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Secret Service moving forward in wake of scandal

By WTOP Staff

ALICIA A. CALDWELL
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — With the dust still settling from a series of embarrassing security failures that marred the Secret Service’s reputation and forced its director to resign, the agency is starting the arduous and public task of rebuilding itself.

The Obama administration has called for an independent panel to take a look at the agency from top to bottom and make recommendations for a permanent successor for ousted Director Julia Pierson.

But that will take months.

White House spokesman Eric Schultz said Thursday that President Barack Obama won’t name a new permanent director until Dec. 15, at the earliest. That’s the deadline for completing a separate, internal probe into what went wrong on Sept. 19, when a fence-jumper carrying a knife was able to run deep into the executive mansion.

The independent panel will draw on the results of that investigation to determine what qualities the agency’s new leader should possess, Schultz said.

In the meantime, Deputy Director A.T. Smith will be in charge until Monday, when Joseph Clancy, a former head of the service’s presidential protective division, takes the helm on an interim basis.

But presidential security must continue. Thursday the president was in Illinois for a speech on the economy, and uniformed officers patrolled the grounds of the White House — including the new, second layer of temporary fencing put up the day after the fence-jumper made it inside the building.

Todd Keil, a former Homeland Security Department assistant secretary for infrastructure protection, said despite the public turmoil in the aftermath of two security breaches last month the agency “needs to continue to fly the plane. They can’t lose sight of that.”

In the immediate aftermath of last month’s breach at the White House, Obama told aides he was satisfied with the security enhancements immediately put into place, a White House official said. That changed Tuesday after the president learned of another breach earlier in September in Atlanta in which Obama rode an elevator with a security contractor that the Secret Service didn’t know was armed. The Secret Service never informed Obama about that breach until Tuesday, when it was just about to emerge in the press.

How fast things could change at the Secret Service was unclear.

Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who has been tasked with leading the internal Secret Service investigation, wants to quickly name a permanent director and finish an initial assessment of potential internal reforms, the White House official said. It would likely take weeks to fully vet potential directors.

The official, who wasn’t authorized to discuss the review on the record and requested anonymity, said the panel members — yet to be named — will be asked to decide whether the Secret Service would be best served by appointing an outsider to shake up the agency, an insider with deep experience or someone whose resume has a mixture of both. He said the advantages of bringing in someone from the outside had been a major topic of discussion among White House staffers and in the Secret Service in recent days.

In Keil’s view, there is little hope of changing the culture of the insular agency if an insider is tapped to be the next director.

“After 150 years, now is probably the time for an outsider to come in and be the director,” he said.

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Follow Alicia A. Caldwell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/acaldwellap and Josh Lederman at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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