[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 68 (Wednesday, April 9, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17498-17502]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-9036]
[[Page 17497]]
_______________________________________________________________________
Part V
Department of Housing and Urban Development
_______________________________________________________________________
Hispanic-Serving Institutions Work Study Program; Notice of Funding
Availability for Fiscal Year 1997
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 68 / Wednesday, April 9, 1997 /
Notices
[[Page 17498]]
DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
[Docket No. FR-4206-N-01]
Notice of Funding Availability--Fiscal Year 1997 Hispanic-serving
Institutions Work Study Program
AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and
Research, HUD.
ACTION: Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for Fiscal Year (FY)
1997.
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SUMMARY: Purpose. This notice invites applications for grants under the
Hispanic-Serving Institutions Work Study Program (HSI-WSP), to assist
economically disadvantaged and minority students participating in a
community building work study program while enrolled in a full-time
community building academic program. The Hispanic-serving Institutions
Work Study Program (HSI-WSP) is authorized by section 107(c) of the
Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended. 42 U.S.C.
Sec. 5307(c).
Available Funds. Up to $1.5 million in grants from FY 1997
appropriations to fund HSI-WSP to be carried out from August 1997 to
August 1999.
Eligible Applicants. Certain institutions of higher education,
i.e., public and private non-profit Hispanic-serving community
colleges.
EFFECTIVE DATE: April 9, 1997.
DATES: Applications must be physically received by the Office of
University Partnerships, in care of the Division of Budget, Contracts,
and Program Control, in Room 8230, Department of Housing and Urban
Development, 451 Seventh Street, SW, Washington, DC 20410, by 4:30 p.m.
Eastern Time on June 5, 1997. Facsimiles of the application will not be
accepted. This deadline is firm as to date, hour, and place. In the
interest of fairness to all competing applicants, the Department will
treat as ineligible for consideration any application that is received
after the deadline. Applicants should take this practice into account
and make early submissions of their materials to avoid any risk of loss
of eligibility brought about by unanticipated delays or other delivery-
related problems. Applicants hand-delivering applications are advised
that considerable delays may occur in attempting to enter the building
because of security procedures.
ADDRESSES: Because of the limited number of institutions eligible to
apply for HSI-WSP, the Department will be sending an application kit
directly to the President of each eligible institution, without
requiring institutions to request them. Application kits may also be
obtained by written request from the following address: HUD USER, ATTN:
Hispanic-serving Institutions Work Study Program, P.O. Box 6091,
Rockville, MD 20850. Requests for application kits may be faxed to:
301-251-5767. (This is not a toll-free number.) Such requests must
include the applicant's name, mailing address (including zip code),
telephone number (including area code), and must refer to ``Document
FR-4206.'' In addition, the application kit is available on the
Internet from the Office of University Partnerships Clearinghouse. The
Clearinghouse can be accessed from the World Wide Web at: http://
www.oup.org; or from a Gopher Server at: gopher://oup.org:78.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jane Karadbil, Office of University
Partnerships, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 Seventh
Street, SW, Washington, DC 20410; telephone (202) 708-1537, extension
218. The TTY number for the hearing impaired is (202) 708-1455. (These
are not toll-free numbers.) The Federal Information Relay Service toll
free number is 800-877-8339. Ms. Karadbil can also be reached via the
Internet at [email protected]
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Information Collection Requirements
The information collection requirements contained in this NOFA have
been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review
under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520) and
have been assigned OMB control number 2528-0182. An agency may not
conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a
collection of information unless the collection displays a valid
control number.
Promoting Comprehensive Approaches to Housing and Community
Development
HUD is interested in promoting comprehensive, coordinated
approaches to housing and community development. Economic development,
community development, public housing revitalization, homeownership,
assisted housing for special needs populations, supportive services,
and welfare-to-work initiatives can work better if linked at the local
level. Toward this end, HUD in recent years has developed the
Consolidated Planning process designed to help communities undertake
such approaches.
