Photo by Doug Koontz Soloist Frank Gorecki, left, and director John Slezak represent the Spires Brass Band, which recently won its fourth NorthAmerican Brass Band Association championship.
	IF YOU GO The Spires Brass Band will present a concert at 8 p.m. May 24 at the Jack B. Kussmaul Theater at Frederick Community College. For details, visit www.spiresbrassband.org

The first three trophies and banners were won in odd-numbered years — 2001, 2003, and 2005.

"We broke the string," the band's founder and director, John Slezak, said of the latest win.

Slezak is proud of his adult band of 32 members. It includes some people he taught during 22 years at Frederick High School. One of those students, Randy Rumpf, is now director of the Tuscarora High School band.

Slezak formed the band, named for the many spires in Frederick, in October 1993, the year before he retired from teaching at Frederick High School.

"They're good players," he said.

One of the band members, Frank Gorecki, brought home a first place trophy from the NABBA championship for his "High Brass Slow Melody" solo performance.

The entire band of 28 brass and four percussion instruments won its award in the Challenge Section of the championship, held at Indiana University.

A trumpet player since he learned the instrument as a boy, Slezak has a wide range of tastes. He also enjoys special arrangements that are done for the band.

"There's good country, jazz, classical, big band and patriotic music," he said. "Several of our members are arrangers and two compose and arrange. It gives us something fresh."

Spires members range from the mid-30s into their 40s, and that's for a reason, Slezak said.

"We refrain from marches, but the adults have a quicker grasp and they have a sense of humor," he said. "The kids are more introspective."

Slezak holds his musicians to tough standards.

"The biggest challenge with adults is pushing the level higher, pushing the envelope and getting them to play more difficult music," he said. "At the high school level, the challenge is pushing the level of performance of a new crew every four years."

He rehearses with the band every week.

"It's challenging," he said. "At the same time, it's a lot of fun."

Some Spires members come from Gettysburg, Pa., West Virginia, Northern Virginia and Baltimore. The band has five women. The band has also been fortunate in finding singers, including a couple of opera singers who performed "Duet for Two Cats" by Rossini.

Neither Slezak nor any of the band members are paid.

"It is a labor of love," he said.

The Spires Brass Band is a traditional British style brass band. This means that the band uses cornets instead of trumpets, tenor horns instead of French horns, flugelhorn, euphoniums and baritones, and Eb and Bb tubas, as well as percussion.

The band's name is derived from the Clustered Spires of Frederick, that were immortalized by John Greenleaf Whittier in his poem "Barbara Fritchie."

The band is incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. Any contributions to the band are tax deductible.

The band is supported by concert gate receipts, grants from the Frederick Arts Council, the Maryland Arts Council, and generous individual donors. The band also receives corporate support from Merrill Lynch and Woodsboro Bank.

The Spires Brass Band was organized in 1993 by its music director John Slezak. It was organized to enrich the cultural life of the community by performing traditional and contemporary brass band music in accord with the highest standards of excellence and to give its members the opportunity to participate in music making of the highest caliber.

The band annually performs a series of four formal concerts in Frederick, Maryland, and also performs several hymn concerts at area churches. Additionally, the band performs for civic functions throughout the year, competes in the NABBA North American Brass Band Championships and participates annually in the Gettysburg Brass Band Festival.

Highlights of the band's 14 year history include performing on the Today show in 1995, with Willard Scott, as part of the 250th Anniversary of the City of Frederick. In 2001, the band entered its first NABBA Championship contest in the Challenge Section and won 1st place. The band also won the Challenge Section Championship in 2003 and 2005. In the seven years the band has competed in NABBA it has won 3 championships, 2 second places, 1 third place and 1 fourth place. The band was chosen in 2006 to perform for the Maryland Music Educators Annual State Conference in Baltimore.

Guest artists who have performed with the Spires include trumpeters Allen Vizzutti, Vince DiMartino, Gabriel DiMartino and Chris Jaudes, trombonist Herb Bruce, tubists Marty Erickson and Stacy Baker. The band also featured mezzo soprano vocalists Tracie Luck and Sara Dell'Omo, and baritone Kevin Bennear. Also performing as a member and guest conductor with the band was noted composer and arranger Stephen Bulla.

