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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 19, 1998)
Act could mean big changes for UO Officials don’t yet know what issues of the new Higher Education Act they will consider first By Teri Meeuwsen Oregon Daily Emerald Students may face new issues at the University now that President Clinton has signed the Higher Ed ucation Act into law. But they won’t see a majority of the changes until University offi cials get a chance to meet and de cide what to tackle first. In the act, signed into law Oct. 7, the University will have to deal with and possibly make policy on a few major issues. There were many changes to financial aid re quirements, campus crime issues, distance and international educa tion, campus child-care and many others. “This legislation marks an im portant step forward in my effort to help more Americans enter the doors of college,” Clinton said in a statement from the Office of the Press Secretary. “...This bill will make it easier for millions of Americans to get the higher edu cation they need to succeed in the global economy.” The act is so new that there has not been a lot of time to discuss what issues the University will even tackle, said Elaine Green, stu dent life coordinator. Each part of the act will be looked at by separate departments of the Uni versity. “The University will take a strong look at it,” Green said. “It won’t be an all or nothing thing. We, as a University, have to define what’s our mission and what would be good for the University.” Creating a sound policy isimpor Higher ed changes Some of the issues that received changes or reauthorizations in the Higher Education Act of 1998 that may affect the University: Student financial aid ■ decreased loan interest rates ■ more Pell grants and financial aid programs Campus crime ■ faster statistics reporting and crime prevention Distance education ■ more financial aid to distance ed ucation students international education ■ new program to make grants to use electronic technologies to col lect and distribute information on world regions and countries. tant in making decisions that affect students, said C.J. Gabbe, ASUO federal affairs coordinator. Some parts of the act were created in part by student involvement, he said. “There are definitely some as pects that are beneficial,” he said. “We didn’t win everything, but there are aspects we are excited about.” While some of the changes in the act may be adopted now, oth ers will need to wait for the next few days until appropriations to receive funding, Gabbe said. Financial aid decisions must wait until appropriations to re ceive funding, but they also make up a large part of the act. Pell grants, work study and programs aimed at increasing student en rollment and financial aid eligibil ity will increase through the act. The interest rate on loans was reduced to approximately 7.46 percent — down from 8.26 per cent. For now. students who have graduated may consolidate their loans into a single pot under a lower interest rate of 7.43 percent. This rate will only be available un til Jan. 30,1999. The campus crime parts of the act require schools to report crimes, except where prohibited, on and around campus within two business days. The list of crimes that colleges must report must now includes manslaughter and arson and requires colleges to keep records of hate crimes. If a college is found to be withholding crime statistics, the act allows the Secretary of Education to impose a fine on the institution. The crime statutes also include permission for colleges to inform parents or legal guardians if their students under 21 have violated laws on alcohol or drugs posses sion, and a grant program to com bat violent crimes against women. Campus child care provisions received authorization for $45 million to support current cam pus-based child care programs or for the creation of new programs. Eligibility requirements for fi nancial aid to those in distance ed ucation programs are waived in the act. The waivers will take ef fect at 15 colleges to be chosen for the 1999 fiscal year. Colleges and universities are also now required to widely distribute and make available voter registra tion forms to students on-campus enrolled in their institutions. TeriMeeuwsen covers the Universi ty administration and the Oregon University System for the Emerald. She can he reached via e-mail at meeinvsen@gUulstotie.uoregon.edu Catching ZZZZZs Amanita Cowan /Emerald Jerry White, owner of Kashi, dozes off at the ASUO Street Faire Friday morning. 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