In this spirit, it may be helpful for applicants under this NOFA to
be aware of other related HUD NOFAs that have recently been published
or are expected to be published in the near future. By reviewing these
NOFAs with respect to their program purposes and the eligibility of
applicants and activities, applicants may be able to relate the
activities proposed for funding under this NOFA to the recent and
upcoming NOFAs and to the community's Consolidated Plan.
With respect to education programs, HUD published on March 4, 1997,
at 62 FR 9898, a NOFA for the Community Development Work Study Program
for FY 1997.
To foster comprehensive, coordinated approaches by communities, HUD
intends for the remainder of FY 1997 to continue to alert applicants to
upcoming and recent NOFAs as each NOFA is published. In addition, a
complete schedule of NOFAs to be published during the fiscal year and
those already published appears under the HUD Homepage on the Internet,
which can be accessed at http://www.hud.gov/nofas.html. Additional
steps on NOFA coordination may be considered for FY 1998.
For help in obtaining a copy of your community's Consolidated Plan,
please contact the community development office of your municipal
government.
A. Background
The Hispanic-serving Institutions Work Study Program is authorized
by section 107(c) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974,
as amended. 42 U.S.C. Sec. 5307(c). This section, which was added by
section 501(b)(2) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987,
has served as authorization for the Department's Community Development
Work Study Program (CDWSP) since that program's inception. It provides
authority to, ``* * * make grants to institutions of higher education,
either directly or through areawide planning organizations or States,
for the purpose of providing assistance to economically disadvantaged
and minority students who participate in community development work
study programs and are enrolled in full-time graduate or undergraduate
programs in community and economic development, community planning, or
community management.''
Since Fiscal Year 1996, legislative history accompanying the
Department's appropriations acts has earmarked a portion of its section
107(c) work study funds for Hispanic-serving institutions. This final
rule establishes regulations governing the award of those funds
[[Page 17499]]
under the Hispanic-serving Institutions Work Study Program (HSI-WSP).
While CDWSP and HSI-WSP are subject to the same statutory requirements,
they are implemented by different regulatory provisions.
Under HSI-WSP, Hispanic-serving community colleges may apply for
funding to provide tuition support, stipends and other support to full-
time students seeking two-year associate degrees in community building
academic programs. HSI-WSP students are required to devote 12-20 hours
per week during the regular school year and 35-40 hours per week during
the summer, to a work placement assignment that complements the field
of study the student is pursuing. Only economically disadvantaged
students, as determined by the HSI's financial aid guidelines, may be
assisted, and eligible students must not have attained more than half
of the credits needed to graduate at the time they enter HSI-WSP. The
amount of assistance to be provided is limited to a maximum of $13,200
per student, which includes an administrative allowance of $1,000 per
student to cover the institution's costs for administration of the
program (subject to the 20% limitation described at 24 CFR
570.416(c)(4)). Potential applicants should refer to 24 CFR 570.416,
which appears elsewhere in today's Federal Register as the HSI-WSP
final rule, for more specific information about program requirements
not described herein.
B. Eligible Institutions
Public or private nonprofit Hispanic-serving Institutions offering
only two-year degrees, including degrees in at least one community
building academic program, are eligible for assistance under HSI-WSP. A
community building academic program means an undergraduate associate
degree program whose purpose and focus is to educate students in
community building. The terms ``community building academic program''
or ``academic program'' refer to the types of academic programs
encompassed in the statutory phrase ``community or economic
development, community planning or community management.'' For purposes
of HSI-WSP, such programs include but are not limited to associate
degree programs in community and economic development, community
planning, community management, public administration, public policy,
urban economics, urban management, urban planning, land use planning,
housing, and related fields of study. Related fields of study that
promote community building, such as administration of justice, child
development, and human services are eligible, while fields such as
natural sciences, computer sciences, mathematics, accounting,
electronics, engineering, and the humanities (such as English or
history) would not be. A transfer program (i.e., one that leads to
transfer to a four-year institution of higher education for the
student's junior year) in a community building academic discipline is
eligible only if the student is required to declare his/her major in
this discipline while at the community college.