 

http://www.nabba.org		North American Brass Band Association site for information on member bands, competitions and other acitivites.
http://www.ibew.co.uk		The most comprehensive brass band site for brass bands around the world.
http://www.4barsrest.com		Online brass band magazine

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Vol 1 Issue 15		May 11, 2007
A-Team Marilyn Ali Editor Venerina Conti Lead Design Nan Herring Assistant Design John Sanchez Content Manager Rick Martin Co-Content Manager Donna S Proof-Reader Judy Woodson Lead Writer Geketa Holman Writer	ADLANDPRO COMMUNITY NEWS THE TREASURE HUNT GAME! by Marilyn Ali WE HAVE A WINNER!! WOW! We had a lot of people sending in answers to the Treasure Hunt again this last issue. It's great to see so many people reading and playing the game! And we have a WINNER!! Our winner for Newsletter #14 is MR STEVEN SUCHAR . Steven was the first person to send in all the correct answers to the Treasure Hunt game. Congratulations Steven on winning! You have just won some very valuable advertising credits donated by our very own CEO, Mr Bogdan Fiedur. Everyone please continue reading the Newsletter, and playing the Treasure Hunt game, and maybe next time you can be one of our lucky winners! Good Luck To All! Here are the correct answers to the Treasure Hunt game; 1. Steven Suchar 2. Dr Robert Talmadge 3. Joe Downing 4. April 26th 5. Zornitsa Machanova 6. Sharon Lee 7. Celebrate Our Different Cultures 8. Geketa Holman 9. Painter 10. Mary Hofstetter 11. Advertising Credits, No $ ******************** LETTERS TO THE EDITOR!******************** DO YOU WANT TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER? Do you know of any community happenings or events that are going on? Do you know of an interesting member in the community that you would like to write about, and have your article in the next issue of the Newsletter? How about a New Member in the community that you would like to Introduce to the rest of the Community? Or, how about a great forum going on that you would like others to know about? If anyone has something that they would like to share with the rest of the Community, write an article and send it to us! If we like what you have written, it will be published in the very next Newsletter!! Wouldn't it be fun and exciting to contribute to our Community Newsletter that goes out to over 30,000 members? I think so!!! Just remember, it can be about anything as long as it is related to the AdlandPro Community. When you finish writing your articles please submit them to one of the following emails: Marilyn Ali Venerina Conti Or, you may use our personal message box here at AdlandPro: Marilyn Ali Venerina Conti The team is looking forward to hear what you have to write about...so start writing!! Marilyn L. Ali EDITOR		BIRTHDAYS To All Of Our Members Who Will Be Celebrating A Birthday In May! The AdlandPro Community would like to wish all of our May babies a very "HAPPY BIRTHDAY"! May your special day be wonderful, filled with peace, love and joy and may you have all of your friends and family around you. May all your wishes come true! Here is a list of just a few of our May Babies: May 1 Alex Stackard Gilda Fisher Dagmar Thompson David Lindsay May 2 Mrs.Sandra Sprouse Ramon Serrano Mindy Ash Mattias Kroon May 3 Clifton Gooding Carole Hobden Carolyn Shipp Dong Geun Yoo May 4 Bill Brown Bogdan Wrzesinski Corey Koehler Ben Siornicki May 5 Art Gonzalez Carl Pearson Dennis Page Debra Parks May 6 Geketa Holman Peter Arnold Rajan Sethi Patricia Downing May 7 Cindy Bosse Ed Simmons Glenn Fluehu May 8 Veronica Morris Steve Cowan Paul Renteria Michael Gamba May 9 Beverly Goodwin Chas Dougherty Jack Butler Jason Berttand May 10 Rose Smith Robert Witty Ruth Moore Nancy Nellis May 11 Dave Barr Maylene Fernando Kim Becelia Laurel Nicolosi May 12 Peter Fogel Nini Humphries John Ramirez Jacquelyn Rose May 13 Karin Fletcher Michael Gentry Raymond Crank Dr. Shemuel Israel May 14 Dale Dobbs Glenn Hanson Gerard Lamour Sheryl Loch May 15 Barbara Delgiudice Clint Brassel Deborah Reid Rose Zepeda   COMPETITION AREA **WIN**WIN**WIN** It's time to play the next Treasure Hunt game everyone! This is a scavenger hunt, and all you have to do is read the Newsletter and find the answers to all the questions. Once you know all the answers send them to me, Marilyn Martin, be the first one with all the correct answers and you WIN!! Okay…GOOD LUCK TO ALL! 1) Bill Brown & Bogdan W. have a birthday on what day? 2) Who is being featured in the Poetry Corner this issue of the Newsletter? 3) Who is behind Mystery Link #2? 4) Who was the 17th Shining Star? 5) What is the name of the Featured Forum in this issue of the Newsletter? 6) Who furnished the Jokes for this issue of the Newsletter? 7) Who is being featured in the Art Corner? 8) Who was the Winner of the last Treasure Hunt game? 9) What is the title of the Featured Poem? 10) Who is the Owner of the Featured Forum in this issue of the Newsletter? 11) What type of craft does the person in the Art Corner do? Send your answers to Marilyn Ali
