This year, the College has begun work to meet the stipulations of the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) which was passed by Congress and signed into law on August 14, 2008.
The act, which was five years overdue for reauthorizing the 1965 Higher Education Act, incorporates a variety of seemingly unrelated initiatives all meant to make colleges and universities more affordable and accessible. Ultimately, it seeks to increase the number of college-going Americans.
Director of Student Aid Steve Joyce said the legislation passed was "incremental...not historic or groundbreaking."
According to Joyce, the Student Aid Office is still working through its response to the act.
Transparency is a major theme in the HEOA, which holds colleges accountable for tuition hikes by requiring them to report their reasons for increasing fees.
Joyce had "mixed feelings" about colleges reporting to the government.
"Consumers certainly will benefit from having access to this information, and it's appropriate that Congress wants to know that the money they're putting toward education is being used effectively," he said.
On the other hand, Joyce said, "This bill is asking colleges to do more?to report more, to keep track of data, and to present that data in a clearer way."
HEOA provides students with fair and full information about their borrowing options when taking out and repaying student loans, including the terms and conditions of both federal and private student loans. However, this aspect of the bill does not impact Bowdoin, which last year replaced all loans with grants and does not provide families with selected lender lists.
The act also simplifies the complicated seven-page Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by reducing the number of questions, frontloading key income indicators, and creating an easy-to-navigate two-page FAFSA-EZ form for low-income families.
One of the most positive features of HEOA is the vow to make college more affordable for low-income and non-traditional students by allowing them to receive Pell Grants, federal grants for students with estimated family contributions under $40,000.
More money for Bowdoin's Pell grant recipients, who make up roughly 12.5 percent of the student body, will "help us maintain economic diversity on this campus," said Joyce. However, he pointed out one loophole: more grants have been authorized by Congress, but have not necessarily been funded.
"My concern is that they probably won't be funded, at least in the near term, or won't be funded with significant increases," he said.
Additionally, the bill creates a new scholarship program for veterans and military families and ensures equal college opportunities for students with disabilities.
Another major goal of the HEOA is to strengthen the U.S. workforce and its competitiveness, especially in science. Its expansion of loan forgiveness for a variety of professions may influence Bowdoin students' priorities in career planning.
"Our hope is that students are empowered to select a career that they feel passionate about where the starting salary becomes secondary to true career interests," said Director of Career Planning Tim Diehl.
Specifically encouraging students to enter public service jobs, the act "reinforces the importance and desire for Bowdoin students to serve the common good upon graduation," said Diehl.
The bill encourages colleges to adopt energy-efficient practices, a field in which Bowdoin leads the pack.
Coordinator for a Sustainable Bowdoin Keisha Payson said she hoped Bowdoin would profit from money the act set aside for grants to colleges promoting sustainability.
"We have a list of things we want to do, but not enough funds," Payson said. "We'd love to be one of the schools that benefit."
Grant money, for which colleges must apply, will be made available some time in 2009.
In addition, HEOA provides students with advance information on textbook prices to help them plan their expenses before each semester, and it ensures that colleges and faculty have full textbook pricing information when making purchasing decisions.
The Bowdoin Bookstore already posts its book list online, including both new and used prices, and as of Fall 2008 it gives students the option to buy their textbooks in advance so that they can secure less-expensive used books.
"We believe we are already in compliance with most aspects of the act, so we don't expect it to change our business practices as radically as it might at other colleges," said Course Materials & General Book Manager Michael Tucker. "The only change we foresee is the posting of ISBNs online along with our book list."
"Anything that gives students more choices, provides more transparency, and forces textbook publishers to rethink their current business practices is a good thing in our opinion," said Tucker. "We understand students' frustrations regarding textbook pricing and we are committed to doing everything we can to keep prices down."
The bill incorporates a number of other topics that may affect student life, including campus safety, peer-to-peer file-sharing, fire safety, missing persons, and protection of student speech and association rights.
"The College is already doing many of the things the act requires; however, some things are new," said Dean of Student Affairs Tim Foster. "The act covers many different areas of the College and each of the senior officers is assessing how this impacts her or his area. Where necessary, we will coordinate our efforts."