Hispanic-serving institutions are those institutions of higher
education that the U.S. Department of Education has determined meet the
criteria set out in Title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
Title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c(b)(1))
defines an HSI generally as an eligible institution of education that
has an enrollment of undergraduate full-time students that is at least
25 percent Hispanic; in which not less than 50 percent of the Hispanic
students are low-income individuals (i.e., their families' taxable
income for the preceding year did not exceed 150 percent of the poverty
level) who are first generation college students; and in which another
25 percent of the Hispanic students are either low-income individuals
or first generation college students. Further, the U.S. Department of
Education has issued a list of all institutions meeting the statutory
HSI definition and HUD uses this list to determine eligibility for HSI-
WSP. However, eligibility for HSI-WSP is further limited to community
colleges offering two-year associate degrees in community building
fields. Institutions offering both two-year and four-year degrees are
not eligible for HSI-WSP. A list of the community colleges on the
Department of Education's list of HSIs appears as Appendix A to this
Notice of Funding Availability. Only institutions on this list, or HSI-
WSP-eligible institutions subsequently added to the U.S. Department of
Education's list of qualified HSI's, prior to the application deadline,
are eligible to apply for HSI-WSP funds under this Notice.
C. Number of Students To Be Assisted
Although the HSI-WSP final rule published elsewhere in today's
Federal Register allows up to 10 students to be assisted by each
recipient, the Department has decided to limit the number of students
to be assisted under this NOFA by any one school to five students.
Funds available for FY 1997 are substantially less than in FY 1996 and
the Department would like to ensure that almost as many schools are
funded in FY 1997 as were funded in FY 1996. However, HUD may still
provide assistance to support a number of students that is less than
the number requested under an application in order to provide
assistance to as many highly ranked applications as possible.
D. Threshold
To be eligible for rating and ranking, an applicant must meet all
of the following threshold requirements:
(1) The application must be filed in the application form
prescribed by HUD, must not be inconsistent with the requirements of
this NOFA or 24 CFR 570.416, which is published elsewhere in today's
Federal Register as the HSI-WSP final rule, and must be physically
received at the appropriate location by the required due date;
(2) The applicant must demonstrate that it is eligible to
participate in HSI-WSP, by demonstrating that it is a public or private
nonprofit Hispanic-serving Institution offering only two-year degrees,
including degrees in at least one community building academic program.
E. Selection Factors (100 Points)
All applications that meet the threshold requirements will be rated
according to the following selection factors.
1. Quality of the Academic Program (40 Points)
In rating this factor, HUD will evaluate:
(i) the quality of the academic program in terms of the community
building course offerings and academic requirements for students,
including the likelihood of the academic program to prepare students to
work with the designated populations in their community building
careers (25 points). Applicants should describe the specific courses
offered in the academic program, the populations to be served in the
careers these academic programs lead to, and how the courses will equip
the students to work with these designated populations.
(ii) the qualifications of the faculty members and the percentage
of time they will teach in the academic program and the qualifications
of the academic supervisor to direct and manage the program (15
points).
2. Quality of the Proposed Student Work Placement Assignments (20
Points)
In rating this factor, HUD will evaluate the extent to which the
participating students will receive a sufficient number and variety of
work placement assignments that will provide
[[Page 17500]]
practical and useful experience and further the participating students'
preparation for professional careers in community building. In
assessing the number and variety of assignments, HUD will consider both
the number and variety of placement sites available to each student and
the number and variety of work assignments available to a student
working at any site.
3. Likelihood of Fostering Students' Permanent Post-Graduation
Employment in Community Building or Transfer to a Four-Year Institution
of Higher Education to Obtain a Bachelor's Degree in a Community
Building Academic Discipline (10 Points)
In rating this factor, HUD will evaluate the extent to which the
institution's educational program (based on past experience), including
the assistance it provides to its students in finding post graduation
permanent employment or transfer to a four-year institution for a
bachelor's degree in a community building academic discipline, has led
to career opportunities in community building fields.