Tiny Tidbits Links Crossword Puzzle Mystery Profile 1 Mystery Profile 2 Mystery Profile 3 Mystery Profile 4 Mystery Profile 5 Mystery Profile 6 Mystery Profile 7 Mystery Profile 8 Mystery Profile 9 Mystery Profile 10 ******** Become An Affiliate AdlandPro Digest ******** PRAYER REQUESTS We have a couple of special prayer requests this time around due to a death in one of our members family, and another member has a very sick parent. First, we would like to send our condolences to Jerome Pfeifer on the lost of his father. Jerome you and your family are in our thoughts and prayers. May God bless and comfort you and your family during your time of loss. Valerie Clavin's mother is suffering from cancer. Valerie our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. We pray that God lays His healing hands upon your Mom and heals her. Let God's will be done! The Newsletter team would really appreciate it if you would send our AdlandPro family members your prayers if you have not done so already! Thanks very much. ************************* Be Inspired by: Venerina Conti Natural Laws Hello friends, This issue I would like to share, with you, this article that was sent to me by Judy Merrill. Thank you Judy for sending this to me. I think our readers will find it very interesting. The latest book and DVD called the Secret is nothing new! We have had authors on self help trails for many a year with the message of the power of positive thought. Each has brought their understanding to an era that was in need of that particular message. Is this a short cut to anything? NO! But the detractors are busy saying it is too simplistic. Is it perhaps that the current generation needs short cuts to anything and everything they approach? The message has always been simple! We are the creator of our own destiny. We do this with our creative thoughts. And then, the combination of thoughts from many people pick up the same energies and manifest the same conditions. That is how our world got into the shape it is in now. I found a book written in 1998 covering this topic of manifesting our own good through the law of attraction. But it requires some serious thought and manifestation on all levels. We start with the law of magnetic attraction. You attract to you that which you desire. You also attract that which you find undesirable - if you focus upon it. As you understand this attraction, the law of creative manifestion - intentionally focus upon that which you desire. Most important of all - The law of allowing. Allow that the universe will supply your own best good. God bless, J Namaste	Featured Forums   Whether you are new to AdlandPro, just beginning to think about marketing online or are a seasoned marketer, there is something you can learn from Dave Cottrell's Focus on Facts forum. Dave's straightforward style and attention to detail coupled with a vast marketing knowledge and solid ethical base make browsing this forum a pleasure. His topics range from marketing advice, to how to get real traffic, to current events, and to discussions on spam, just to name a few. I asked Dave just what he had in mind when he started the forum and how it had evolved over time and here is what he said. "I appreciate your interest in my forum, Focus on Facts, and it is an honour to accept your invitation (honour is Canadian for honor! lol!) I've been involved in marketing both online and off since 1978 and while I haven't seen it all, I've seen enough to be wary of most new programs that come through to me. Unfortunately, a lot of people, especially those who are new to marketing, get taken in by the promises of fast, easy money and usually end up losing money in programs that no one but a long time expert can hope to make money with. Many of the programs are pure hype designed to make a lot of money in a hurry for the people at the top, while the bulk of the membership rarely make anything and usually lose any fees they've put in. There are also more and more money-making schemes that are downright illegal (even some of the owners haven't done their homework and don't even realize their business plan is illegal.) These can grow very quickly and hurt a lot of people who rarely do their due diligence. I encourage my friends to understand what due diligence means, and then to actually DO it. Due diligence applies to more than just business, it also applies to everything we read, hear and watch from the media. In closing, I would like to simply say that I'm a member of many online communities, but seem, by far, to spend the most time on Adlandpro. I think that speaks strongly about what a great community it is. God bless, Dave " Thank you, Dave for taking the time to