49414 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 182 / Friday, September 19, 1997 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Student Assistance General Provisions

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of deadline dates for

institutions to use designated electronic

processes in order to meet

administrative capability requirements

for participation in the Student

Financial Assistance Programs

authorized by title IV of the Higher

Education Act of 1965, as amended

(HEA).

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

provisions of 34 CFR 668.16(o), the

Secretary gives notice to institutions of

the designated electronic processes in

which they must participate, and the

respective deadline dates. Table A

provides a listing, with deadline dates,

of those designated electronic processes.

Table B provides institutions with

technical hardware and software

specifications for both current and

future levels of participation in the

designated electronic processes.

As provided for by the regulation, the

Secretary considers an institution that

fails to participate in one or more of the

electronic processes listed in this notice

by the respective deadline date for that

process, to lack administrative

capability to administer the title IV,

HEA programs properly.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

1. Title IV Federal Student Aid

Program Policy: Jacquelyn C. Butler,

U.S. Department of Education, 600

Independence Avenue, S.W. (ROB–3,

Room 3045), Washington, DC 20202–

5447. Telephone: (202) 708–8242.

2. Title IV Wide Area Network (TIV

WAN): Title IV WAN Customer Service,

P.O. Box 30, Iowa City, IA 52244.

Telephone: 1–800–615–1189

3. ‘‘Info for Financial Aid

Professionals’’ website or the Student

Financial Assistance Bulletin Board

System (SFA BBS): Customer Support

Branch, U.S. Department of Education,

600 Independence Avenue, SW. (ROB–

3, Room 3108A), Washington, DC

20202–5231. Telephone: 1–800–433–

7327.

4. Electronic Application for Approval

to Participate in Federal Student Aid

Programs: Patricia Patterson,

Institutional Participation and Oversight

Services, U.S. Department of Education,

600 Independence Avenue, SW. (ROB–

3, Room 3682), Washington, DC 20202–

5300. Telephone: (202) 260–5742.

5. Fiscal Operations Report and

Application to Participate (FISAP):

Campus Based Programs State

Representatives, Institutional Financial

Management Division, U.S. Department

of Education, 600 Independence

Avenue, SW. (ROB–3, Room 4714),

Washington, DC 20020–5458.

Telephone: (202) 708–7741.

6. Federal Pell Grant Reporting:

Financial Management Specialists,

Institutional Financial Management

Division, 600 Independence Avenue,

SW. (ROB–3, Room 4714), Washington,

DC 20202–5458. Telephone: (202) 708–

9807.

7. National Student Loan Data System

(NSLDS): F. Lynn Alexander, U.S.

Department of Education, 600

Independence Avenue, SW. (ROB–3,

Room 4520), Washington, DC 20202–

5259. Telephone: (202) 708–8125.

8. Project EASI (Easy Access for

Students and Institutions): Fred Sellers,

U.S. Department of Education, 600

Independence Avenue, SW. (ROB–3,

Room 3045), Washington, DC 20202–

5447. Telephone: (202) 708–8242.

Individuals who use a

telecommunications device for the deaf

may call the Federal Information Relay

Service at 1–800–877–8339 between 9

a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday

through Friday.

Individuals with disabilities may

obtain this document in an alternate

format (e.g., Braille, large print,

audiotape, or computer diskette) on

request to Vicki Wilson, U.S.

Department of Education, 600

Independence Avenue, SW., (ROB–3,

Room 3030), Washington, DC 20202–

5352. Telephone: (202) 708–8619.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On

November 29, 1996, the Secretary

published final regulations in the

Federal Register (61 FR 60603) that

require institutions to participate in the

electronic processes that the Secretary

identifies and provides during a

processing year in order to improve the

delivery of title IV, HEA program funds

to students and institutions and to

protect further the Federal fiscal

interest. An institution will be able to

use software provided by the Secretary

or software developed by the institution,

or its vendor, in accordance with

specifications provided by the

Secretary. The Secretary believes that

the savings and benefits from improved

business processes made possible by

using these electronic processes will

more than offset any necessary initial

investments by both the Department of

Education (Department) and by

institutions. To achieve these savings

and benefits, it is essential that, to the

extent practicable, electronic processes

and, in the future, magnetic tape and

cartridge data submissions, replace

paper processes at both the Department

and institutions. The Secretary also

believes that most institutions already

have the necessary equipment and

technical expertise to use these

processes, and institutions that have to

purchase or replace equipment to meet

the standards will be making an

investment that will improve their

institutional processes at minimal cost.

The Secretary believes that use of

these electronic processes is also

essential to the implementation of

Project EASI. Project EASI is an

initiative of the Secretary to pursue a

collaborative effort among a diverse

group of government, business, and

educational leaders to develop an

integrated student aid delivery system

available not only to students and their

families but also institutions, State

agencies, and others.

