(2017-1070-F) Student Loans

18 folders, approximately 1,859 pages

This collection consists of records pertaining to indirect loans, guaranteed student loans, and Stafford Loans. It contains correspondence, reports, newspaper articles, appendixes, and emails.

The materials in FOIA 2017-1070-F are a selective body of documents responsive to the topic of the FOIA. Researchers should consult the archivist about related material. FOIA 2017-1070-F consists of material concerning the Guaranteed Student Loan Program (GSLP), indirect loans, or Stafford Loans. The Guaranteed Student Loan Program (GSLP), renamed as the Robert T. Stafford Student Loan Program, was originally described in detail in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965. It received its current title in honor of Senator Robert Stafford, a Republican Senator from Vermont, as a way of recognizing his work on behalf of higher education. Applying for a Stafford Loan or some other type of federal financial begins with the completion of a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). These type of loans are distributed directly from the United States Department of Education via the Federal Direct Student Loan Program (FDSLP), shortened to Direct Loan. It should be noted that Stafford Loans became direct loans during the Clinton Administration with the passage of the Student Loan Reform Act of 1993. Within the White House Office of Records Management (WHORM)-Subject File-General there are a few responsive documents to the FOIA request of this researcher. Correspondence and reports revolve around the issue of how much real savings accrue when there is a change to direct lending in the student loan program. Congressman Bart Gordon, a Democrat from Tennessee, writes to President Clinton saying that the scoring process used by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) “is distorting the actual savings which would be provided by a short term transfer to direct lending.” In response, President Clinton gives the following answer as to why direct lending is the wave of the future. He declares, “I remain convinced that in the long run, this proposal will best serve the interests of students, taxpayers, and educational institutions.” Gordon supports his case with a Congressional Research Service (CRS) Report entitled “Guaranteed Student Loans vs. Direct Lending: Where Are the Savings?” The files of Brian Kennedy of the National Economic Council (NEC) contain a report “The Financial Viability of the Government-Guaranteed Student Loan Program” done by the Department of the Treasury in February 1998. This document has tables and appendixes noting a change put into effect by the Student Loan Reform Act of 1993 that would drastically alter the formula “determining the rate that borrowers would pay for new student loans finalized beginning July 1, 1998.” Email from the Automated Records Management System, Tape Restoration Project, and Lotus Notes consists of press, transcripts of public events, administration accomplishments, legislative summaries, budget reconciliation reports, and talking points concerning student loans. Substantive email consists of correspondence concerning student debt forgiveness for public service and transcripts of a conversation between President Clinton and Southern Illinois University students concerning student debt.

Textual

Records that are responsive to this FOIA request were found in these collections areas—Clinton Presidential Records: WHORM Subject Files, Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files, Clinton Presidential Records: Automated Records Management System [Email], and Clinton Presidential Records: Tape Restoration Project [Email]. The White House Office of Records Management (WHORM) contains a variety of series created to organize & track documents & correspondence. The WHORM Subject File was compiled by the White House Office of Records Management & is a series of categories designated by a letter/number combination. Staff and Office files were maintained at the folder level by staff members within their individual offices and document all levels of administration activity. WHORM files are processed at the document level; whereas, Staff and Office files are processed at the folder level, that is; individual documents are not selected and removed from a folder for processing. While this method maintains folder integrity, it frequently results in the incidental processing of documents that are not wholly responsive to the subject area. The Automated Records Management System (ARMS) is a database that contains email records of the Executive Office of the President. This system maintained unclassified Presidential email. The ARMS database is comprised of six sub-series of email records called “buckets.” The buckets generally represent a specific White House office. The buckets are titled: NPR for National Performance Review, OPD for Office of Policy Development, POTUS for President of the United States, WHO for White House Office, CEA for Council of Economic Advisers, & Default: emails not associated with an office. The OPD bucket contains email created or received by an individual with an Office of Policy Development (OPD) White House user account. The WHO bucket contains email created or received by an individual with Executive Office of the President White House user account not identified as CEA, NPR, or OPD. The Default bucket contains email created or received by unknown or unrecognized email accounts. Email found within the Default bucket often includes email created or received by offices or individuals outside the Executive Office of the President. ARMS emails are arranged by topic, there-under by bucket, and there-under chronologically by creation date. The Tape Restoration Project (TRP) is a database consisting of restored emails from the Automated Records Management System (ARMS) from July 1994 through June of 2000. The TRP is a database that contains email records of the Executive Office of the President. This system maintained unclassified Presidential record email. The TRP database is comprised of the same six sub-series of email as in ARMS. TRP emails are arranged by topic, there-under by bucket, and there-under chronologically by creation date. Lotus Notes is a database that contains files created in the LOTUS NOTES system. The LOTUS Notes system was used as an email management system during the Clinton Administration. FOIA 2017-1070-F includes WHORM records from these subject codes: FI005-03 Schools – Student Teacher.

Collection is open to all researchers. Access to Clinton Presidential Records is governed by the Presidential Records Act (PRA) (44 U.S.C. Chapter 22, as amended) and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552, as amended) and therefore records may be restricted in whole or in part in accordance with legal exemptions.

Official records of William Jefferson Clinton’s presidency are housed at the Clinton Presidential Library and administered by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) under the provisions of the Presidential Records Act (PRA).

Staff Archivist, 2017. Previously restricted materials are added as they are released.

The following is a list of documents and folders processed in response to FOIA 2017-1070-F:
Box 1
Clinton Presidential Records: WHORM: Subject Files
Category Case Number
FI005-03 022637
058208
Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files
National Economic Council
Kennedy, Brian
[The Financial Viability of the Government-Guaranteed Student Loan Program]
[Report] [OA/ID 16183]
Clinton Presidential Records: Automated Records Management System [Email]
OPD [OA/ID 250000]
[Student Loans]
[09/22/1993 – 01/03/1995]
[01/04/1995]
[02/08/1995 – 09/26/1995]
[10/05/1995 – 11/04/1995]
Clinton Presidential Records: Automated Records Management System [Email] (continued)
WHO [OA/ID 500000]
[Student Loans]
[05/03/1993 – 05/17/1995]
[05/24/1995 – 09/11/1995]
[09/11/1995 – 09/22/1995]
Box 2
[09/25/1995 – 11/05/1995]
Default [OA/ID 1100000]
[Student Loans]
[02/21/1993 – 04/12/1993]
[05/10/1993 – 05/14/1993]
[09/09/1993 – 01/03/1994]
[01/13/1994 – 07/06/1995]
[07/12/1995 – 09/28/1995]
Clinton Presidential Records: Tape Restoration Project [Email]
Default [OA/ID 1100000]
[Student Loans]
[11/19/1993 – 08/10/1995]
Clinton Presidential Records: Lotus Notes
WHO Archive
[Student Loans]
[12/14/1995] [OA/ID 165000]