share your thoughts. If you'd like to visit Dave's forum you can do that here. Written By: JUDY WOODSON ************************************************** ******************************** THE POETRY CORNER In this issue of the Newsletter one of AdlandPro's very best is being featured in the Poetry Corner! That person is none other than Ms. Pauline Raina If you have not read any of Pauline's poetry you are missing out on a real treat! I had the pleasure of interviewing Pauline and here is what she told us in the Interview; Thank you Pauline for allowing us to Interview you for our Newsletter! I have to tell you that I have enjoyed reading your poetry and have a couple questions I would like to ask you. I am interested in when you first started writing poetry, and what was it that made you start writing? A. I think it was always there, and I developed a habit to write when I was most stressed out..and in need to express my inner feelings. My little dairy was my companion, and I would pour my heart out into it...usually it would be in prayer form or in praise.... I took strength for the weakest moments of my life. The first very personal one I wrote for 'me' was about 4 yrs back... called 'YOU' which I have posted at my forum. Q. Where do you get your inspiration from to write? Is there something in particular that inspires you? A. Hmmmm interesting question. When you love life and all there is to it, as much as I do... one never lacks to draw inspiration from all things around you. Nature, People, my Faith, relationships, Love, Sincerity....and the list goes on and on ! One perfect example was the one I wrote a while back...called 'When I call you friend" for which I drew inspiration from the many great friends I have made here at Adland. I could see on one hand, there were friendships being bonded in great love and security and on the other hand, there were friendships that broke for lack of true love, sincerity, and commitment. This then made me look inside my innermost corner of my heart and ask myself..what do my dearest friends mean to me and how do I value them, and treat them.?..and the words just came flowing out..... yes every word I write is who I am..not just a rhyme or song...but that I wish to be remembered long after I was gone...Oh my here I go again :-)please stop me ;-) This then is my dedication to all my dearest friends, When I Call You Friend ********************** I will never judge you, nor ever condemn you, I will be your strength in weakness, teach you all I can in meakness. Laugh with you in good times, cry with you in bad times, Share your every secret, never take you for granted. Whether you be far or near, encouraging words you'll always hear Constructive criticism, to help you shine like a prism. Always wanting whats best for you, never letting go of faith in you, Never ever saying 'I told you so' or 'because of me you've come this far.' Till you've reached the best you could be, that my dear, is my day of victory !! by Pauline Raina copy right2007 ***************************** Thank you Pauline for another beautiful poem from a very lovely and talented lady! I really enjoyed the poem and enjoyed Interviewing you as well! Now you can see why Pauline was chosen to be featured in this issue of the Newsletter. If you are not a friend of Pauline yet, please invite her to be your friend today! Written By: MARILYN L. ALI-MARTIN **************************** The most beautiful Heart - Unknown Author One day a young man was standing in the middle of the town proclaiming that he had the most beautiful heart in the whole valley. A large crowd gathered and they all admired his heart for it was perfect. There was not a mark or a flaw in it. Yes, they all agreed it truly was the most beautiful heart they had ever seen. The young man was very proud and boasted more loudly about his beautiful heart. Suddenly, an old man appeared at the front of the crowd and said, "Why your heart is not nearly as beautiful as mine." The crowd and the young man looked at the old man's heart. It was beating strongly, but full of scars, it had places where pieces had been removed and other pieces put in, but they didn't fit quite right and there were several jagged edges. In fact, in some places there were deep gouges where whole pieces were missing. The people stared ­ "How can he say his heart is more beautiful?" they thought. The young man looked at the old man's heart and saw its state and laughed. "You must be joking," he said. "Compare your heart with mine, mine is perfect and yours is a mess of scars and tears." "Yes," said the old man, "Yours is perfect looking but I would never trade with you. You see, every scar represents a person to whom have given my love - I tear out a piece of my heart and give it to them, and often they give me a piece of their heart which fits into the empty place in my heart, but because the