[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 68 (Wednesday, April 9, 1997)] [Notices] [Pages 17498-17502] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 97-9036] [[Page 17497]] _______________________________________________________________________ Part V Department of Housing and Urban Development _______________________________________________________________________ Hispanic-Serving Institutions Work Study Program; Notice of Funding Availability for Fiscal Year 1997 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 68 / Wednesday, April 9, 1997 / Notices [[Page 17498]] DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT [Docket No. FR-4206-N-01] Notice of Funding Availability--Fiscal Year 1997 Hispanic-serving Institutions Work Study Program AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research, HUD. ACTION: Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 1997. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: Purpose. This notice invites applications for grants under the Hispanic-Serving Institutions Work Study Program (HSI-WSP), to assist economically disadvantaged and minority students participating in a community building work study program while enrolled in a full-time community building academic program. The Hispanic-serving Institutions Work Study Program (HSI-WSP) is authorized by section 107(c) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended. 42 U.S.C. Sec. 5307(c). Available Funds. Up to $1.5 million in grants from FY 1997 appropriations to fund HSI-WSP to be carried out from August 1997 to August 1999. Eligible Applicants. Certain institutions of higher education, i.e., public and private non-profit Hispanic-serving community colleges. EFFECTIVE DATE: April 9, 1997. DATES: Applications must be physically received by the Office of University Partnerships, in care of the Division of Budget, Contracts, and Program Control, in Room 8230, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 Seventh Street, SW, Washington, DC 20410, by 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time on June 5, 1997. Facsimiles of the application will not be accepted. This deadline is firm as to date, hour, and place. In the interest of fairness to all competing applicants, the Department will treat as ineligible for consideration any application that is received after the deadline. Applicants should take this practice into account and make early submissions of their materials to avoid any risk of loss of eligibility brought about by unanticipated delays or other delivery- related problems. Applicants hand-delivering applications are advised that considerable delays may occur in attempting to enter the building because of security procedures. ADDRESSES: Because of the limited number of institutions eligible to apply for HSI-WSP, the Department will be sending an application kit directly to the President of each eligible institution, without requiring institutions to request them. Application kits may also be obtained by written request from the following address: HUD USER, ATTN: Hispanic-serving Institutions Work Study Program, P.O. Box 6091, Rockville, MD 20850. Requests for application kits may be faxed to: 301-251-5767. (This is not a toll-free number.) Such requests must include the applicant's name, mailing address (including zip code), telephone number (including area code), and must refer to ``Document FR-4206.'' In addition, the application kit is available on the Internet from the Office of University Partnerships Clearinghouse. The Clearinghouse can be accessed from the World Wide Web at: http:// www.oup.org; or from a Gopher Server at: gopher://oup.org:78. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jane Karadbil, Office of University Partnerships, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 Seventh Street, SW, Washington, DC 20410; telephone (202) 708-1537, extension 218. The TTY number for the hearing impaired is (202) 708-1455. (These are not toll-free numbers.) The Federal Information Relay Service toll free number is 800-877-8339. Ms. Karadbil can also be reached via the Internet at [email protected]. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Information Collection Requirements The information collection requirements contained in this NOFA have been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520) and have been assigned OMB control number 2528-0182. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless the collection displays a valid control number. Promoting Comprehensive Approaches to Housing and Community Development HUD is interested in promoting comprehensive, coordinated approaches to housing and community development. Economic development, community development, public housing revitalization, homeownership, assisted housing for special needs populations, supportive services, and welfare-to-work initiatives can work better if linked at the local level. Toward this end, HUD in recent years has developed the Consolidated Planning process designed to help communities undertake such approaches. In this spirit, it may be helpful for applicants under this NOFA to be aware of other related HUD NOFAs that have recently been published or are expected to be published in the near future. By reviewing these NOFAs with respect to their program purposes and the eligibility of applicants and activities, applicants may be able to relate the activities proposed for funding under this NOFA to the recent and upcoming NOFAs and to the community's Consolidated Plan. With respect to education programs, HUD published on March 4, 1997, at 62 FR 9898, a NOFA for the Community Development Work Study Program for FY 1997. To foster comprehensive, coordinated approaches by communities, HUD intends for the remainder of FY 1997 to continue to alert applicants to upcoming and recent NOFAs as each NOFA is published. In addition, a complete schedule of NOFAs to be published during the fiscal year and those already published appears under the HUD Homepage on the Internet, which can be accessed at http://www.hud.gov/nofas.html. Additional steps on NOFA coordination may be considered for FY 1998. For help in obtaining a copy of your community's Consolidated Plan, please contact the community development office of your municipal government. A. Background The Hispanic-serving Institutions Work Study Program is authorized by section 107(c) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended. 