Daily Lumina News 102121

Student debt has reached a crisis point for many borrowers, yet research shows that Black borrowers face far greater hurdles when it comes to paying back their student loans.
As the Biden administration prepares to restart student loan payments after a pause during the pandemic, a new report is calling on lawmakers to cancel student debt and put in place college-affordability measures that will help Black borrowers.

What many people know about the "Operation Varsity Blues" college admissions scandal is that rich families paid their way into America’s top schools. They may not know about John Vandemoer.
The former Stanford University sailing coach says he was collateral damage in the larger crackdown—and never took any money for himself. He explains on this episode of 1A. Scott Galloway, a professor at New York University, joins the conversation to discuss the state of higher education today.

Thousands of teachers, nurses, and other public servants are learning they could have some of their federal student loan debts erased months—and even years—earlier than expected.
The news comes after the U.S. Department of Education announced that it would overhaul the troubled Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, giving borrowers a retroactive waiver from some of its toughest rules.

Even before the pandemic, young people across New York State found themselves graduating high school ill prepared for college or the workforce.
In this op-ed, Dia Bryant of The Education Trust–New York and Lazar Treschan of Here to Here contend that New York City's new mayor must provide a clear path to college and career opportunities for all students—beginning in the sixth grade.

The question of how much more money should be provided for higher education is one of many points currently up for debate among Democrats and President Joe Biden.
In this interview, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona weighs in on student debt, revamping federal processes to better support borrowers, and putting students at the center of college-affordability conversations.

As Congress remains mired in weeks of negotiations surrounding the potential $3.5 trillion spending bill, one measure still being debated stands above the rest: Pell Grants.
Joseph Castro, chancellor of the California State University, credits the Pell Grant for putting him on a pathway to college. Now, he says, it's time for legislators to double it so that more students not only apply to college but also succeed.