Daily Lumina News 091922

When single moms are college students, complications and barriers abound. The risk is great as they try to raise children, provide financially, and succeed as a student. But if they earn a degree, so is the reward.
Four community colleges are working to make that happen as part of a project that provides extra support specifically tailored to the challenges parent learners encounter.

Austin’s housing crisis is taking a toll on community college students, as many struggle to pay rent and face homelessness.
Student leaders of the Austin Community College Student Government Association are ramping up efforts to raise awareness about housing insecurity and the solutions needed to better support current and future students.

A short-lived federal program to combine the student loans of married couples has trapped scores of borrowers in loans that are ineligible for debt relief initiatives, including the Biden administration's recently announced loan cancellation plan.
House Democrats are now a step closer to passing legislation to let borrowers split their joint consolidation loans, giving them a new path toward debt relief. The House is scheduled to vote tomorrow on the Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act, which was approved by the Senate in June.

Twelve years ago, Sam Fanning graduated from Eastern Michigan University and began working there as a janitor to start paying off his $35,000 student-loan debt.
Fanning is in an altogether better place today. In this interview, he reflects on his career transitions, plus Biden’s announcement on student-loan forgiveness.

Yahel Flores first came to the United States from Mexico with his family as a young boy. Twenty-one years later, he’s a father and an advocate for Latino business owners through the American Business Immigration Coalition.
But his immigration status continues to remain uncertain. In the coming weeks, the future of more than 600,000 U.S. residents like Flores will be determined by a federal appeals court.

President Joe Biden's student loan relief plan could fully erase the debts of an estimated 20 million borrowers. Emphasis on "could," because, with the exception of some 8 million borrowers who already have income information on file with the U.S. Education Department, everyone else must fill out an application attesting to their income before any debts can be canceled.
Millions of borrowers are anxiously awaiting that mysterious application, expected in October. U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona offers insight on what to expect.