42 U.S.C. Sec. 5307(c). This section, which was added by section 501(b)(2) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987, has served as authorization for the Department's Community Development Work Study Program (CDWSP) since that program's inception. It provides authority to, ``* * * make grants to institutions of higher education, either directly or through areawide planning organizations or States, for the purpose of providing assistance to economically disadvantaged and minority students who participate in community development work study programs and are enrolled in full-time graduate or undergraduate programs in community and economic development, community planning, or community management.'' Since Fiscal Year 1996, legislative history accompanying the Department's appropriations acts has earmarked a portion of its section 107(c) work study funds for Hispanic-serving institutions. This final rule establishes regulations governing the award of those funds [[Page 17499]] under the Hispanic-serving Institutions Work Study Program (HSI-WSP). While CDWSP and HSI-WSP are subject to the same statutory requirements, they are implemented by different regulatory provisions. Under HSI-WSP, Hispanic-serving community colleges may apply for funding to provide tuition support, stipends and other support to full- time students seeking two-year associate degrees in community building academic programs. HSI-WSP students are required to devote 12-20 hours per week during the regular school year and 35-40 hours per week during the summer, to a work placement assignment that complements the field of study the student is pursuing. Only economically disadvantaged students, as determined by the HSI's financial aid guidelines, may be assisted, and eligible students must not have attained more than half of the credits needed to graduate at the time they enter HSI-WSP. The amount of assistance to be provided is limited to a maximum of $13,200 per student, which includes an administrative allowance of $1,000 per student to cover the institution's costs for administration of the program (subject to the 20% limitation described at 24 CFR 570.416(c)(4)). Potential applicants should refer to 24 CFR 570.416, which appears elsewhere in today's Federal Register as the HSI-WSP final rule, for more specific information about program requirements not described herein. B. Eligible Institutions Public or private nonprofit Hispanic-serving Institutions offering only two-year degrees, including degrees in at least one community building academic program, are eligible for assistance under HSI-WSP. A community building academic program means an undergraduate associate degree program whose purpose and focus is to educate students in community building. The terms ``community building academic program'' or ``academic program'' refer to the types of academic programs encompassed in the statutory phrase ``community or economic development, community planning or community management.'' For purposes of HSI-WSP, such programs include but are not limited to associate degree programs in community and economic development, community planning, community management, public administration, public policy, urban economics, urban management, urban planning, land use planning, housing, and related fields of study. Related fields of study that promote community building, such as administration of justice, child development, and human services are eligible, while fields such as natural sciences, computer sciences, mathematics, accounting, electronics, engineering, and the humanities (such as English or history) would not be. A transfer program (i.e., one that leads to transfer to a four-year institution of higher education for the student's junior year) in a community building academic discipline is eligible only if the student is required to declare his/her major in this discipline while at the community college. Hispanic-serving institutions are those institutions of higher education that the U.S. Department of Education has determined meet the criteria set out in Title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965. Title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c(b)(1)) defines an HSI generally as an eligible institution of education that has an enrollment of undergraduate full-time students that is at least 25 percent Hispanic; in which not less than 50 percent of the Hispanic students are low-income individuals (i.e., their families' taxable income for the preceding year did not exceed 150 percent of the poverty level) who are first generation college students; and in which another 25 percent of the Hispanic students are either low-income individuals or first generation college students. Further, the U.S. Department of Education has issued a list of all institutions meeting the statutory HSI definition and HUD uses this list to determine eligibility for HSI- WSP. However, eligibility for HSI-WSP is further limited to community colleges offering two-year associate degrees in community building fields. Institutions offering both two-year and four-year degrees are not eligible for HSI-WSP. A list of the community colleges on the Department of Education's list of HSIs appears as Appendix A to this Notice of Funding Availability. Only institutions on this list, or HSI- WSP-eligible institutions subsequently added to the U.S. Department of Education's list of qualified HSI's, prior to the application deadline, are eligible to apply for HSI-WSP funds under this Notice. C. Number of Students To Be Assisted Although the HSI-WSP final rule published elsewhere in today's Federal Register allows up to 10 students to be assisted by each recipient, the Department has decided to limit the number of students to be assisted under this NOFA by any one school to five students. Funds available for FY 1997 are substantially less than in FY 1996 and the Department would like to ensure that almost as many schools are funded in FY 1997 as were funded in FY 1996. However, HUD may still provide assistance to support a number of students that is less than the number requested under an application in order to provide assistance to as many highly ranked applications as possible. D. Threshold To be eligible for rating and ranking, an applicant must meet all of the following threshold requirements: (1) The application must be filed in the application form prescribed by HUD, must not be inconsistent with the requirements of this NOFA or 24 CFR 570.416, which is published elsewhere in today's Federal Register as the HSI-WSP final rule, and must be physically received at the appropriate location by the required due date; (2) The applicant must demonstrate that it is eligible to participate in HSI-WSP, by demonstrating that it is a public or private nonprofit Hispanic-serving Institution offering only two-year degrees, including degrees in at least one community building academic program. E. Selection Factors (100 Points) All applications that meet the threshold requirements will be rated according to the following selection factors. 