U.S. Department of Education Extends Student Loan Repayment Pause 

The U.S. Department of Education announced an extension of the student loan repayment pause. The extension aims to alleviate uncertainty for borrowers as the Biden-Harris Administration asks the Supreme Court to review the lower-court orders preventing the Department from providing debt relief for tens of millions of Americans.

Student loan payments will resume 60 days after the U.S Department of Education is permitted to implement the program or the litigation is resolved. If the program has not been implemented and the litigation has not been resolved by June 30, 2023 – payments will resume 60 days after that. 

The one-time Federal Student Loan Debt Relief program provides borrowers with full or partial discharge of loans up to $20,000 to Federal Pell Grant recipients and up to $10,000 to non-Pell Grant recipients. Over 40 million borrowers are eligible for this relief, with 26 million borrowers having already provided the Department of Education with the information necessary. Of the 26 million borrowers, 16 million had their applications approved and have started to receive communication from the Department of Education. 

You can learn more about the student loan payment pause here. You can also subscribe and sign up for updates from the Department of Education here. 

HSIs Webinar Reminder: Specific Campus’ Approaches to Address Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking 

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) is partnering with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), to offer a webinar titled “Specific Campus’ Approaches to Address Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking,” Thursday, December 1, 2022, 3-4 p.m. EDT. 

HACU member presidents/CEOs, chancellors, and grant administrators are invited to attend the webinar.To register click here. 

During the webinar, participants will receive an overview of the “Grants to Reduce Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking on Campus Program” (Campus Program) and the new Strengthening Culturally Specific Campus’ Approaches to Address Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Initiative (CSC Initiative). The presenters will share program requirements and the grant application process, including strategies to prepare for the application submission and available resources.  

OVW’s funding for the Campus Program and the CSC Initiative is authorized by 34 U.S.C. § 20125. Beginning in FY 2022, the appropriation includes an allocation to support Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) in recognition of the unique issues and challenges they face in preventing and responding to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking (DVSAS). The CSC Initiative will serve as a capacity-building grant to support HBCUs, HSIs, and TCUs establish the infrastructure to develop and implement culturally specific approaches to address DVSAS.  

For questions about the webinar, please contact Xiomara Santos at xiomara.santos@hacu.net. For more information on the Campus Program and the CSC initiative, contact OVW at OVW.Campus@usdoj.gov  

New National Endowment for the Humanities-wide initiative

 
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) announced a new NEH-wide initiative, American Tapestry: Weaving Together Past, Present, and Future. 

Through new funding opportunities at NEH, American Tapestry will encourage projects that elevate the role of civics in schools and public programs, promote media literacy, and use robust humanities research to examine threats to our democracy. American Tapestry will build capacity at museums, libraries, archives, historic sites, cultural centers, and colleges and universities, benefitting more communities while amplifying the untold stories of historically underrepresented groups. 

This will further NEH’s longstanding commitment to support Tribal Nations, community colleges, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and other minority-serving institutions.  

The American Tapestry initiative encompasses a number of newly launched NEH grant programs: 

Dangers & Opportunities of Technology: Perspectives from the Humanities 
Many of today’s global challenges, such as climate change, pandemics, wealth inequality, and artificial intelligence, are driven in part by the complex relationship between rapidly evolving technology and the people and institutions it affects. This new NEH grant program asks researchers to tackle these key societal challenges through the lens of the humanities to help gain a better understanding of not only the promises of technology, but its dangers as well. (Application deadline: February 2, 2023) 

Spotlight on Humanities in Higher Education
A new NEH grant program that supports the development of small projects that benefit historically underserved populations through the teaching and study of the humanities at two- and four-year colleges and universities and higher education nonprofits. (Application deadline: November 1, 2022)
 
Cultural and Community Resilience Program 
A new NEH grant program that supports efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic on communities while safeguarding their cultural resources, especially among historically disadvantaged communities, as outlined in the Biden-Harris administration’s Justice40 initiative. (Application deadline: January 12, 2023)

Climate Smart Humanities Organizations 
A new NEH grant program to support America’s cultural stewards—museums, archives, and libraries—in assessing how their facilities and cultural holdings may be threatened by climate change and developing strategic plans to address these threats. (Application deadline: January 17, 2023) 
 
Public Impact Projects at Smaller Organizations 
A forthcoming grant program to help small and mid-size museums and cultural organizations increase the impact, reach, and excellence of their public programs. (Funding opportunity to launch in 2023.) 

American Tapestry also incorporates NEH’s preexisting A More Perfect Union initiative, which supports the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026 by funding projects that enhance our understanding of the country’s founding period.

Learn more about American Tapestry here and the initiative’s new funding opportunities here. 

 

HACU Member Advisories are a service of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU)