letters of support work to advance the vision of the NASPA Strategic Plan in fulfilling the promise of higher education.
NASPA Endorses Campus Prevention and Recovery Services for Students Act of 2019
Federal Updates
Census 2020: Justice Department Brings in New Team to Fight for Citizenship Question, The Guardian, July 8, 2019
Campus Prevention and Recovery Services for Students Act of 2019
Primary Sponsor: Rep. David Trone
As stated in NASPA’s position statement on Higher Education Act Reauthorization priorities, “As Congressional attention has focused on the ravages of the opioid epidemic in communities across the country, campus prevention programs should be revisited. NASPA supports language requiring use of evidence-based or evidence-informed programs for campus alcohol and drug prevention programs, including the creation of a cooperative agreement between the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services to classify evidence-based and evidence-informed programs and provide compliance assistance for campus administrators.”
State Updates
Nelson v. Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc., No. 18-1531 (7th Cir. 2019)
Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Decision made June 27, 2019
Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has taken a stance against state-level consumer protection laws to protect students against fraudulent activity by loan servicers. The decision reached in this recent appellate level court case finds that federal law cannot prevent borrowers from filing a lawsuit against a lender under state consumer protection laws. This new litigation may serve as a way for states to ensure servicer lender accountability and a tool against fraudulent practice.
Regulatory Updates
- Proposed Rule by the Internal Revenue Service on July 3, 2019
- Written or electronic comments or requests for a hearing accepted at regulations.gov and need to be submitted before October 1, 2019
Summary from Federal Register: “This document contains proposed regulations for determining the excise tax applicable to the net investment income of certain private colleges and universities, as provided by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. These regulations affect applicable educational institutions and their related organizations.”
More from Inside Higher Ed Endowment Tax Picture Becomes Modestly Clearer, by Doug Lederman, July 1, 2019
- A Notice by the Education Department on July 3, 2019
- Federal Student Aid, Department of Education
- Comment period that ends on August 2, 2019
Want to submit comments of your own? Check out NASPA’s Q&A on submitting public comments
Around NASPA
First-generation Student Success Through Leadership by Elizabeth Hammond, Student Leadership Program Knowledge Community
2019 NASPA Community Colleges Institute: A Graduate Student’s Perspective by Betzabel Martinez, Community Colleges Division