Financial Aid Professionals Advocate for Improvements to Student Loan System and Robust Funding for Campus-Based Aid
By NASFAA Policy & Federal Relations Staff
As a part of June’s Advocacy Pipeline, NASFAA hosted three members – Emmilee Mitchell from Mercer University, Tarik Boyd from Chattahoochee Technical College, and Melissa Donahue from Rhode Island School of Design – for meetings with congressional staffers from Georgia and Rhode Island.
The day entailed visits to the congressional offices of Reps. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.), and Gabe Amo (D-R.I.), as well as Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.).
NASFAA members advocated for a wide range of issues, including lowering interest rates on federal student loans and eliminating interest capitalization. They expressed support for the Student Loan Tax Elimination Act – cosponsored by Warnock – that would eliminate student loan origination fees, which NASFAA has long advocated for.
Participants advocated for robust funding for campus-based programs, such as Federal Work-Study (FWS) and the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG). During the day of advocacy NASFAA members also expressed concerns with the education funding proposal that was recently introduced by House Republicans for fiscal year 2025, which would cut funding in half for both the FWS and FSEOG programs.
We asked the Advocacy Pipeline participants to share their thoughts and key takeaways from their time advocating with congressional staffers. Read on to learn about their experiences, and fill out this interest form if you would like to participate in an Advocacy Pipeline event.
Emmilee Mitchell - Director of Student Financial Planning Operations and Compliance, Mercer University:
I was thrilled to be selected to participate in NASFAA’s Advocacy Pipeline. Meeting with congressional staff members and advocating for important issues that affect not only us as financial aid professionals, but also our students and families was incredibly rewarding. The policy team at NASFAA did a fantastic job organizing the meetings and ensuring we were well-prepared with talking points. It was refreshing to step back from my day-to-day work and speak directly to policymakers who may not always see the impact their policies have on their constituents.
By facilitating these connections with staffers, NASFAA empowers us to share our firsthand experiences and insights, which are crucial for informed policymaking. This opportunity to engage directly with congressional staff helps ensure that the realities faced by students and financial aid professionals are considered in the legislative process.
In our daily roles, we constantly advocate for our colleagues and institutions. This experience allowed me to actively engage in the broader process of shaping a better educational landscape.
Tarik Boyd - Executive Director of Financial Aid, Chattahoochee Technical College:
Participating in the Advocacy Pipeline day was an enjoyable experience. It had been a few years since I last did visits on Capitol Hill but having done them before doesn’t take away the bit of anxiety you get prior to attending the meetings. However, once you get started, the conversations flow and are just like the ones we have daily within our campus community.
During our day, we discussed the importance of robust funding for campus-based programs, reducing student loan interest rates, the elimination of interest capitalization and student loan origination fees, and urged Congress to take action to require the Department of Education (ED) to delay its institutional reporting requirements for its new Gainful Employment (GE) and Financial Value Transparency (FVT) regulations to July 2025.
I would encourage anyone who is considering participating in the Advocacy Pipeline to do so. The experience is enlightening and invigorating. It’s not as daunting as it may seem – just think of it as another regular conversation about our day to day operations and challenges.
Melissa Donahue - Associate Director, Student Financial Services, Rhode Island School of Design:
Having the opportunity to meet with staffers and talk to them about important steps their office’s can take to support students, higher education, and financial aid across the country, was an exhilarating experience!
I feel incredibly honored to have been given this opportunity, and it was everything I thought it would be. I was surprised that once I got into a groove with our conversations, and remembered that I have worked in the financial aid space for over 20 years, that the nerves I initially felt simply went away.
The meetings with congressional staffers were engaging. We discussed funding of campus-based programs and federal student loan interest rates, and advocated for eliminating federal student loan origination fees. When meeting with Sen. Warnock’s (D-Ga.) office, I referenced that he had co-sponsored a bipartisan bill in the Senate in 2023 regarding this very topic, and stressed that we hope to see movement on this bill soon. FAFSA and Gainful Employment reporting were also brought up, and we advocated for Congress to ensure that ED commit to an October 1 release date for the 2025-26 FAFSA, as well as delay GE reporting to July 1, 2025.
If you are interested, definitely complete the interest form on the NASFAA website! Since arriving home, I have reached out to the congressional delegation from my state advocating for various topics in relation to financial aid, participated in NASFAA’s Call to Action regarding GE reporting, and have brainstormed advocacy ideas for the Government Relations and Advocacy Committee of RIASFAA as we move forward into a new year.
Publication Date: 7/23/2024
Miriam E | 7/24/2024 12:37:44 PM
Nice! I had the opportunity to meet with a congressional staffer at one of the NASFAA conferences years ago. He was quite engaged with my main concern, which was the number of interest capitalization events. Borrowers are not motivated to pay on loans that grow as payments are made. Granted we now have fewer of such events, however, we would like to see a total elimination of interest capitalization period!
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