pieces aren't exact, I have some rough edges, which I cherish, because they remind me of the love we shared." "Sometimes I have given pieces of my heart away, and the other person hasn't returned a piece of his heart to me. These are the empty gouges - giving love is taking a chance. Although these gouges are painful, they stay open, reminding me of the love I have for these people too, and I hope someday they may return and fill the space I have waiting. So now do you see what true beauty is?" The young man stood silently with tears running down his cheeks. He walked up to the old man, reached into his perfect young and beautiful heart, and ripped a piece out. He offered it to the old man with trembling hands. The old man took his offering, placed it in his heart and then took a piece from his old scarred heart and placed it in the wound in the young man's heart. It fit, but not perfectly, as there were some jagged edges. The young man looked at his heart, not perfect anymore but more beautiful than ever, since love from the old man's heart flowed into his. They embraced and walked away side by side. Namaste, from Venerina
Jokes Overbooked On the way back to Ohio as I was sitting in the Phoenix airport,they announced that the flight to Vegas was full. The airlinewere looking for volunteers to give up their seats. In exchange, they'd give you a $100 voucher for your next flightand a first class seat in the plane leaving an hour later.About eight people ran up to the counter to take advantage of the offer. About 15 seconds later all eight of those people sat down grumpily as the lady behind the ticket counter said: "If there is anyone else OTHER than the flight crew who'd like to volunteer, please step forward..." "Cash, check or charge?" I asked, after folding items the woman wished to purchase. As she fumbled for her wallet I noticed a remote control for a television set in her purse."So, do you always carry your TV remote?" I asked.'No," she replied, "but my husband refused to come shopping with me, so I figured this was the most legal evil thing I could do to him." Boss: You got your hair cut on company time. Susie: It grew on company time. Boss: Not all that hair. Susie: I didn't get it all cut. *****************	Community Interest Weekly **Parade of Stars** Winners Marilyn Martin and her team members work to bring this to AdlandPro each week. INTRODUCING TO YOU OUR 17TH "SHINING STAR", ROBERT DEL NERO ROBERT is a great guy that has many interests! One thing he is interested in is helping other people to succeed to a better & more positive quality of life. Robert is also interested in saving our environment, so he has started a business selling Solar Dome homes. He is also involved with CitizenRe, which deals with converting homes to Solar power. Please help us Congratulate this awesome gentleman! INTRODUCING TO YOU OUR 18TH "SHINING STAR", GARY SHAW GARY is a great guy, lots of interests including helping others to be successful, mentoring and coaching. He has 1 great forum and 550 friends, helpful and supportive and working hard in his business 'Solutions'. Come and Congratulate Gary INTRODUCING TO YOU OUR 19TH "SHINING STAR", LINDA HUTCHINSON BIZNURSE LINDA is a lovely and caring lady! She has 1 great forum and 854 friends. Some of her interests are nursing, nontoxic, environmental issues, legal nurse consulting, sports, time freedom and working hard in her home business 'Home Fulltime Info' Come and Congratulate this wonderful lady INTRODUCING TO YOU OUR 20TH "SHINING STAR", GEKETA HOLMAN GEKETA is a wonderful sweet amazing lady. WOW! She is in the Spotlight at the moment, recent Woman of Courage Award, our Queen of POTW and now she truly deserves this Shining Star Award! She has 1 great forum, 308 friends, is very supportive and helpful, many interests including home schooling her 4 boys, bible research and works hard in her business 'HolmanWorldwideTravel'. Come and Congratulate this lovely lady Written By: RICK MARTIN * * * *THE ART CORNER* * * * If you have been following Rose's Art Exhibition forum, then you are probably already familiar with the name John Sokol. Perhaps you have seen some of his work on book covers, or if you live in Ohio you may even have seen some of his work in the Akron Art Museum or the Canton Museum of Art. Well known as both an artist and writer, John has put together a showing especially for us here at AdlandPro. It is in the 11th Art Exhibition. I just know you are going to love it! The works are in varied mediums from a pen and ink sketch to acrylics to several using tar and varnish. Whether the paintings are of a mythical nature or a whimsical frog painted inside what appears to be a walnut shell rowboat, his work is a delight. You can check it out here Written By: JUDY WOODSON
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Lenders Sought Edge Against U.S. in Student Loans