4. Effectiveness of Program Administration (20 Points)
In rating this factor, HUD will evaluate:
(i) the degree to which the Program Director has clear
responsibility, ample percentage of time, and sufficient institutional
or academic authority to coordinate the overall administration of the
program; and
(ii) the adequacy of the applicant's plan for placing students in
work placement assignments and keeping track of students during the
two-year academic period and work placement assignments.
5. Demonstrated Commitment of the Applicant to Meeting Economically
Disadvantaged and Minority Students' Needs (10 Points)
In rating this factor, HUD will evaluate the extent to which the
applicant's recruitment activities, special education programs, and
other means, including the provision of reasonable accommodations for
students with disabilities, demonstrates an active, aggressive, and
imaginative effort to identify, attract, and retain qualified
minorities and economically disadvantaged students, including students
with disabilities; and the extent to which the HSI-WSP award will not
result in a decrease in the amount of the institution's own financial
support available for minority and economically disadvantaged students,
including students with disabilities, in the academic areas or the
institution as a whole.
F. Application Content and Review Procedures
Applicants must complete and submit applications in accordance with
instructions contained in the application kit, and must include all
certifications, assurances, and budget information requested in the
kit. Following the expiration of the application submission deadline,
HUD will review, rate, and rank applications in a manner consistent
with the procedures described in this Notice and the provisions of the
program regulations at 24 CFR 570.416, which are published elsewhere in
today's Federal Register.
G. Corrections to Deficient Applications
After the submission deadline date, HUD will screen each
application to determine whether it is complete. If an application
lacks certain technical items or contains a technical error, such as an
incorrect signatory, HUD will notify the applicant in writing that it
has 14 calendar days from the date of HUD's written notification to
cure the technical deficiency. If the applicant fails to submit the
missing material within the 14-day cure period, HUD may disqualify the
application.
This 14-day cure period applies only to non-substantive
deficiencies or errors. Any deficiency capable of cure will involve
only items not necessary for HUD to assess the merits of an application
against the factors specified in this NOFA. Substantive deficiencies or
errors may not be corrected.
H. Final Selection
All applications that are rated will be rank ordered based on their
total scores on the selection factors. Applications will be considered
for selection based on their rank order. HUD may make awards out of
rank order to achieve geographic diversity, and may provide assistance
to support a number of students that is less than the number requested
under an application in order to provide assistance to as many highly
ranked applications as possible.
If there is a tie in the point scores of two applications, the rank
order will be determined by the applicants' scores on selection factor
(1). The application with the most points on selection factor (1) will
be given the higher rank. If there is still a tie, the rank order will
be determined by the applicants' scores on selection factor (5). The
application with the most points for selection factor (5) will be given
the higher rank.
I. Findings and Certifications
1. Federalism Impact
The General Counsel, as the Designated Official under section 6(a)
of Executive Order 12612, Federalism, has determined that the policies
and procedures contained in this notice will not have substantial
direct effects on States or their political subdivisions, or the
relationship between the federal government and the States, or on the
distribution of power and responsibilities among the various levels of
government. This notice merely invites applications from certain
institutions of higher education for grants under the Hispanic-serving
Institutions Work Study Program. As a result, the notice is not subject
to review under the Order.
2. Impact on the Family
The General Counsel, as the Designated Official under Executive
Order 12606, The Family, has determined that this notice will likely
have a beneficial impact on family formation, maintenance, and general
well-being. This notice invites applications from certain institutions
of higher education for grants under the Hispanic-serving Institutions
Work Study Program. Accordingly, since the impact on the family is
beneficial, no further review is considered necessary.
3. Accountability in the Provision of HUD Assistance
Section 102 of the Department of Housing and Urban Development
Reform Act of 1989 (HUD Reform Act) and the final rule codified at 24
CFR part 4, subpart A, published on April 1, 1996 (61 FR 1448), contain
a number of provisions that are designed to ensure greater
accountability and integrity in the provision of certain types of
assistance administered by HUD. On January 14, 1992, HUD published, at
57 FR 1942, a notice that also provides information on the
implementation of section 102. The documentation, public access, and
disclosure requirements of section 102 are applicable to assistance
awarded under this NOFA as follows:
Documentation and public access requirements. HUD will ensure that
documentation and other information regarding each application
submitted pursuant to this NOFA are sufficient to indicate the basis
upon which assistance was provided or denied. This material, including
any letters of support, will be made available for public inspection
for a five-year period beginning not less than 30 days after the award
of the assistance. Material will be made available in accordance with
the
[[Page 17501]]
Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) and HUD's implementing
regulations at 24 CFR part 15. In addition, HUD will include the
recipients of assistance pursuant to this NOFA in its Federal Register
notice of all recipients of HUD assistance awarded on a competitive
basis.
