In this week's roundup:
student loan relief could be on the way, transfer enrollment has declined and affirmative action may be at risk.
April 28- May 4
- President Biden will be making a decision on student loan relief within the coming weeks. The President said he will be “taking a hard look at” student loan relief, whether it is $10,000 or more to be forgiven.
- A poll from Pew Research finds that a majority of people don’t think race or gender should matter in college admissions. These findings come ahead of the Supreme Court’s decision on the future of affirmative action.
- Fewer students are transferring from 2-year colleges to 4-year institutions according to data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. The decline appeared across different age groups, gender and race.
- New data from the National College Attainment Network found that FAFSA renewals had decreased by 12%, which amounted to nearly 900,000 students. This data suggests a decline in student enrollment for the 2022-23 school year.
- Community colleges are hoping to eliminate negative stereotypes by dropping the word “community” from their names. Pikes Peak Community College in Colorado was renamed Pikes Peak State College in the hope of changing the perception of community colleges as lesser-quality education.
- The Department of Education will review its Title IX proposal this May, one month later than originally planned. The new draft will include regulation to protect gay and transgender students.
- Henderson State University will cut 67 faculty jobs, more than half of which are tenured professors due to financial reasons. The Arkansas institution will also be cutting certain majors including English, history and political science.
- Dr. David Sabatini will not be joining New York University’s faculty following backlash from students and faculty members. The biologist had previously resigned from MIT following accusations of sexual harassment.
- A bill in California could lead to student-athletes being paid, which conflicts with the current ban from the NCAA. The College Athlete Race and Gender Equity Act requires that student-athletes are paid if the team generates more revenue than what is being spent on scholarships.
- “Free speech zones” on Georgia public college campuses will be eliminated after a new law was signed by Governor Brian Kemp. Georgia has become the 22nd state to ban free speech zones.