As part of Project EASI, the Secretary

is joining with other partners in the

student aid delivery system in the

development of data standards and

standards for electronic transmission of

data. Electronic data interchange (EDI)

standards of the American National

Standards Institute now exist for

numerous applications relevant to the

student aid delivery system. They

include electronic payments, invoices,

purchase orders, student transcripts,

enrollment verifications, student loan

applications, and transfer and status

verifications. Using the EDI process, the

Secretary with other partners in the

student aid delivery system, will

provide agreed upon data standards that

can be updated as new needs arise. The

Secretary believes that EDI standards are

an important basis to achieving systems

integration and will participate in their

development and implementation for

the title IV, HEA programs. Additional

information about Project EASI can be

found at http://easi.ed.gov on the

Project EASI World Wide Web home

page.

This notice also furthers the

implementation of the Secretary’s

initiatives to reduce burden and

improve program accountability by

using electronic processes to achieve an

integrated student aid delivery system

for students and institutions. The

Secretary believes that using these

electronic processes is essential to

simplifying program administration,

improving program accountability, and

providing institutions with the

experience necessary to begin

developing an expertise in using the

electronic processes that the Department

provides. This expertise is essential to

the implementation of additional

electronic processes that the Secretary

expects to use in administering the title

IV, HEA programs.
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 182 / Friday, September 19, 1997 / Notices 49415

In order to assist institutions with

their implementation of these

designated processes, the Secretary will

be offering a series of informational and

hands-on training activities. On October

16, 1997, the Department will broadcast

another in its series of videoconferences. That video-conference

called, ‘‘SFAP Update: The 1998–99

FAFSA and More,’’ will focus on the

electronic requirements contained in

this notice as well as on changes to the

federal student aid delivery system for

the 1998–99 award year. In November

and December of this year, the

Department will, once again, present

three on-site conferences where

institutions can learn about the

electronic processes required by this

notice as well as other electronic

services available from the Department.

The first of these conferences, ‘‘A

Second Decade of Partnership Through

Electronics,’’ will be held in St. Paul,

Minnesota from November 4 through

November 6. The second will be in

Seattle, Washington from November 17

until November 19. The final conference

will be from December 16 through

December 18 in Boston, Massachusetts.

For additional information on these

conferences, visit our website at http://

edeworkshop.walcoff.com.

The conference sites are accessible to

individuals with disabilities. An

individual with a disability who will

need an auxiliary aid or service to

participate in the conference (e.g.,

interpreting service, assistive listening

device, or materials in an alternate

format) should notify Vicki Wilson, U.S.

Department of Education, 600

Independence Avenue, SW., (ROB–3,

Room 3030), Washington, DC 20202–

5352, Telephone: (202) 708–8619, at

least two weeks before the scheduled

conference date. Although the

Department will attempt to meet a

request received after that date, the

requested auxiliary aid or service may

not be available because of insufficient

time to arrange it.

Finally, the Department will begin

training in February 1998 throughout

the country on ‘‘The Electronic

Financial Aid Office’’ focusing on the

uses of electronics in the administration

of student financial aid programs.

Electronic Access to This Document

Anyone may view this document, as

well as all other Department of

Education documents published in the

Federal Register, in text or portable

document format (pdf) on the World

Wide Web at either of the following

sites:

http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm

http://www.ed.gov/news.html

To use the pdf you must have the Adobe

Acrobat Reader Program with Search,

which is available free at either of the

previous sites. If you have questions

about using the pdf, call the U.S.

Government Printing Office toll free at

1–888–293–6498.

Anyone may also view these

documents in text copy only on an

electronic bulletin board of the

Department. Telephone: (202) 219–1511

or, toll free, 1–800–222–4922. The

documents are located under Option

G—Files/Announcements, Bulletins and

Press Releases.

Note: The official version of this document

is the document published in the Federal

Register.

Table A: Designated Processes and

Deadline Dates

This table provides a listing of the

electronic processes, and their

respective deadline dates, in which

institutions must participate in order to

be considered administratively capable

to participate in the Title IV student

assistance programs. The Secretary will

provide additional details on these

requirements in a letter that will be sent

to all participating institutions.

Deadline date Designated electronic processes

January 1, 1998 ........................... 1. Participate in the Title IV Wide Area Network (TIV WAN).

2. For the 1998–99 Processing Year 1 and Beyond:

a. Receipt of Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs).2

b. Adding Your Institution to the Central Processing System Record (CPS).

c. On-line Access to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS).

July 1, 1998 ................................. 1. Access to the ‘‘Info for Financial Aid Professionals’’ website or the Student Financial Assistance Bulletin

Board System (SFA BBS).

2. Submission of the Application for Approval to Participate in Federal Student Aid Programs (recertification,

reinstatement, and changes) through the Internet.

3. Submission of the Fiscal Operations Report and Application to Participate (FISAP) to the Title IV Wide

Area Network (TIV WAN). Diskettes will be eliminated.

July 1, 1999 ................................. 1. For the 1999–2000 Award Year and Beyond:

Report Federal Pell Grant Payments Electronically or on Magnetic Tape or Cartridge to the Title IV Wide

Area Network (TIV WAN). Diskettes will be eliminated.