Disclosures. HUD will make available to the public for five years
all applicant disclosure reports (HUD Form 2880) submitted in
connection with this NOFA. Update reports (also Form 2880) will be made
available along with the applicant disclosure reports, but in no case
for a period less than three years. All reports--both applicant
disclosures and updates--will be made available in accordance with the
Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) and HUD's implementing
regulations at 24 CFR part 15.
4. Prohibition Against Advance Information on Funding Decisions
HUD's regulation implementing section 103 of the HUD Reform Act,
codified as 24 CFR part 4, applies to the funding competition announced
today. The requirements of the rule continue to apply until the
announcement of the selection of successful applicants.
HUD employees involved in the review of applications and in the
making of funding decisions are restrained by part 4 from providing
advance information to any person (other than an authorized employee or
other authorized representative of HUD) concerning funding decisions,
or from otherwise giving any applicant an unfair competitive advantage.
Persons who apply for assistance in this competition should confine
their inquiries to the subject areas permitted under 24 CFR part 4.
Applicants or employees who have ethics related questions should
contact the HUD's Ethics Law Division (202) 708-3815 (voice), (202)
708-1112 (TTY). (These are not toll-free numbers.) For HUD employees
who have specific program questions, such as whether particular subject
matter can be discussed with persons outside the Department, the
employee should contact the appropriate Field Office Counsel or
Headquarters Counsel for the program to which the question pertains.
5. Prohibition Against Lobbying Activities
The use of funds awarded under this NOFA is subject to the
disclosure requirements and prohibitions of Section 319 of the
Department of Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for
Fiscal Year 1990 (31 U.S.C. 1352) and the implementing regulations at
24 CFR part 87. These authorities prohibit recipients of Federal
contracts, grants, or loans from using appropriated funds for lobbying
the Executive or Legislative branches of the Federal Government in
connection with a specific contract, grant, or loan. The prohibition
also covers the awarding of contracts, grants, cooperative agreements,
or loans unless the recipient has made an acceptable certification
regarding lobbying. Under 24 CFR part 87, applicants, recipients, and
subrecipients of assistance exceeding $100,000 must certify that no
Federal funds have been or will be spent on lobbying activities in
connection with the assistance. In addition, applicants subject to the
Byrd Amendment must disclose, using Standard Form LLL, ``Disclosure of
Lobbying Activities,'' any funds, other than federally appropriated
funds, that will be or have been used to influence federal employees,
members of Congress, and congressional staff regarding specific grants
or contracts.
6. Environmental Review
This NOFA does not direct, provide for assistance or loan and
mortgage insurance for, or otherwise govern or regulate property
acquisition, disposition, lease, rehabilitation, alteration,
demolition, or new construction, or set out or provide for standards
for construction or construction materials, manufactured housing, or
occupancy. Accordingly, under 24 CFR 50.19(c)(1), this NOFA is
categorically excluded from environmental review under the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321). In
addition, the provision of assistance under this NOFA is categorically
excluded from environmental review under Sec. 50.19(b)(3) and (b)(9).
J. The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number:
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number is 14.513.
Dated: April 2, 1997.
Michael A. Stegman,
Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research.
Appendix A.--Hispanic-Serving Community Colleges
[As Designated by the U.S. Department of Education]
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State Institution
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AZ.............................. Arizona Western College.
AZ.............................. Central Arizona College.
AZ.............................. Cochise College.
AZ.............................. Pima Community College.
AZ.............................. South Mountain Community College.
