| PublicationDate: 4/23/97 Summary: ANN-97-6 (APR 97) Concerned With the Growing Complexity of the FASFA Author: OPE - Office of the Assistant Secretary for OPE NOTE: This letter will only be posted electronically. It will not be mailed to institutions. April 23, 1997 ANN-97-6 . Dear Colleague: The financial aid community has for some time been concerned with the growing complexity of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). A question has arisen with regard to the extent to which the FAFSA could be simplified to address those concerns. To that end, the Department has been working on a revised version of the FAFSA. Our goal is to reduce the number of questions on the FAFSA, to clarify the way those questions are asked, and ultimately to reduce the overall burden of applying for Federal student assistance. As a continuation of this process, the Department wishes to invite your participation in a public meeting to discuss this simplification and burden reduction. We are interested in soliciting your views on a number of issues related to the FAFSA, including: a. The purpose(s) of the FAFSA. The primary purpose of the FAFSA is to collect data required for Federal need analysis. The statute allows the inclusion of eight data items for purposes of state financial aid programs. To what extent should the FAFSA also accommodate the needs of states and institutions for additional information? b. The guidelines ED should use when adding or deleting data elements on the FAFSA. That is, how should we balance the issue of the need for the data with the issue of the burden and complexity that results from collecting the additional data? c. The ease or difficulty with which students complete the FAFSA as a result of its design and content, the way questions are asked, and the length of the instructions on the FAFSA. The Department will hold public hearings on these issues at the following three sites: On May 2, 1997, at The John Jay College of Criminal Justice Room 200 899 10th Avenue New York, New York 10019 (Contact George Chin or Phil Friedman at (212) 290-5700) On May 12,1997, at Manchester Conference Center Room 206A University of San Diego 5998 Alcala Park San Diego, California (Contact Sister Dale Brown at (619) 260-2235) On June 6, 1997 at JC Penney Building Room 101 University of Missouri-St. Louis 8001 Natural Bridge Road St. Louis, Missouri (Contact Jerry Joseph at (314) 516-6397) Individuals who wish to provide oral statements should be prepared to limit their remarks to five minutes. However, they may also wish to prepare summaries of their remarks. In the event the time allocated for these hearings is not adequate to hear from everyone who has come with prepared remarks, ED will collect the written statements and consider them as it continues this process of collecting public comment. Sincerely, Elizabeth M. Hicks Deputy Assistant Secretary Student Financial Assistance Programs |