CASFAA Newsletter Committee Meeting

WASFAA GPIC Meeting

January 8, 2008 @ 11AM (PST)

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

The 2008 Newsletter Committee is composed of representatives from various states and graduate professional sectors.

Colleen MacDonald - EDFUND – CA (Chair)*

Kathleen H Antokhin - Graduate Theological Union (CA)*
Ana R Ayala-Cuellar - Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine (AZ)
Lacey M Carter - Total Higher Education (T.H.E.) (AZ)
Kimberly Cortijo - Sallie Mae (CA)*
Dianna S Hall - Pacific University - Forest Grove, OR*
Gail C Koki - University of Hawaii – Manoa*
Deena M Lager - Sallie Mae (AZ/CA)*
Renée CT McCloud - University of Nevada – Reno*
Daniel C Roddick - Key Education Resources (CA)

* Attended Jan 8th Conference Call

AGENDA

Welcome and roll call

WASFAA Conference Committee GP sessions update

Several of the GPIC suggested sessions were accepted by the Conference Committee (see below).

ACTION ITEMS:

Colleen: Find out if GPIC needs to work to contact speakers or if Conference Committee will.

Completed - Conference Committee contacted suggested speakers. No action is needed by GPIC.

Deena and Colleen: Send email to WASFAA membership that indicate they work with GP or are 4 YR Public or Private to highlight GP related sessions on March 3rd and March 31st.

Draft email:

The WASFAA Graduate and Professional Issues Committee (GPIC) would like to encourage you to attend the graduate and professional related sessions at the upcoming WASFAA Conference “Transforming hope into Opportunity”in Seattle, April 6 – 8, 2008. Here are sample of the sessions:

WASFAA looks forward to seeing you in Seattle, April 6 – 8, 2008

2007-08 WASFAA GPIC

Colleen MacDonald - EDFUND – CA (Chair)*

Kathleen H Antokhin - Graduate Theological Union (CA)
Ana R Ayala-Cuellar - Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine (AZ)
Lacey M Carter - Total Higher Education (T.H.E.) (AZ)
Kimberly Cortijo - unaffiliated (CA)
Dianna S Hall - Pacific University - Forest Grove (OR)
Gail C Koki - University of Hawaii – Manoa (HI)
Deena M Lager - Sallie Mae (AZ/CA)
Renée CT McCloud - University of Nevada – Reno (NV)
Daniel C Roddick - Key Education Resources (CA)

Pending Dates

Charge from WASFAA President Doug Severs - WASFAA GPIC webpage

Doug requested that the WASFAA GPIC create a website on the WASFAA website. After discussion, the Committee decided that the website would have the following:

• Describe the WASFAA GPIC
• Include resources on the web for the GP community
• Present a selected list of GP research
• Include up-to-the-minute Legislative and Regulatory GP related topics
• Recently passed Legislative and Regulatory GP related topics
• Action items (e.g., AAMC suggested contact your congressmen)

The Committee members felt strongly that if theLegislative/Regulatory section could not be updated frequently, then to omit this section.

ACTION ITEMS:

Colleen: Create a draft for WASFAA GPIC to review by 1/11/07 and determine whether or not legislative section can be updated frequently (contact Patrick S Downey, Electronic Services Chair).

Completed –Email sent to Committee 1/14/07 with draft.

Everyone: Review website draft and send comments to Colleen by 1/24/07.

Pending–Daniel Roddick sent suggestions. Will add as agenda item for next call.

WASFAA Newsletter articles

The next WASFAA Newsletter is due Feb 8th. After discussion about creating an article on GP debt management practices, the Committee members decided to highlight the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) plan. Since THE had just written an article on GTU, the Committee decided to see if WASFAA could reprint this article

ACTION ITEMS:

Kathleen: Send Colleen THE contact for article.

Completed – 1/9/08 Kathleen sent Xenia Grushetsky’s contact information from THE.

Colleen: Contact Xenia to get permission to reprint.

Completed –Xenia confirmed 1/16/08 that WASFAA could reprint the article.

GP types of recommendations for HEA to WASFAA Federal Issues Committee

After much discussion, the Committee unanimously decided to send the following recommendations to the WASFAA Federal Issues Committee:

• Allow qualified graduate and professional students to receive a Federal Pell Grant.
• Create a grace periods for PLUS Loan Programs for Graduate Students similar to the FederalStafford Loan Program.
• Extend the interest rate reductions created in the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007for graduate and professional students with subsidized Federal Stafford Loans.
• Reduces borrower interest rates on subsidized Federal Stafford Loans for graduate and professional students as follows:
• 6 percent for loans first disbursed July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2009.
• 5.6 percent for loans first disbursed July 1, 2009, through June 30, 2010.
• 4.5 percent for loans first disbursed July 1, 2010, through June 30, 2011.
• 3.4 percent for loans first disbursed July 1, 2011, through June 30, 2012.
• Extend the maximum origination fee reductions created in the Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005, “HERA” for graduate and professional students with Federal PLUS Loan Programs, including thosefor Graduate Students.
• Phases the 3% maximum origination fee on FFELP Stafford loans down to 0%by July 1, 2010:
• Lowers to 2% for loans first disbursed on or after 7/1/06.
• Lowers to 1.5% for loans first disbursed on or after 7/1/07.
• Lowers to 1% for loans first disbursed on or after 7/1/08.
• Lowers to 0.5% for loans first disbursed on or after 7/1/09.
• Eliminate the requirement to charge the origination fee for Federal PLUS Loan Programs by changing the language to parallel the Federal Stafford Loan Program.

The recommendations appear in the order of importance to the WASFAA GPIC.

ACTION ITEMS:

Colleen: Send WASFAA GPIC Federal Recommendations to the WASFAA Federal Issues Committee (Tami Sato and Vicki Shipley, Co-Chairs).

Completed – 1/29/08Colleen sent recommendations.

Next Meeting

After discussion, Feb 6th and Feb 8th at 2 pm (PST) were tentatively reserved. After Colleen contacts Ana & Daniel, the date will be announced.

ACTION ITEMS:

Colleen: Contact Ana & Danieland then send out date, agenda, and conference call information.

Completed –Either date worked for Ana and Daniel. Colleen selected the 6th.

WASFAA GPIC Meeting Minutes Jan 8 08.doc

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