Dan Zibel

dad, vp/chief counsel @studentlegalnet, fmr @usedgov #higherEd; views/opinions=own; RTs≠endorsements; big fan: @chrissiejuliano @nationals @redsox @umich

[Student Defense @studentlegalnet]

Student Defense Vice President and Chief Counsel @dan_zibel recently joined @rrobfarrington on the @CollegeInvestin podcast to discuss how AI is rapidly shaping higher education and the need for safeguards to protect students.

At Student Defense, Dan co-leads our SHAPE AI initiative, advancing ethical, transparent, and student-centered AI in higher ed, including our recently released Student AI Bill of Rights.

Throughout the conversation, transparency was a key theme. Students deserve to know when AI is being used to make decisions that affect their education and financial futures, how those systems work, and what happens to their sensitive data along the way.

Listen to the full episode below: https://t.co/Aigt0QwaWe

[Student Defense @studentlegalnet]

Critical questions from @SenAdamSchiff during this week’s Senate Agriculture Confirmation Hearing, echoed in our ongoing lawsuit against USDA:

Under what authority is the Trump Administration demanding state-level SNAP data?

[Chancellor John B. King @SUNYChancellor]

In the wake of the cuts at the Department of Education, I'm worried about the federal financial aid system and the Office for Civil Rights. Last year, the Office for Civil Rights received more than 20,000 complaints—who will handle that workload? If the FAFSA breaks, if the financial aid system is unreliable, the entirety of public higher education is undermined.

https://t.co/w4IV61i1UL

[NASFAA @nasfaa]

Just In🚨There are reports that people are experiencing technical issues accessing & completing the #FAFSA. NASFAA is seeking clarity on why the form is down and when issues will be resolved, though troubleshooting could be complicated by yesterday’s staff reductions.

[Zach Schermele @ZachSchermele]

One of the DOGE employees with access to sensitive data has not yet completed required ethics and information security trainings, DOGE team member Adam Ramada admitted in the filing.

[Zach Schermele @ZachSchermele]

NEW: After a court order, the Education Department has agreed to temporarily stop allowing DOGE to access federal student aid data. We reported Friday that Musk's team had been given access to vast databases listing students' personal & financial info. https://t.co/KPUICI2hZb

[Daybook @DaybookJobs]

Job Opportunity!

The National Student Legal Defense Network (“Student Defense”) seeks an Oversight Counsel based in Washington D.C. @studentlegalnet

https://t.co/6X5NPyvH7m

[Eric Hoover @erichoov]

Undergraduate enrollment is ⬆️ this fall, freshman enrollment is ⬇️, and yes, these @NSClearinghouse numbers are preliminary and will surely change as more colleges report their data. https://t.co/dxdNUpk7b7

[Matt Lehrich @mattlehrich]

"Regulators have taken note of the outcome of the case. The reverse-redlining theory has been cited in subsequent litigation, including by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau..."

@studentlegalnet & @relmanlaw with a huge win for students/consumers

https://t.co/otOkc5aT66

[Arne Duncan @arneduncan]

A win for students, and a defeat for for-profit universities that seek to exploit them, leaving them in a worse financial position than before they enrolled.
Great work!

[Michael Itzkowitz @mikeitzkowitz]

Has anyone else ever been solicited to enroll in an online executive program from a prestigious university?

It seems like I am every day on @LinkedIn.

Well, it may be run by a third party, and the institution may have little to no involvement. @nytimes
https://t.co/FflYPR1i9p

[Dan Zibel @dan_zibel]

There is a growing trend of prestigious #HigherEd institutions lending their names to unregulated 3rd party companies. But how much do students know about who is actually providing the education?

Institutional leaders should ask: is it worth it?

https://t.co/hnA7bMrUFj

[Lisa Kurian Philip @LAPhilip]

“When students see like, ‘Well, this FAFSA thing still can’t be figured out,’ it just furthers distrust in the whole process, which makes it hard because we know there’s a lot of value in a college education."

@WBEZ @opencampusmedia
https://t.co/eESJuWE0dO

[Rebecca Ballhaus @rebeccaballhaus]

The nurse practitioner is now suing HHS over the National Health Service Corps loan repayment program, which a 2022 @WSJ investigation found can often leave participants deeper in debt: https://t.co/GJyRs9046d

[Student Defense @studentlegalnet]

NEWS: We sued @HHSGov with @UpperSevenLaw to reform the National Health Service Corps Student Loan Repayment Program.

Students should never be hit with astronomical penalties after losing their jobs through no fault of their own.

Learn more in the @WSJ: https://t.co/7pTgxwYY9e

[Eric Hoover @erichoov]

My latest: How the FAFSA crisis + bureaucratic barriers have hindered students experiencing homelessness. https://t.co/5FzkUyxaoJ

[Dan Zibel @dan_zibel]

On one hand, what’s two more weeks? On the other hand, processing certain FAFSAs for this coming academic year by the end of August?!?! Students and schools deserve better from @usedgov

[Inside Higher Ed @insidehighered]

State Grants Spread Thin

The FAFSA fiasco undermined projections for Minnesota’s grant program, leaving many students with hundreds or thousands of dollars less than they anticipated. https://t.co/BmsVg4GPuH

[Dan Zibel @dan_zibel]

Serious question: at what point is it just too late?

[Dan Zibel @dan_zibel]

In May, @usedgov announced it would start processing paper FAFSAs at the end of June. This week, ED quietly announced that it "identified issues in testing that have delayed the launch" of processing paper #FAFSA applications.🤯

https://t.co/50jqU8jdic