Ask the average American to describe Senator Lamar Alexander, and they'll probably mention the red-and-black plaid shirt that became the senator’s trademark when he campaigned for Tennessee's governorship in the late 1970s.
Ask the average college lobbyist or education aide, and they'll paint a different picture: Lamar standing beside a tower of boxes stuffed with regulations, railing against the burden those rules impose on colleges. Or this image: Lamar waving the 10-page paper federal student-aid application, appealing for a shorter form.
For years, the Republican senator has been trotting out those two props in an effort to persuade his colleagues to roll back regulations and simplify, simplify, simplify student aid. And for years, the regulations and programs have kept on multiplying.
Now, with Republicans poised to reclaim the Senate in Tuesday's elections, Mr. Alexander may finally be in a position to change things.
Read more at The Chronicle of Higher Education: http://chronicle.com/article/Lamar-Alexander-Wants-to/149807