Thank you for your support of our campaign to keep student loans local and preserve student choice!

As you may know, Congress announced on Monday, April 27, 2009 agreement on the President’s budget for 2010. We are pleased to see Congress included the following “Sense of Congress on College Affordability and Student Loan Reform” in the President’s budget proposal:

“It is the Sense of Congress that –

(1) nothing in the resolution should be construed to reduce any assistance that makes college more affordable and accessible for students, including but not limited to student aid programs and services provided by nonprofit State agencies and private lenders;

(2) private and non-profit lenders, originators, and loan servicers help students plan for, apply to, and pay for post-secondary education and training;

(3) any reform of the federal student loan programs to ensure that students have reliable and efficient access to federal loans should include some future role for the currently involved private and non-profit entities, including state non-profits with 100% FFEL lending in the State, and capitalize on the current infrastructure provided by private and non-profit entities, in order both to provide employment to many Americans during this time of economic distress and to maintain valuable services that make post-secondary education more accessible and attainable for many Americans; and

(4) therefore, pursuant to any changes to the student loan programs, loan processing, administration, and servicing should continue to be performed, as needed, by for-profit and non-profit entities.” – FY10 Concurrent Budget Resolution, sec. 605.

While specific details are not yet available, we are encouraged that our message was heard and many of the valuable benefits and services contained in the FFEL Program will continue. Our thanks to the thousands of individuals who have voiced their support for CSLF and other FFEL institutions nationwide.

Please continue making your voice heard in Washington. Communicate frequently with the Congress and the President. Thank them for their support and remind them of their promises to Connecticut’s schools, families, and students. Our task now is to work together to push for the broadest interpretation possible of the Sense of Congress.

SENATE:

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=CT

Web Form:  http://dodd.senate.gov/index.php?q=node/3130

Web Form:  http://lieberman.senate.gov/contact/

HOUSE:

http://courtney.house.gov/email/

Office Hours in Killingly:

Representatives from Congressman Courtney’s office also hold office hours at Quinebaug Valley Community College every 1st and 3rd Thursday from 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM.

http://delauro.house.gov/contact_form_email.cfm

http://forms.house.gov/larson/contact.html

https://forms.house.gov/chrismurphy/webforms/issue_subscribe.htm

http://himes.house.gov/?sectionid=54&sectiontree=54

White House & President Barrak Obama

http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

The Connecticut Student Loan Foundation is a non-profit corporation that administers, guarantees, and finances loans within the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP). CSLF promotes access to higher education by helping students and their families plan for and pursue a postsecondary education. CSLF has more than 40 years of experience providing assistance to students, parents, and industry partners.

• For information about CSLF as a guaranty agency, visit the Guarantor Services section of our Web site

• For information about CSLF as a student loan lender, visit the Education Loan section of our Web site

• For information about CSLF college planning services, visit the College Planning section of our Web site

• CSLF Mission Statement

• CSLF Student Loan Business Practices

• CSLF 40 Year History

Attention students, families, guidance and financial aid professionals!

Are you worried about the future of FFELP under President Obama’s new budget plan? Students, schools (high schools and colleges) have reason for concern.

The local and personalized services The Connecticut Student Loan Foundation provides to students, families, and schools are in danger with the plan to make federal student loans only available through the Direct Lending program.  With the elimination of FFELP, thousands of jobs around the country at organizations like ours will be lost. 

What can you do?  TAKE ACTION! If you would like to make your voice heard in the fight to save FFELP, participate in “Virtual Hill Day” on Wednesday April 22, 2009. Virtual Hill Day is an effort for FFELP users (students and parents) and supporters to have their voices heard by calling their representatives in Congress to tell them our concerns with this plan.

Be sure to call on April 22, 2009 between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm so our combined efforts will have the greatest impact!

Choose which talking points  you would like to emphasize.  We suggest including the loss of personal, local services to the community and the loss of jobs.

• I am calling from [Your town/city], Connecticut.

• I am calling to express my concern with the “reconciliation” provision for student loans included in the House budget resolution.

• If included in the House-Senate conference budget resolution, this provision would expedite legislation that eliminates the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) – the private-sector based student loan program – and mandates that all students and schools borrow through the Government-controlled Direct Loan program.

• Students should have choice and should continue to receive the outreach and other personalized services provided by organizations like the Connecticut Student Loan Foundation.

• Having the Department of Education as the single source of Federal student loans would deprive students of the specialized outreach services CSLF provides in Connecticut.  Direct Government financing of all student loans would also significantly increase national debt.

• Thank you for your time, and please DO NOT support a conference budget resolution that includes a reconciliation instruction for student loans, which could eliminate the vital role of organizations such as the Connecticut Student Loan Foundation.

If you would like to add specific details as to the services we provide to Connecticut families when you speak to a staffer, feel free to include them in your call.

Please note, as this effort proceeds throughout the day, the staffers at the congressional offices will have taken many calls on this matter.   Callers later in the day may want to be brief but stress their support for FFELP services and opposition to the conference budget resolution that includes a reconciliation instruction for student loans.

Find your representative here:

http://www.house.gov/Welcome.shtml

Connecticut Senators:

Christopher Dodd (202)224-2823

To email from the web:

http://dodd.senate.gov/index.php?q=node/3128

Joseph Lieberman (202)224-4041

To email from the web:

http://lieberman.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm?regarding=issue

The following fantastic YouTube Video was produced by the folks at The Utah Higher Education Assistance Authority, affectionately known by Utahns across the state as UHEAA (You HEE Uh). They are all about helping Utahns understand the benefits of education beyond high school and then helping them make their educational dreams a reality.  Sound familiar, Connecticut?  Great job, guys! We stand with you and all students.

Please don’t forget to visit the UHEAA-powered website – for more on why we shouldn’t nationalize the student loan program:

http://www.keepstudentloanslocal.org/

Enjoy the video!

We believe a local agency helping local students is better than a bureaucratic, one-size-fits-all Washington program run by a low-bid government contractor. If the federal government nationalizes student loans, YOU LOSE.

What else you can do:

Use your social networks and word of mouth to spread the word to other supporters of our services and the FFELP program, and have them contact their Representatives and Senators to voice their support!
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CSLF on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rocky-Hill-CT/Connecticut-Student-Loan-Foundation-CSLFSusie-Mae/7001899781

CSLF on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/first_rate