participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance." (Emphasis supplied).

Support for such action is also found in the legislative history of Title III B and in Adams v. Califano.

On behalf of the HBCU community, I urge you to take one of the above actions or any other action that you deem legal, ethical, prudent and equitable this week, to prevent large numbers of students who are prepared for and eager to enroll and persist in college this semester from being denied access, to prevent students who have provisionally been permitted to attend classes pending receipt of the remainder of their tuition and fees from being sent home from college this semester, and to prevent our institutions from suffering the tremendous loss of students and resources with which to educate the students.

I thank you again for your direct involvement in this matter, and I stand ready to work with you and senior members of your staff in an effort to resolve this crisis immediately by reversing the Parent Plus loan denials predicated on the new interpretation and implementation of the credit history regulation and new practice and method of evaluating eligibility for Parent PLUS loans. I may be reached by telephone at (202) 439-4704.

With every good wish, I am sincerely.

Lezli Baskerville President and CEO National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education