Daily Lumina News 112322

Colleges have long said that having a diverse student body provides educational benefits for all students. The idea is central to the cases that Harvard College and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are making in favor of race-conscious admissions before the U.S. Supreme Court.
But what does the research say about how a racially diverse student body affects academic performance in college? A new study adds to the still-emerging body of evidence on the subject.

Today's college students include adults going back to school, students transferring from other schools, and veterans with years of military service. Many are raising families. Most are working at least one job. And some are studying while incarcerated or re-entering after serving time.
In this video, Genevieve Garcia Kendrick of the Institute for Higher Education Policy examines the diverse lives of today's learners.

Massachusetts lawmakers have tried for nearly two decades to pass legislation that lets undocumented immigrants who are state residents pay in-state tuition rates at the state’s public colleges and universities.
Advocates argue it's about tuition equity, not free tuition. To get an idea of the savings that tuition equity would represent for these undocumented students, in-state tuition at UMass Boston for 2022-23 is a little over $15,000 and roughly $36,000 for out-of-state students.

Increasingly, colleges and universities are opting to celebrate Native American Heritage Month in lieu of or in addition to any Thanksgiving celebrations.
Events range from lessons on local tribes’ histories to tutorials on Indigenous arts. Some colleges have started offering alternative Thanksgiving celebrations, where students can come together to share a meal and learn about the history of the holiday beyond the conventions of a “traditional” Thanksgiving gathering.

The pain of a national teacher shortage is not felt evenly across the country, with high-poverty school districts struggling to fill more open positions than higher-income ones.
When districts can’t find teachers, students suffer. Amid shortages, schools sometimes cut more advanced subjects like upper-level math classes. Students without access to these classes can’t demonstrate those skills to scholarships and colleges, putting them at a distinct disadvantage.

The email was a godsend for Chris H. Caton. After four years of waiting, the U.S. Department of Education agreed he’d been defrauded by WyoTech, a career school owned by Corinthian Colleges. The news entitled Caton to the full cancellation of his federal student loans.
Little did Caton know he’d still be waiting more than a year later for the loans to be wiped away.