NASW-IL Student Network Update - November 2026
Brandon Ebert, 2026–2027 NASW-IL Student Social Work Intern
Hello all, Brandon Ebert, this year's NASW-Illinois Chapter social work intern coming to you live from the post-Bluenami world (and doesn’t it feel oh so sweet?). Let us take a moment to celebrate this not-so-small win as we push into the holiday season. A record breaking 6 social work degree holders will be taking office in Springfield come the new year. Take some time to read about these elected officials here, and for students looking for macro field placements over the coming months, consider reaching out to elected officials in your area. Our presence is long overdue within the electoral sphere. You can reach out to intern.naswil@socialworkers.org if this is an interest of yours, but you are not sure where to begin.
I want to quickly update you all on some important actions occurring within the social work realm, as well as discuss this year's student liaison program.
On a positive note, at the end of October, the Trump administration dropped its appeal in a legal battle over Public Service Loan Forgiveness. The PSLF is a federal loan forgiveness program that enables qualified nonprofit employees to have their loans forgiven after meeting certain qualifications within the professional workforce. To learn more about this ruling, see the link here. For those wanting to learn more about the PSLF, see the official programs website here.
Unfortunately, this ruling does not affect the ruling that went into effect this summer, which limits social work students from aggregating more than $100,000 in student loans over the course of their higher educational pursuits. To voice your concerns, follow this link here.
In other news, the CSWE just recently released their national EPAS, which would go into effect in 2029. I suggest you all take some time to review this document, which shows a side-by-side comparison of the differences between the current EPAS and those going into effect in 2029. If you are compelled to do so, I recommend writing to CSWE through their public comment box, which can be found here. Comments will be accepted through November 20 at 11:59 p ET.
Lastly, I would like to give major shoutout to all the students who attended last month's NASW-IL Student Liaison meeting. Liaisons were given the opportunity to voice their current concerns with the high volume of unpaid work being asked of social work students pursuing their BSW and MSW degrees. Work within the student-led committee will be held monthly, with bi-weekly subcommittee meetings based on students' interests. The group will spend the year striving to increase paid placement opportunities for social work students throughout the state.
Does this work sound interesting to you? Apply to become a liaison here.
Well, that is all for this month folks. I hope you all are taking good care of yourselves and if there is information you would like to be covered in these monthly newsletters, please email intern.naswil@socialworkers.org with the subject line “Student E-Blast Submission”.
Peace.