1. Quality of the Academic Program (40 Points) In rating this factor, HUD will evaluate: (i) the quality of the academic program in terms of the community building course offerings and academic requirements for students, including the likelihood of the academic program to prepare students to work with the designated populations in their community building careers (25 points). Applicants should describe the specific courses offered in the academic program, the populations to be served in the careers these academic programs lead to, and how the courses will equip the students to work with these designated populations. (ii) the qualifications of the faculty members and the percentage of time they will teach in the academic program and the qualifications of the academic supervisor to direct and manage the program (15 points). 2. Quality of the Proposed Student Work Placement Assignments (20 Points) In rating this factor, HUD will evaluate the extent to which the participating students will receive a sufficient number and variety of work placement assignments that will provide [[Page 17500]] practical and useful experience and further the participating students' preparation for professional careers in community building. In assessing the number and variety of assignments, HUD will consider both the number and variety of placement sites available to each student and the number and variety of work assignments available to a student working at any site. 3. Likelihood of Fostering Students' Permanent Post-Graduation Employment in Community Building or Transfer to a Four-Year Institution of Higher Education to Obtain a Bachelor's Degree in a Community Building Academic Discipline (10 Points) In rating this factor, HUD will evaluate the extent to which the institution's educational program (based on past experience), including the assistance it provides to its students in finding post graduation permanent employment or transfer to a four-year institution for a bachelor's degree in a community building academic discipline, has led to career opportunities in community building fields. 4. Effectiveness of Program Administration (20 Points) In rating this factor, HUD will evaluate: (i) the degree to which the Program Director has clear responsibility, ample percentage of time, and sufficient institutional or academic authority to coordinate the overall administration of the program; and (ii) the adequacy of the applicant's plan for placing students in work placement assignments and keeping track of students during the two-year academic period and work placement assignments. 5. Demonstrated Commitment of the Applicant to Meeting Economically Disadvantaged and Minority Students' Needs (10 Points) In rating this factor, HUD will evaluate the extent to which the applicant's recruitment activities, special education programs, and other means, including the provision of reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities, demonstrates an active, aggressive, and imaginative effort to identify, attract, and retain qualified minorities and economically disadvantaged students, including students with disabilities; and the extent to which the HSI-WSP award will not result in a decrease in the amount of the institution's own financial support available for minority and economically disadvantaged students, including students with disabilities, in the academic areas or the institution as a whole. F. Application Content and Review Procedures Applicants must complete and submit applications in accordance with instructions contained in the application kit, and must include all certifications, assurances, and budget information requested in the kit. Following the expiration of the application submission deadline, HUD will review, rate, and rank applications in a manner consistent with the procedures described in this Notice and the provisions of the program regulations at 24 CFR 570.416, which are published elsewhere in today's Federal Register. G. Corrections to Deficient Applications After the submission deadline date, HUD will screen each application to determine whether it is complete. If an application lacks certain technical items or contains a technical error, such as an incorrect signatory, HUD will notify the applicant in writing that it has 14 calendar days from the date of HUD's written notification to cure the technical deficiency. If the applicant fails to submit the missing material within the 14-day cure period, HUD may disqualify the application. This 14-day cure period applies only to non-substantive deficiencies or errors. Any deficiency capable of cure will involve only items not necessary for HUD to assess the merits of an application against the factors specified in this NOFA. Substantive deficiencies or errors may not be corrected. H. Final Selection All applications that are rated will be rank ordered based on their total scores on the selection factors. Applications will be considered for selection based on their rank order. HUD may make awards out of rank order to achieve geographic diversity, and may provide assistance to support a number of students that is less than the number requested under an application in order to provide assistance to as many highly ranked applications as possible. If there is a tie in the point scores of two applications, the rank order will be determined by the applicants' scores on selection factor (1). The application with the most points on selection factor (1) will be given the higher rank. If there is still a tie, the rank order will be determined by the applicants' scores on selection factor (5). The application with the most points for selection factor (5) will be given the higher rank. I. Findings and Certifications 1. Federalism Impact The General Counsel, as the Designated Official under section 6(a) of Executive Order 12612, Federalism, has determined that the policies and procedures contained in this notice will not have substantial direct effects on States or their political subdivisions, or the relationship between the federal government and the States, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the various levels of government. This notice merely invites applications from certain institutions of higher education for grants under the Hispanic-serving Institutions Work Study Program. As a result, the notice is not subject to review under the Order. 