Daily Lumina News 041923

Undocumented students often live in the shadows, awaiting recognition and assistance. Nationwide, just 2 percent of undocumented students are enrolled in postsecondary education.
In California, multiple universities and community colleges are opening "dream resource centers" to help undocumented students navigate financial aid, find career resources, and access legal and mental health support. Advocates say these centers set students up for success by creating a sense of belonging.

Leaders from business, government, philanthropy, and nonprofits gathered recently to discuss and debate an important issue: How do we ensure that everyone has equal access to the opportunities created by economic growth, and how do we make sure that growth is done responsibly?
Education is one of the fundamental building blocks to answering that question. Ida Rademacher of the Aspen Institute explains more in this interview.

An emerging debate over plans to arm some George Washington University police officers on the D.C. campus near the White House shows enduring tensions over how best to protect college communities nationwide from gun violence.
On one side are administrators who argue that they need every possible tool to prevent mass shootings and respond to fast-moving threats. On the other are students and neighbors who are often suspicious of police and contend that an armed force would not make them feel safer.

Everyone is worried about students’ mental health. What can colleges actually do to help?
Three researchers offer lessons learned from new research focused on eight colleges. Their core message is that administrators should start small, experiment with interventions, frequently assess how students feel about the interventions, and change course as needed.

Apprenticeships that enable young people to learn job skills while working and drawing a salary are nothing new in Europe. There, they sometimes take the place of college in preparing students for well-paying jobs, or they may serve as a steppingstone to advanced university training.
In the United States, though, apprenticeships have traditionally centered on construction trades such as carpentry and plumbing, and many are run through unions rather than by companies. But that’s changing.

For decades, affirmative action has served as an essential tool for colleges to increase diversity on campus. Now, with the U.S. Supreme Court seemingly poised to ban the practice, higher education leaders are scrambling to mitigate the fallout and come up with strategies to accomplish diversity goals.
College officials are wary of sharing detailed plans ahead of the expected ruling. But experts say colleges are hoping to send a message that their doors are open to students of all backgrounds, and that there will be supportive communities awaiting them.