THANKS FOR A WONDERFUL YEAR!

The new WASFAA logo!

Part of my duties as President listed in our handbook on page 19 are to "store and make available WASFAA banners (WASFAA logo and NASFAA award)". The banners are always lost, sort of. There are hard to keep track of. After conferences they go away. They always pop up at the last moment when needed. I'm really not sure where the banners are right now.

The logo is a different story. The WASFAA logo was needed a few month ago for the Spring conference. I could not find it. Nope. Gone. No one had an electronic copy of the logo. A copy of the logo could be gleaned by scanning an old piece of stationary. I told my self "I don't think so."

I knew we could do something about the logo. A decision was made to start the process of getting a new one. A designer was commissioned to produce a variety of logos for review. At the February 2009 Executive Committee meeting we viewed and discussed our options. Several designs stood out as being viable. The decision was made to involve the entire WASFAA community in a poll to determine our new logo.

The winner is................

Letter from Senator Kohl

The following was received from Senator Kohl in response to WASFAA's March 26th letter concerning FFELP.

　　
April 3, 2009
　　
Mr. Lloyd Mueller
273 East Erie Street
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202-6003
　
Dear Mr. Mueller:

I share your concern about funding for higher education. A
struggling American economy has threatened the flow of credit in
all markets, including student loans. I believe all hard-working
students should have access to college, and federal aid is critical to
this goal. As private lenders tighten their credit practices, it is
imperative that students have a means to pay for college.

Making college affordable is a priority of mine, which is
why I was proud to support the College Cost Reduction and
Access Act (CCRA), which was signed into law on September 27,
2007. It provides more than $20 billion in new aid to students,
paid for through reforms to the student loan industry.
Additionally, the Higher Education Amendments of 2007 extended
a variety of important programs, such as work study, Perkins loans
and TRIO. The Higher Education Amendments bill was signed
into law on August 14, 2008 as part of the reauthorization of the
Higher Education Act.

I also recently cosponsored S. 250, legislation to
consolidate and expand the three existing tax credits for higher
education. This legislation would merge the HOPE Credit,
Lifetime Learning Credit, and college tuition deduction into one
easy to understand $4000 credit per student - a positive step
towards simplifying the tax code. The legislation will expand the
benefits available to most families, covering textbooks and
graduate level education.

Also, the Federal Reserve is implementing the Term Asset-
Backed Securities Loan Facility, which provides capital to private
lenders to increase consumer lending and student loans. This is a
temporary program to address the financial crisis, and it is
currently set to expire on December 31, 2009.

During this recession, funding for education remains a
priority of mine. I appreciate knowing your thoughts on this
important issue, and please do not hesitate to contact me again in
the future if I can be of any further assistance to you.
　
　
Sincerely,
　
Herb Kohl
U.S. Senator

　
After polling the WASFAA Executive Committee, the following letter was sent to the Wisconsin Congressional delegation. Here is the letter sent to Senator Kohl.


The Honorable Herb Kohl
United States Senate
330 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-4904

March 26, 2009

Dear Senator Kohl:

I am writing on behalf of the Wisconsin Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (WASFAA). Our association has members from over 70 public and private colleges and educational institutions in Wisconsin.

I am requesting that you oppose President Obama’s budget proposal to eliminate the successful Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP). The budget proposal suggests that all federal loans created after June 30, 2010 would be issued through the Federal Direct Lending (DL) program.

Access and availability of low-cost federal student loans is more important now than ever.~ Federal student loans play an increasingly important role in the ability of students and families in Wisconsin to make the dream of college a reality. During 2007-2008, students and parents utilized 13.7 million loans totaling 64 billion dollars from FFELP lenders to cover higher education costs. If the flow of these student aid funds were halted, or even slightly disrupted, the effects would be devastating to students and colleges.

FFELP has been in existence for over 40 years providing a choice for students and families. It has provided a means for students from Wisconsin to achieve their higher education dreams. Eliminating FFELP would extinguish healthy choice and place unnecessary hardship on students, families and higher education institutions.

In addition, FFELP providers have partnered with schools to address default issues and offer default aversion services to borrowers.~ Default rates are at historic lows as schools, lenders, guaranty agencies, and servicers have implemented sound proactive default management practices and support to reach students before loans become delinquent. During FY2007 more than $52 billion in delinquent FFEL loans were resolved as a result of these types of services.

FFELP partners provide workshops, presentations, loan counseling, financial literacy, career exploration, outreach programs, funding for college access, and research to improve access and retention of low income and first generation college students.

Therefore, WASFAA urges you to vote against the Administration's Budget proposal to eliminate the Federal Family Education Loan Program. We would encourage a bipartisan emphasis to preserve a strong private sector-based federal student loan program that provides student and parent borrowers a meaningful choice in paying for an education.

Any decision to modify or eliminate FFELP should include thoughtful review, discussion and analysis of viable alternatives.

If you have questions or concerns about this request please contact me at (414) 847-3270 or llmuelle@miad.edu
Sincerely,


Lloyd Mueller
President
Wisconsin Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators
273 East Erie Street
Milwaukee Wisconsin 53202