2. Impact on the Family The General Counsel, as the Designated Official under Executive Order 12606, The Family, has determined that this notice will likely have a beneficial impact on family formation, maintenance, and general well-being. This notice invites applications from certain institutions of higher education for grants under the Hispanic-serving Institutions Work Study Program. Accordingly, since the impact on the family is beneficial, no further review is considered necessary. 3. Accountability in the Provision of HUD Assistance Section 102 of the Department of Housing and Urban Development Reform Act of 1989 (HUD Reform Act) and the final rule codified at 24 CFR part 4, subpart A, published on April 1, 1996 (61 FR 1448), contain a number of provisions that are designed to ensure greater accountability and integrity in the provision of certain types of assistance administered by HUD. On January 14, 1992, HUD published, at 57 FR 1942, a notice that also provides information on the implementation of section 102. The documentation, public access, and disclosure requirements of section 102 are applicable to assistance awarded under this NOFA as follows: Documentation and public access requirements. HUD will ensure that documentation and other information regarding each application submitted pursuant to this NOFA are sufficient to indicate the basis upon which assistance was provided or denied. This material, including any letters of support, will be made available for public inspection for a five-year period beginning not less than 30 days after the award of the assistance. Material will be made available in accordance with the [[Page 17501]] Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) and HUD's implementing regulations at 24 CFR part 15. In addition, HUD will include the recipients of assistance pursuant to this NOFA in its Federal Register notice of all recipients of HUD assistance awarded on a competitive basis. Disclosures. HUD will make available to the public for five years all applicant disclosure reports (HUD Form 2880) submitted in connection with this NOFA. Update reports (also Form 2880) will be made available along with the applicant disclosure reports, but in no case for a period less than three years. All reports--both applicant disclosures and updates--will be made available in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) and HUD's implementing regulations at 24 CFR part 15. 4. Prohibition Against Advance Information on Funding Decisions HUD's regulation implementing section 103 of the HUD Reform Act, codified as 24 CFR part 4, applies to the funding competition announced today. The requirements of the rule continue to apply until the announcement of the selection of successful applicants. HUD employees involved in the review of applications and in the making of funding decisions are restrained by part 4 from providing advance information to any person (other than an authorized employee or other authorized representative of HUD) concerning funding decisions, or from otherwise giving any applicant an unfair competitive advantage. Persons who apply for assistance in this competition should confine their inquiries to the subject areas permitted under 24 CFR part 4. Applicants or employees who have ethics related questions should contact the HUD's Ethics Law Division (202) 708-3815 (voice), (202) 708-1112 (TTY). (These are not toll-free numbers.) For HUD employees who have specific program questions, such as whether particular subject matter can be discussed with persons outside the Department, the employee should contact the appropriate Field Office Counsel or Headquarters Counsel for the program to which the question pertains. 5. Prohibition Against Lobbying Activities The use of funds awarded under this NOFA is subject to the disclosure requirements and prohibitions of Section 319 of the Department of Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 1990 (31 U.S.C. 1352) and the implementing regulations at 24 CFR part 87. These authorities prohibit recipients of Federal contracts, grants, or loans from using appropriated funds for lobbying the Executive or Legislative branches of the Federal Government in connection with a specific contract, grant, or loan. The prohibition also covers the awarding of contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, or loans unless the recipient has made an acceptable certification regarding lobbying. Under 24 CFR part 87, applicants, recipients, and subrecipients of assistance exceeding $100,000 must certify that no Federal funds have been or will be spent on lobbying activities in connection with the assistance. In addition, applicants subject to the Byrd Amendment must disclose, using Standard Form LLL, ``Disclosure of Lobbying Activities,'' any funds, other than federally appropriated funds, that will be or have been used to influence federal employees, members of Congress, and congressional staff regarding specific grants or contracts. 6. Environmental Review This NOFA does not direct, provide for assistance or loan and mortgage insurance for, or otherwise govern or regulate property acquisition, disposition, lease, rehabilitation, alteration, demolition, or new construction, or set out or provide for standards for construction or construction materials, manufactured housing, or occupancy. Accordingly, under 24 CFR 50.19(c)(1), this NOFA is categorically excluded from environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321). In addition, the provision of assistance under this NOFA is categorically excluded from environmental review under Sec. 50.19(b)(3) and (b)(9). J. The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number is 14.513. Dated: April 2, 1997. Michael A. Stegman, Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research. Appendix A.