Things continue to be a little crazy out there. Recently we’ve had a university debate coach fired for mooning his competition during an argument. At the Olympics, the Redeem Team wins, but baseball and softball (all-American sports?) lose. However, nice guys do occasionally finish first as Hugh McCutcheon and his men’s volleyball team win after he loses his father-in-law to a knife-wielding assailant in China. And, as we turn our sights on the Democratic and Republican Conventions, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat will be very evident come November. I don’t know about you, but it seems to me that there is something cosmically synchronistic about having the political conventions and the Olympics occur so close to one another? Maybe it’s another sign that the Apocalypse is near.

The Christian Science Monitor ran an editorial on August 20^th proclaiming that Congress has flunked in the passage of the Higher Education Opportunity Act. Their premise is that taxpayers know little concerning the return on their investment in awarding billions of taxpayer dollars to institutions. (Funny – I thought the dollars went to the students.) But their basic premise speaks to accountability for the billions of dollars spent and that schools and teachers should be measured on the results of their core mission - education.

So, I ask you, should colleges be required to report on how well their learning outcomes compare with competitors? Some schools are involved in the National Survey of Student Engagement. Is this the answer to the U.S. News and World Report surveys? How do you adequately compare institutions with so many differences in mission and clientele?

Let NASFAA know where you think the HEOP failed and where it does achieve needed reforms. Dr. Day recently outlined some of the highlights and lowlights of the HEOA in a letter to members. Do you agree with this assessment of the bill? NASFAA’s staff needs your input as we continue to address the needs of students underrepresented in higher education.

And even more pressing, now that the Olympics are over, the big question is “What to watch tonight – MLB or politics?” Easy answer – wait a moment while I go get my Cardinals jersey.

I was sad to learn about the passing of the man that brought ‘Hot Buttered Soul’ to us back in the late sixties and early seventies – Isaac Hayes. Those of you near my age may remember his remarkable Academy Awards performance of the “Theme from Shaft” (and in my opinion, one of the all time great moments at the Academy Awards).

Recently I read an editorial in The Plain Dealer that highlights the unfunded mandates that will be placed on schools as a result of the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA), which has not yet signed by the President. It seems to me that what gets lost in all of these new legislative directives are ‘the students.’ Mandating that states raise their budgets for higher education each year by at least as much as had been increased over the previous five years or risk losing funding in the College Access Challenge Grant program, will likely hurt poor students the most. The Act also requires significant reporting requirements for all our schools, which will certainly take away from the essential counseling we do that is so necessary to our students. Ouch!

Will our offices be able to meet these requirements without staffing and administrative cost increases? Who will pay? Please respond and let NASFAA know your perspective on those parts of the Act that are particularly onerous for your schools and states to implement. By the same token, there are parts of the legislation for which we need to congratulate Congress for passing (Year-round Pell Grants come to mind). Tell NASFAA about those too. Your NASFAA leadership needs your input to represent your views to Congress and with the other DC education associations.

Now I’m going to go dig through my old LP’s (remember those?) and enjoy some ‘Hot Buttered Soul’.

Well, I am writing this on 8-8-08 (the start of the Olympics) and the craziness of this summer’s Dog Days continues. Consider the following:

• Brett Favre is now a Jet after a protracted soap opera with the Packers
• Manny Ramirez, formerly of the Red Sox, is now a Dodger;
• Paris Hilton puts out the best political ad of the season that sounds, in some degree, intelligent and reasonable
• The Governor of Massachusetts, Deval L. Patrick, brings Mr. Cuomo’s investigations full circle, as shown in a Chronicle of Higher Education article.

The Chronicle article indicates that the Governor has asked Massachusetts colleges to invest in the state-owned Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority (MEFA) so thousands of the state’s students can continue to receive student loans. MEFA recently suspended its federal and private student loan operations. The Governor’s request appears to be a clear violation of Mr. Cuomo’s conflict of interest guidelines established last year. Nevertheless, the Governor’s actions are considered commendable by many.

So what do you think? Should colleges and universities invest in what some would say is a noble action for Massachusetts’ students, or do conflict of interest concerns outweigh those sentiments? Is the pendulum swinging back to some uncomfortable arrangements between schools and lenders? Or, has public policy moved well beyond?

(And speaking of Mr. Cuomo, just what is he planning to do with the funds he collected last year? My suggestion? Work with NASFAA to target those funds to enhance access and financial literacy initiatives!)

Now I’m trying to figure out whom the next celebrity may be that will make the news. Enjoy what’s left of your summer!