Daily Lumina News 101923

Reverberations from the war between Israel and Hamas are shaking U.S. higher education as the conflict spills out onto campuses across the nation, pitting protesting students against one another and forcing college presidents to take a stand on a conflict thousands of miles away.
Statements on the Israel attacks draw criticism from both sides. But should commenting on complicated geopolitical events be part of a college leader’s mandate?

Fentanyl test strips and naloxone are more and more common on college campuses, and at least one health department has recommended they be added to school packing lists. For students who don't bring their own, many campuses are handing them out at welcome fairs, orientation events, or campus health centers.
The scene is becoming a new reality for today's college students as schools face a drug crisis unlike any other.

Professor David Hinson is part of a sweeping higher ed change shaped by a pandemic that showed professors and students the possibilities of online education, as well as its limitations. Surveys reveal that a growing number of college students now want to take some of their courses fully or partially online. Faculty members aren’t far behind.
But is higher education ready? Online teaching, after all, requires a different mix of skills and setups. Classrooms might need to be outfitted with new equipment. Instructors and students must be able to use the necessary tools.

After Carl Wieman won the Nobel Prize in 2001 for, as he puts it, “shining lasers on atoms” in a new way, he decided to shift his research focus to studying how to improve teaching and learning outcomes.
In this interview, Wieman describes what he is doing to make teaching today more useful—and more equitable.

Students applying to colleges now are the first class to deal with the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn race-conscious admissions. For many high school students, this annual rite of passage is now trickier than ever to navigate.
Many students hope to use the college essay as a way to distinguish themselves. Three seniors from diverse backgrounds explain the personal effect of the high court's decision—and the new role the college essay plays in their future.

As the United States faces an “unprecedented mental health crisis,” community colleges across North Carolina are working to bolster their resources for students.
For many of the state’s 58 community colleges, that work includes training for faculty and staff, along with holistic, wrap-around resources for students.