Daily Lumina News 032024

For many colleges, awarding scholarships designated for students from underrepresented racial backgrounds is one prong of a larger strategy to try to diversify their campuses. Such programs aim to ensure that cost is not a barrier for students of color, many of whom come from low-income families.
Those commitments are now being called into question as critics of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts put more pressure on institutions to change how they dole out financial aid.

Across the country, college counselors are fielding questions from teenagers alarmed, encouraged, or simply confused by what seems like the return of the standardized test in admissions—maybe? Sort of? In some places, but not in others?
The patchwork of policies is wreaking havoc on applicants, parents, and college admissions consultants nationwide, who are being forced to recalculate where and how they are willing to apply—or what to tell anxious teenagers about whether to test, retest, or skip testing entirely—as decisions keep rolling out in real time.

In August 2022, a state initiative to help children from low-income families save money for college or a career was launched to great fanfare. But there's one key issue: The California Kids Investment and Development Savings program (CalKIDS) isn't being utilized because eligible families lack awareness about its existence.
Fresno Unified, one of the state’s largest school districts, hopes to change their perception.

Born and raised in the Jim Crow South, Walter Massey often felt torn between his love of physics and a pull to contribute to the struggle for racial equity in America.
That conviction would shape his career. Massey thrust himself into supporting Black students at a time when colleges around the country were adjusting to court-ordered integration. He bolstered education at underserved high schools to better prepare aspiring Black scientists for the rigor of college. And he helped establish the National Society of Black Physicists, which has grown to support thousands of students and professionals in the field.

From the emergence of generative AI to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn affirmative action, countless changes are raising major questions that strike at the very core of higher education. What is the value of a degree in today's economy? How do new technologies impact learning and instruction? Can institutions stay true to their mission and maintain their diversity and equity goals given new rules and regulations?
Those questions are creating a new reality for colleges and universities, forcing many to prioritize agility and adaptation.

Alexandra Aranda considers her time as a freshman at Texas A&M University a resounding success. But as she heads into her sophomore year, her future may not be so certain.
Aranda’s ability to continue her studies relies on a single form: the FAFSA—the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. She is among millions of students worried about their ability to attend college in the fall since they don’t know how much financial help—if any—they’ll receive.