[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 69 (Thursday, April 10, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17601-17602]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-9184]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[CFDA No.: 84.033]
Office of Postsecondary Education; Federal Work-Study Programs
AGENCY: Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of the closing date for institutions to submit a request
for a waiver of the requirement that an institution shall use at least
five percent of the total amount of its Federal Work-Study (FWS)
Federal funds granted for the 1997-98 award year to compensate students
employed in community service jobs.
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SUMMARY: The Secretary gives notice to institutions of higher education
of the deadline for an institution to submit a written request for a
waiver of the statutory requirement that an institution shall use at
least five percent of its total FWS Federal funds granted for the 1997-
98 award year (July 1, 1997 through June 30, 1998) to compensate
students employed in community service jobs.
DATES: Closing Date for submitting a Waiver Request and any Supporting
Information or Documents. To request a waiver of the requirement that
an institution use at least five percent of the total amount of its FWS
Federal funds granted for the 1997-98 award year to compensate students
employed in community service jobs, an institution must mail or hand-
deliver its waiver request and any supporting information or documents
on or before June 20, 1997. The Department will not accept a waiver
request submitted by facsimile transmission. The waiver request must be
submitted to the Institutional Financial Management Division at one of
the addresses indicated below.
ADDRESSES: Waiver Request and any Supporting Information or Documents
Delivered by Mail. The waiver request and any supporting information or
documents delivered by mail must be addressed to Ms. Sandra Donelson,
Institutional Financial Management Division, U.S. Department of
Education, P.O. Box 23781 Washington, D.C. 20026-0781.
An applicant must show proof of mailing its waiver request by June
20, 1997. Proof of mailing consist of one of the following: (1) A
legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the U.S.
Postal Service, (2) a legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark, (3) a
dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial carrier, or
(4) any other proof of mailing acceptable to the U.S. Secretary of
Education.
If a waiver request is sent through the U.S. Postal Service, the
Secretary does not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
(1) A private metered postmark, or (2) a mail receipt that is not dated
by the U.S. Postal Service. An institution should note that the U.S.
Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before
relying on this method, an institution should check with its local post
office. An institution is encouraged to use certified or at least
first-class mail. Institutions that submit waiver requests and any
supporting information or documents after the closing date will not be
considered for a waiver.
Waiver Requests and any Supporting Information or Documents
Delivered by Hand. A waiver request and any supporting information or
documents delivered by hand must be taken to Ms. Sandra Donelson,
Campus-Based Financial Operations Branch, Institutional Financial
Management Division, Accounting and Financial Management Service,
Student Financial Assistance Programs, U.S. Department of Education,
Room 4714, Regional Office Building 3, 7th and D Streets, S.W.,
Washington, D.C.
Hand-delivered waiver requests will be accepted between 8:00 a.m.
and 4:30 p.m. daily (Eastern time), except Saturdays, Sundays, and
Federal holidays. A waiver request for the 1997-98 award year that is
hand-delivered will not be accepted after 4:30 p.m. on June 20, 1997.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under section 443(b)(2)(A) of the Higher
Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), an institution must use at
least five percent of the total amount of its FWS Federal funds granted
for an award year to compensate students employed in community service,
except that the Secretary may waive this requirement if the Secretary
determines that enforcing it would cause hardship for students at the
institution. The institution must submit a written waiver request and
any supporting information or documents by the established June 20,
1997 closing date.
The waiver request must be signed by an appropriate institutional
official and above the signature the official must include the
statement: ``I certify that the information the institution provided in
this waiver request is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge. I
understand that the information is subject to audit and program review
by representatives of the Secretary of Education.'' If the institution
submits a waiver request and any supporting information or documents
after June 20, 1997 the request will not be considered.
To receive a waiver, an institution must demonstrate that complying
with the five percent requirement would cause hardship for students at
the institution. To allow flexibility to consider factors that may be
valid reasons for a waiver, the Secretary is not specifying the
particular circumstances that would support granting a waiver. However,
the Secretary does not foresee many instances in which a waiver will be
granted. The fact that it may be difficult for the institution to
comply with this provision of the HEA is not a basis for granting a
waiver.
[[Page 17602]]
Applicable Regulations
The following regulations apply to the Federal Work-Study program:
(1) Student Assistance General Provisions, 34 CFR Part 668.
(2) Federal Work-Study Programs, 34 CFR Part 675.
(3) Institutional Eligibility Under the Higher Education Act of
1965, as amended, 34 CFR Part 600.
(4) New Restrictions on Lobbying, 34 CFR Part 82.
(5) Government Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement) and
Government Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace (Grants), 34 CFR Part
85.
(6) Drug-Free Schools and Campuses, 34 CFR Part 86.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To receive information, contact Ms.
Sandra Donelson, Institutional Financial Management Division, U.S.
Department of Education, P.O. Box 23781 Washington, D.C. 20026-0781.
Telephone (202) 708-9751. Individuals who use a telecommunications
device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay
Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern
time, Monday through Friday.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 2753.
Dated: March 21, 1997.
David A. Longanecker,
Assistant Secretary, for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 97-9184 Filed 4-9-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
