Daily Lumina News 070821

There is no doubt that students at Howard University will benefit from having access to Nikole Hannah-Jones and her deep well of knowledge and experience. But the truth is that people—young and not-so-young, students and no-longer-students—are already learning from the Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist.
They are learning that it’s not enough to just be allowed to sit at the table. They are learning that the burden of fixing broken systems shouldn’t fall to those who have been hurt most by that brokenness. And they are learning that it’s okay to know—and declare—their worth.

College administrators are finding a variety of ways to bring a personal touch to their work on college campuses. Michael Lovell, president of Marquette University in Milwaukee, is known for inviting students to join him on his daily runs. Claudia Schrader of Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, New York, makes routine visits to incoming students outside their homes or workplaces.
These efforts at connecting with students—and being seen as more approachable and accessible—are all the more popular and appreciated at a time when many students say they feel isolated from their campuses.

As a student at Kingsbury High School in Memphis, José Ayala says many of his male friends would miss class to work. For them, a day’s pay was more valuable than a day of school. Eventually, some of them dropped out and took jobs, primarily in construction and roofing.
The lure of full-time jobs is one reason Hispanic boys in Memphis leave high school early and have historically had one of the lowest graduation rates in Shelby County Schools. Other factors include the lack of Hispanic role models among teachers and school staff.

While most analysts and politicians across the political spectrum believe we have a student debt problem, there is no similar consensus in their various proposals on how to deal with it, writes author and columnist Andre Perry in this opinion piece.
Perry argues that much of the debate revolves around how much student loan debt should be discharged. However, it’s the “who” in policy that determines many budgetary considerations. Understanding the impact of student debt on specific groups can shed light on how much we should cancel overall, he says.