Loans, sex assault and state regulators

Analysts: Federal government should cut funding from lowest-performing colleges The federal government spends billions of dollars a year on higher education but almost never cuts off funding to colleges and universities that struggle to fulfill their mission. One reason is that policymakers are reluctant to penalize students enrolled in these schools. Another is a lack of consensus on what constitutes the lowest acceptable performance. (The Washington Post)

Measuring the Cost of Federal Student Loans to Taxpayers I suspect one of the reasons that there hasn’t been more pressure in Washington to address student debt is that the federal student loan program is a profit center on the U.S. government’s official ledger books. (Washington Monthly)

State regulators going easy on for-profit colleges, consumer group says Alleged laxity comes even as attorneys general crack down (The Hechinger Report)

Remember the Problems With Mortgage Defaults? They’re Coming Back With Student Loans The parallels with the mortgage crisis are striking. In both cases, the companies managing the loans have been slow to devise loan forgiveness plans for borrowers who run into trouble, hurting both the borrowers and the broader economy. In both cases, it often isn’t clear who even owns the underlying loans, further slowing efforts to restructure them. (The New York Times)

Universities Turn To Smartphone Apps To Help Sexual Assault Survivors Loyola University in Chicago has created one of the first such mobile apps tailored to its local community. The "Here for You" iPhone app connects students to gender-based violence services and resources on campus and in the Chicago area, and helps victims to quickly report assaults. It also attempts to dispel myths about sexual violence and gives advice for speaking with friends who may be survivors. (The Huffington Post)

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