CA.............................. Bakersfield College.
CA.............................. Cerritos College.
CA.............................. Chaffey Community College.
CA.............................. Citrus College.
CA.............................. College of the Desert.
CA.............................. College of the Sequioas.
CA.............................. Compton Community College.
CA.............................. Don Bosco Technical Institute.
CA.............................. East Los Angeles College.
CA.............................. Evergreen Valley College.
CA.............................. Fresno City College.
CA.............................. Gavilan College.
CA.............................. Hartnell College.
CA.............................. Imperial Valley College.
CA.............................. Kelsey-Jenney Business College.
CA.............................. Kings River Community College.
CA.............................. Los Angeles City College.
CA.............................. Los Angeles Harbor College.
CA.............................. Los Angeles Mission College.
CA.............................. Los Angeles Southwest College.
CA.............................. Los Angeles Trade Technical College.
CA.............................. Los Angeles Valley College.
CA.............................. Merced College.
CA.............................. Mount San Antonio College.
CA.............................. Fullerton College.
CA.............................. Oxnard College.
CA.............................. Palo Verde College.
CA.............................. Pasadena City College.
CA.............................. Porterville College.
CA.............................. Rancho Santiago College.
CA.............................. Rio Hondo College.
CA.............................. San Bernardino Valley College.
CA.............................. San Diego City College.
CA.............................. San Jose City College.
CA.............................. Skyline College.
CA.............................. Southwestern College.
CA.............................. West Hills Community College.
CO.............................. Community College of Denver.
CO.............................. Otero Junior College.
CO.............................. Pueblo Community College.
CO.............................. Trinidad State Junior College.
FL.............................. Miami-Dade Community College/North
Campus (Main).
FL.............................. Miami-Dade Community College/Homestead
College.
FL.............................. Miami-Dade Community College/Medical
Center Campus.
FL.............................. Miami-Dade Community College/Wolfson
Campus.
IL.............................. City Colleges of Chicago-Harry S
Truman College.
IL.............................. City Colleges of Chicago-Malcolm X
College.
IL.............................. City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J.
Daley College.
IL.............................. City Colleges of Chicago-Wilbur Wright
College.
IL.............................. Lexington Institute of Hospitality
Careers.
IL.............................. MacCormac Junior College.
IL.............................. Morton College.
IL.............................. Saint Augustine College.
NJ.............................. Hudson County Community College.
NJ.............................. Passaic County Community College.
NM.............................. Albuquerque Technical Vocational
Institute.
NM.............................. Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell
Campus.
[[Page 17502]]
NM.............................. New Mexico State University-Carlsbad
Campus.
NM.............................. New Mexico State University-Dona Ana
Campus.
NM.............................. New Mexico State University-Grants
Campus.
NM.............................. Northern New Mexico Community College.
NM.............................. Santa Fe Community College.
NM.............................. University of New Mexico-Los Alamos
Campus.
NM.............................. University of New Mexico-Valencia
Campus.
NY.............................. CUNY Bronx Community College.
NY.............................. CUNY Hostos Community College.
NY.............................. CUNY F.H. La Guardia Community
College.
PR.............................. Collegio Tecnologico Del Municipio de
San Juan.
PR.............................. Collegio Universitario Del Este.
PR.............................. University of Puerto Rico-Aguadilla
Regional College.
PR.............................. University of Puerto Rico-Carolina
Regional College.
PR.............................. University of Puerto Rico-La Montana
Regional College.
TX.............................. Bee County College.
TX.............................. Del Mar College.
TX.............................. El Paso Community College.
TX.............................. Laredo Community College.
TX.............................. Odessa Community College.
TX.............................. Palo Alto College.
TX.............................. San Antonio College.
TX.............................. Southwest Texas Junior College.
TX.............................. St. Philips College.
TX.............................. Texas Southmost College.
TX.............................. Texas State Technical College-
Harlingen.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCE: 1993 Integrated Post-Secondary Education Data System (IPEDS) of
the U.S. Department of Education.
[FR Doc. 97-9036 Filed 4-8-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-62-P
