Daily Lumina News 051820

Like the rest of the higher education landscape, college programs in prisons must rethink how they teach their students during the coronavirus.
While some facilities still allow educators in as essential staff, many are temporarily pivoting to remote learning for students’ safety, despite “variable” access to technology.

For most policymakers, Adam Ramsdell, 40, probably doesn’t resemble the stereotypical first-time college student. He’s older and independent, not a teenager living in a dorm and relying on his parents’ support. But Ramsdell represents a common college student demographic.
With the pandemic shutting down many job opportunities, working students like Ramsdell are often left with an impossible choice: focus on education but lack money for food, or work enough hours to meet Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility but compromise their education.

Despite leaving campus, many students are continuing—even expanding on—their service-learning projects. Motivated to help, and with time to spare, they’ve figured out ways to connect with children, senior citizens, and other people in the community who may be lonely or need support.

Northeastern University had always been a reach for Henry Huynh. After initially attending a public college, the first-generation student from Boston finally got into his dream school. "It changed my life," he says.
A year later, the coronavirus changed his life again.
Huynh plans to enroll in the fall semester—his financial aid depends on it—but his heart just isn’t in his online studies. For first-generation and low-income students like Huynh, taking a semester or a year off—to work or to wait for a more stable outlook—could mean they never graduate.