In a fierce contest to control the student loan market, the nation’s banks and lenders have for years waged a successful campaign to limit a federal program that was intended to make borrowing less costly by having the government provide loans directly to students.

The companies have offered money to universities to pull out of the federal direct loan program, which was championed by the Clinton administration. They went to court to keep the direct program from becoming more competitive. And they benefited from oversight so lax that the Education Department’s assistant inspector general in 2003 called for tightened regulation of lender dealings with universities.

At Indiana University in 2004, for example, Sallie Mae, the nation’s largest student lender, offered $3 million that the university could use for “opportunity loans” to some students if it left the direct loan program. Indiana left the direct loan program but said the $3 million was not the reason; Sallie Mae currently administers their loan program.

Bank of America, which won the University of Virginia’s student loan business, said in its 2002 proposal that certain possible incentives had “the potential to violate” federal law. The bank, which said such a discussion was normal in the bidding process, suggested that it discuss the issues with university officials “during the oral presentation phase of the process.”

All of this has helped give private lenders clear dominance of the $69 billion federal student loan industry. The lenders, who defend these practices, say they are winning business primarily because they offer lower interest rates than the government and often lower fees.

Advocates of the direct loan program say that it has been held back from offering more competitive rates and benefits, and that a very small percentage of students can take advantage of the private rivals’ advertised rates and incentives. They argue that private lenders cost the government vast amounts of money because they are subsidized and guaranteed against default.

President Bush’s budget reports that in 2006 for every $100 lent by private lenders, the cost to the government of subsidies, defaults and other items was $13.81, while the same amount lent through the direct loan program cost the government $3.85. The battle for dominance in the loan market has escalated as tuitions have soared and students have borrowed more. This is the context for many of the payments to universities and financial aid officials that have come to light as a result of recent investigations into student loan practices.

“What has happened is unbridled competition meets lack of oversight,” said Terry W. Hartle, senior vice president at the American Council on Education.

Part of what is generating the competition is that the government runs two loan programs — and universities usually choose to participate in one or the other.

Until the 1990s, the primary program was the federal guaranteed loan program under which private lenders like Citibank, Sallie Mae or Bank of America made the loans to students. They were given a helping hand from the government, which paid subsidies to the lenders and guaranteed them against default.

Bill Clinton campaigned for president on the notion of expanding the federal government’s role as student loan guarantor into a more central position as the direct lender. The idea was that this would prove cheaper and simpler for students and be less costly for taxpayers because borrowers would pay interest to the federal government instead of to the lenders.

The program went into effect in 1994. The Democrats expected it to become dominant. But unwilling to be muscled aside, private lenders began offering schools and students a variety of benefits like scholarship money and lower interest rates and fees.

Tom Joyce, a spokesman for Sallie Mae, said, “The private sector program has better prices, better product selection, better service and better technology.”

For a few years after direct lending went into effect, it grew quickly. But as student loan volume has risen, climbing above $85 billion in 2005-6 from just over $30 billion 10 years earlier, the government’s share as a direct lender has declined, and now amounts to less than a quarter of the total.

“When direct lending was created, the initial assumption was that the bank-based program would be quickly overwhelmed by the government program,” Mr. Hartle said. No one counted on the strength of the reaction from the lending industry, he and others said.

The Education Department fought back. Richard W. Riley, then the secretary of education, tried to make the direct lending program more competitive in 1999 and 2000 by reducing origination fees and interest rates. The private lenders sued, saying Mr. Riley had no authority to do this because these rates were set by Congress under the loan legislation. (Last year, lawmakers set the interest rate on new Stafford loans, one of the most popular federally guaranteed loans, at 6.8 percent; many private lenders offer to reduce that rate for borrowers who make payments on time or meet other goals.)