2. Submit Student Status Confirmation Report (SSCR) data Electronically or on Magnetic Tape or Cartridge

to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS). Diskettes will be eliminated.

3. Submit Federal Perkins Loan Data Electronically or on Magnetic Tape or Cartridge to the National Student

Loan Data System (NSLDS). Diskettes will be eliminated.

1The application processing cycle lasts 18 months. For the 1998–99 award year, application processing begins in January 1998 and applications for that year will be accepted until June 30, 1999. (See The 1997–98 Counselor’s Handbook for Postsecondary Schools, page 19.) 2The Secretary realizes that processing title IV aid upon the receipt of an ISIR, rather than the paper Student Aid Report (SAR), may be new

for some institutions. In order to provide these institutions sufficient time to implement electronic procedures to receive ISIRs, the Secretary will

not assess any penalties against an institution that is not able to comply with this requirement on January 1, 1998. However, beginning July 1,

1998, all institutions are expected to be receiving ISIRs electronically for any title IV applicant who has listed that institution on the applicant

record in the CPS.

Technical Specifications

The technical specifications table that

follows provides institutions with

information regarding hardware and

software requirements that will enable

them to participate in these designated

electronic processes. Some of the

specifications, while not needed to meet

the current requirements designated in

this notice, will be required in future

years as the title IV student aid

programs delivery system is upgraded

and enhanced. Therefore, institutions

should include in their automated data

processing budgets, on a regular basis,

plans for upgrades and enhancements to

their systems.

The table includes two columns of

specifications. The left column provides

information on the current minimum

configuration needed in order for an
49416 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 182 / Friday, September 19, 1997 / Notices

institution to maintain a basic level of

electronic efficiency. The right column

provides information on the

configuration that will be needed to

support the electronic requirements

beginning in January 1999 as designated

in this notice. Although many

institutions are able to participate

electronically using the current

minimum configuration, it is

recommended that institutions that

need to acquire resources in order to

meet the requirements of this notice

invest in the equipment and software

that will be needed in the future

(January 1999). Schools that currently

participate electronically should

prepare to upgrade their equipment and

software in time to meet the January

1999 requirements. When reviewing

these specifications, institutions should

be aware that capacity requirements

(processor speed, RAM, hard drive

storage, etc.) are greatly affected by

specific factors at each institution,

including which EDExpress functions

the school uses, number of records

processed, and institutional database

interfaces.

Finally, institutions should

particularly note that, beginning on

January 1, 1999, for the 1999–2000

processing year, the Department’s

electronic processes will require a

Windows 95 or Windows NT operating

system. Neither the Disk Operating

System (DOS) or earlier versions of

Windows will be supported.

TABLE B.—TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Current minimum configuration (depending upon volume

and usage) Minimum configuration required by January 1999

Equipment .......................... IBM or fully IBM-compatible PC ...................................... IBM or fully IBM-compatible PC.

66 MHz Processor 486DX2 ............................................. 200 MHz Pentium Processor or comparable.

16MB RAM ....................................................................... 64MB RAM.

300MB Hard Disk Space ................................................. 4.0 GB SCSI Hard Drive.

14,400 bps or higher baud Hayes or comparable

Modem.

56K Analog Modem.

3.5′′/1.44MB Diskette Drive ............................................. 3.5′′/1.44MB Diskette Drive.

SVGA Monitor .................................................................. SVGA Monitor.

Standard Keyboard .......................................................... Windows 95 Keyboard.

Printer capable of printing on standard paper (81⁄2′′ x

11′′).

Laser printer capable of printing on standard paper

(81⁄2′′ x 11′′).

4x CD–ROM Drive with sound board * ............................ 12x CD–ROM Drive with sound board.*

Software ............................. MS–DOS version 6.2 or higher; Windows 3.1, 3.11 or

95.

32 bit operating system (Windows 95 or Windows NT

4.x).

Internet Service Provider (ISP).** .................................... Internet Service Provider (ISP).**

Netscape Navigator 3.0 or 3.01 (domestic) or web

browser.***.

Netscape Navigator 3.0 or 3.01 (domestic) or web

browser.***

Phone Line ......................... Dedicated phone line ....................................................... Dedicated phone line.

Diskettes ............................. 3.5′′ high-density double-sided diskettes ......................... 3.5′′ high-density double-sided diskettes.

* Required if institutions want to use the EDExpress Tutorial and the AWARE software.

** Will be necessary to access the ‘‘Info for Financial Aid Professionals’’ website or the Student Financial Assistance Bulletin Board System

and for submission of the Application for Approval to Participate in Federal Student Aid Programs (recertification, reinstatement, and changes).

*** Must use Netscape Navigator 3.0 or 3.01 (domestic) in order to utilize FAFSA on the web.

Applicable Regulation

The regulation applicable to this

notice is the Student Assistance General

Provisions, 34 CFR part 668.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1082, 1085, 1094,

1099c)

Dated: September 9, 1997.

David A. Longanecker,

Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary

Education.

[FR Doc. 97–24958 Filed 9–18–97; 8:45 am]

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