In this week's roundup:
The Biden administration announces their Student Loan Debt Plan, college leaders address gun violence, and the aftermath of the Supreme Court abortion decision continues to affect college campuses in states with strict laws.
August 18–24
- The Biden administration announced their Student Loan Debt Plan, which will cancel up to $20,000 in federal student loan debt for students who received Pell Grants, and $10,000 for those who didn’t receive Pell Grants. The forgiveness will apply to those who make less than $125,00 per year. In addition, the plan extends the pause on student loan payments through Dec. 31, 2022. Finally, payment plans based on income can be capped at 5% of the borrower’s monthly income.
- A new report highlights the affordability gap faced by students who are also parents. Depending on the state, students may face high tuition costs with low minimum wages to cover both college tuition and child care.
- A lawsuit has been filed by seven professors and students targeting a new Florida law that restricts instruction on race and gender. The lawsuit has received support from the American Civil Liberties Union.
- College leaders in the Washington, D.C., area have joined forces to address gun violence. The 120 Initiative is made up of institutions in the D.C. metro area who plan to combine their resources to find practical, fact-based solutions and approaches to address the issue.
- Students returning to institutions in Indiana, Ohio, Texas and others will not have access to abortion following the Supreme Court decision earlier in the summer. Institutions such as Ohio State University say the ruling does not affect services provided by their medical center. Depending on the state, students may have more difficulty accessing abortion care.
- A new bipartisan bill proposed by CA Rep. Jim Costa could give four-year regional public universities in distressed areas federal grants up to $50 million. The money would go towards, “economic and community development efforts under newly introduced bipartisan legislation.”
- A report from the Education Advisory Board shows that parents and guardians of prospective students want to hear directly from potential institutions. The survey also demonstrated the group’s concern about cost and value.
- The Academic Freedom Alliance released a statement on Aug. 22, calling for higher education institutions to stop requiring diversity statements as conditions of employment or promotion.
- It’s On Us, an organization working to prevent campus sexual assault, released a report based on interviews of male college students showing that “male college students aren’t aware of the extent of sexual violence on campus and feel separated from its effects.” Many of the respondents blamed a lack of training as the main culprit for this ignorance.