--Hispanic-Serving Community Colleges [As Designated by the U.S. Department of Education] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ State Institution ------------------------------------------------------------------------ AZ.............................. Arizona Western College. AZ.............................. Central Arizona College. AZ.............................. Cochise College. AZ.............................. Pima Community College. AZ.............................. South Mountain Community College. CA.............................. Bakersfield College. CA.............................. Cerritos College. CA.............................. Chaffey Community College. CA.............................. Citrus College. CA.............................. College of the Desert. CA.............................. College of the Sequioas. CA.............................. Compton Community College. CA.............................. Don Bosco Technical Institute. CA.............................. East Los Angeles College. CA.............................. Evergreen Valley College. CA.............................. Fresno City College. CA.............................. Gavilan College. CA.............................. Hartnell College. CA.............................. Imperial Valley College. CA.............................. Kelsey-Jenney Business College. CA.............................. Kings River Community College. CA.............................. Los Angeles City College. CA.............................. Los Angeles Harbor College. CA.............................. Los Angeles Mission College. CA.............................. Los Angeles Southwest College. CA.............................. Los Angeles Trade Technical College. CA.............................. Los Angeles Valley College. CA.............................. Merced College. CA.............................. Mount San Antonio College. CA.............................. Fullerton College. CA.............................. Oxnard College. CA.............................. Palo Verde College. CA.............................. Pasadena City College. CA.............................. Porterville College. CA.............................. Rancho Santiago College. CA.............................. Rio Hondo College. CA.............................. San Bernardino Valley College. CA.............................. San Diego City College. CA.............................. San Jose City College. CA.............................. Skyline College. CA.............................. Southwestern College. CA.............................. West Hills Community College. CO.............................. Community College of Denver. CO.............................. Otero Junior College. CO.............................. Pueblo Community College. CO.............................. Trinidad State Junior College. FL.............................. Miami-Dade Community College/North Campus (Main). FL.............................. Miami-Dade Community College/Homestead College. FL.............................. Miami-Dade Community College/Medical Center Campus. FL.............................. Miami-Dade Community College/Wolfson Campus. IL.............................. City Colleges of Chicago-Harry S Truman College. IL.............................. City Colleges of Chicago-Malcolm X College. IL.............................. City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J. Daley College. IL.............................. City Colleges of Chicago-Wilbur Wright College. IL.............................. Lexington Institute of Hospitality Careers. IL.............................. MacCormac Junior College. IL.............................. Morton College. IL.............................. Saint Augustine College. NJ.............................. Hudson County Community College. NJ.............................. Passaic County Community College. NM.............................. Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute. NM.............................. Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell Campus. [[Page 17502]] NM.............................. New Mexico State University-Carlsbad Campus. NM.............................. New Mexico State University-Dona Ana Campus. NM.............................. New Mexico State University-Grants Campus. NM.............................. Northern New Mexico Community College. NM.............................. Santa Fe Community College. NM.............................. University of New Mexico-Los Alamos Campus. NM.............................. University of New Mexico-Valencia Campus. NY.............................. CUNY Bronx Community College. NY.............................. CUNY Hostos Community College. NY.............................. CUNY F.H. La Guardia Community College. PR.............................. Collegio Tecnologico Del Municipio de San Juan. PR.............................. Collegio Universitario Del Este. PR.............................. University of Puerto Rico-Aguadilla Regional College. PR.............................. University of Puerto Rico-Carolina Regional College. PR.............................. University of Puerto Rico-La Montana Regional College. TX.............................. Bee County College. TX.............................. Del Mar College. TX.............................. El Paso Community College. TX.............................. Laredo Community College. TX.............................. Odessa Community College. TX.............................. Palo Alto College. TX.............................. San Antonio College. TX.............................. Southwest Texas Junior College. TX.............................. St. Philips College. TX.............................. Texas Southmost College. TX.............................. Texas State Technical College- Harlingen. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SOURCE: 1993 Integrated Post-Secondary Education Data System (IPEDS) of the U.S. Department of Education. [FR Doc. 97-9036 Filed 4-8-97; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4210-62-P