Daily Lumina News 060221

Richard Fishburn wants to finish his college degree. But those dreams are on hold until he pays an overdue tuition bill that has ballooned to thousands more than he originally owed.
Public colleges have sent hundreds of thousands of students around the country to private debt collection agencies, and the spiraling debt held there now totals more than half a billion dollars. For many students, the financial burden makes it impossible for them to return to college and earn degrees that could get them good jobs.

More than 36 million Americans can claim some college but no degree. Luke Evans is one of them. With more than 60 credits to his name, Evans’ story illustrates many of the pressures—and some of the solutions—to college attrition.
There are many reasons why students stop short of completing their degrees, but colleges can take steps to help their students make it to graduation. This includes early career guidance, clear transfer pathways, accessible gateway courses, and more flexible degree plans.

Community colleges have long been seen as an opportunity for students of all backgrounds to earn a degree or credential. But those same students, especially students of color, have been some of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. And many have had to drop out.
Now, college administrators are hoping to get these students back on track, connecting them to free tuition programs, transportation, financial assistance for child care, mental health counseling, and more.

As college students across the country continue to confront the financial fallout of the pandemic and recession, emergency financial aid from the federal government is providing a much-needed lifeline to keep many of them fed, clothed, and in school.
But some institutions are now asking what's next—and how to keep students from falling back into emergency financial situations once the money goes away and the need resurfaces.

For American teenagers looking for work, this may be the best summer in years. As companies try to go from hardly staffed to fully staffed practically overnight, teens appear to be winning out more than any demographic group.
Some educators, however, warn that jobs could distract from school. And while employment can itself offer learning opportunities, the most recent wave of hiring has been led by white teens, raising concerns that young people from minority groups might miss out on a hot summer labor market.

While the availability of COVID-19 vaccines means a return to more normal life for most people, many of the 2.7 million students enrolled in California colleges and universities are having trouble finding their way back onto campus, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
For low-income, first-generation college students like Daniel Alvarado, life as the pandemic recedes remains a struggle—one that could derail dreams of earning a diploma, or force them to reassess plans for their future careers.