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Category: Administration

Senate Passes Bill to Address Problems in GI Bill and On-line Programs

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The Senate adopted yesterday a bill that would address an unforeseen problem in the way in which GI Bill benefits would be calculated as a result of academic programs transitioning to on-line programs due to  COVID-19.  Because many of the academic programs which have transitioned to on-line delivery did so without preapproval by the state approving agency, beneficiaries would have lost out on their benefits, including their housing benefits.  The legislation would address these deficiencies in the program and allow the GI Bill participants to continue to receive their benefits.

The text of the Senate-passed legislation is is available here.

The House is also working on a companion bill that addresses this problem.

 

Higher Ed Associations Seek Clarifications from State Dept. and DHS

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Yesterday, a number of higher education associations wrote to both the State Department and Department of Homeland Security asking for clarity on a number of new situations faced by international students and scholars caused by COVID-19.  The letter address situations that pertain to, for example, the expiration of F-1 status, possible extension of OPT, and the ability of consulates to adjudicate applications.

The letter is available here.

Census Bureau Modifies Policies and Timelines on Info from Higher Education

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As part of the census process every 10 years, colleges and universities are required to collect and provide certain pieces of information about their student population to the Census Bureau. 2020 is a census year.

For the census, college students living in on-campus housing are counted through their university as part of the bureau’s Group Quarters Operation. Due to the impact of COVID-19 on colleges and universities, the Census Bureau issued a statement on Monday highlighting several modifications to the policies and timelines it had in place for the census.  The statement reads, in part, as follows:

  • In general, students in colleges and universities temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 virus will still be counted as part of this process.  Even if they are home on census day, April 1, they should be counted according to the residence criteria which states they should be counted where they live and sleep most of the time. We are asking schools to contact their students and remind them to respond.
  • Per the Census Bureau’s residence criteria, in most cases students living away from home at school should be counted at school, even if they are temporarily elsewhere due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The full statement from the Census Bureau is available here.

 

Department of Energy Soliciting Scientific Questions Regarding COVID-19

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The Department of Energy sent a letter to academic institutions soliciting questions which might enable the Department to use its facilities, infrastructure, or computational resources in response to COVID-19. Although the DoE does not undertake medical or clinical work, it can be an important element of the Federal Government response. UW faculty wishing to respond can contact our office or follow the instructions in the letter.

Education Department Releases FAQs on FERPA and COVID-19

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Earlier this week, with the numbers of both K-12 districts and institutions of higher education trying to deal with COVID-19 concerns growing, the federal Department of Education released an FAQs document with respect to what institutions can and cannot do in the area of sharing of students’ educational records and personally identifiable information.

In the document, ED discusses a number of situations in which student information can and cannot be shared.  The FAQs are available here.