In response to the lawsuit, the Education Department argued that the public and private loan programs had the power to offer the same terms and conditions, and added that better loan terms would make loans more affordable and thus reduce defaults, benefiting taxpayers.

With the Bush administration more sympathetic to the private market, the lenders withdrew the lawsuit last year, and the direct loan program has offered some of the incentives used by its private rivals.

Katherine McLane, a spokeswoman for Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, said both federal loan programs were “a vital source of funds for student aid.” Ms. McLane said that “through these two programs we have improved students’ and families’ choices by increasing competition, upgrading customer service and lowering costs.”

The Bush administration took virtually no action as lenders offered special pools of money if universities would leave the direct loan program. Lenders, by law, are barred from offering inducements to gain loan applications. But what is an inducement is not entirely clear.

A review by the Education Department’s office of the inspector general in 2003 — prompted by an accusation that Sallie Mae was offering illegal inducements — found that the department had brought only one public action, a case involving Sallie Mae and a college of podiatric medicine in 1995, which an administrative law judge later struck down.

The assistant inspector general, Cathy H. Lewis, who conducted the examination, also noted that the Education Department had not given any updated opinions about what kind of inducements were barred since 1995, even though the competition for loan business had escalated sharply since then. Ms. Lewis expressed concern about “bargaining practices between schools and lenders.” She referred to both the guaranteed loan program and private loans, which like any consumer loan lack government backing. Students increasingly rely on private loans because of limits on borrowing through the federal program.

She wrote that the practices “should be addressed through statutory and regulatory changes or further department guidance.”

Ms. McLane said in an e-mail message that the department had offered no guidance to lenders because it believed it had “no authority over the private loan instruments and market and therefore no guidance could be provided.”

She said the department had begun examining whether there should be new regulations in December.

Republicans in Congress have issued a continuing stream of criticisms about the direct lending program and tried to restrict it in a variety of ways.

Just last year, they voted to give lawmakers the power to cut the budget of the Education Department office that oversees the student loan program — a looming if indirect threat to direct lending. They also made it more difficult for many borrowers with multiple loans to combine them into a single, larger direct loan, effectively making it harder for students to refinance their debts.

“The federal government should be in the business of student loans as the lender of last resort when private lenders can’t offer competitive opportunities,” said Senator Michael B. Enzi, a Wyoming Republican who is the former chairman of the Education Committee.

In the absence of any crackdown on inducements, banks and other lenders showered universities with incentives to leave the direct lending program.

Sallie Mae, for example, offered Pace University in New York City $4 million in loans for students who would not have otherwise qualified if it left the direct loan program, the university said. Pace turned the offer down, a spokesman said. But it did eventually leave the program.

Colleges in the direct lending program were increasingly concerned about its future in the face of growing Republican opposition.

Yvonne Hubbard, director of Student Financial Services at the University of Virginia, said that was one factor that prompted the school to leave the program, along with the better deals being offered by the private lenders.

The university invited lender proposals in 2002 and chose Bank of America for a five-year term. It was in this process that the bank warned that some services under discussion had “the potential to violate” regulations against inducements.

Ms. Hubbard said she had no memory of what that language might have referred to, and a Bank of America spokesman, Joe Miller, said that it was not unusual to use this language in responding to a request to bid for a contract.

Bank of America is the only lender the University of Virginia recommends. The bank handles about 95 percent of the federal student loans at the university. Under the agreement, students who take out subsidized loans through the bank pay no origination or guarantor fees.

Ms. Hubbard said that the university tried to make clear to families that they were free to borrow from anyone but that it also offered this advice: “Take the terms we have negotiated with Bank of America and use this as your baseline, and try get your vendor to at least match it. It’s a good deal.”

Along with the partisan battle over the lending programs has come a fierce argument over their relative costs to taxpayers. Lenders vehemently argue that the direct loan program is in fact more expensive.

With Democrats now in control of Congress, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, and Representative George Miller, Democrat of California, with some bipartisan support, are pushing legislation intended to bolster the direct loan program.

Many Republicans are determined to defend private lenders. “I don’t want a few problems to be the excuse for the Democrats to put the federal government in charge of all student lending in the United States,” said Representative Ric Keller of Florida, the ranking Republican on the higher education subcommittee.