Grades Don't Matter Video

This is a video that has been posted around Facebook that I feel connects to our class in regard to the discussions we've been having about what exactly grades mean and stand for. It's pretty eye opening...

Helping Black Males Succeed as Students

This article was interesting to me being that I have had a previous background working in a program that focuses on helping minority students excel, Upward Bound. Reading this article, I began to draw the comparison to that program and the mission that it has. Whether or not this program through community colleges has been around longer than those apart of the TRIO program, I believe it is still important to highlight the approach of these community colleges.

The community colleges association list about 77 programs targeted toward helping minority males succeed.

Does this program seem different or equally successful as other programs?
Voice your opinion!

http://chronicle.com/article/Helping-Black-Men-Succeed-as/138751/

Teaching to the test

Greetings!

The following article is the piece I was referring to during class today. It mentions how teaching to the test can cause teachers to feel pressured to come up with desired results by any means necessary. It also briefly touches on the politics of the education system in public schools. Let me know what you think and possibly make suggestions to what we can do to fix this issue in our school system.

http://www.dailyillini.com/opinion/columns/article_24551602-a189-11e2-a37e-0019bb30f31a.html

After Boston Bombing, Fears of Backlash Against Muslim Students

After much coverage in the media, this article discusses the feelings and anxiety felt by Muslim students across the country. They fear that this incident will perpetuate stereotypes against them. Many Muslim students and their advocates are anxious that their actions will be labeled as "suspicious" much like after the 9/11 attacks. In this article, some Muslim students voice concerns of having to answer for the actions of the terrorists.

After Boston Bombing, Fears of Backlash Against Muslim Students
This article has me thinking about campus climate for Muslim students. What are your thoughts on how we can support these students and their advocates? How can we make these students feel safer and help to not perpetuate stereotypes?

Diversifying Study Abroad...

The article I read was published in 2008 and talks about data on profiles of study abroad students focusing on racial minority groups from 1993/94 to 2005/06.  In 2005/06, the percentage of Caucasians studying abroad was 83%, Asian-Americans was 6.3%, Hispanic Americans was 5.4%, African-Americans was 3.5%, multiracial was 1.2% and Native American was .6%.  These numbers were only slight increases from 1993/94.  I was just curious about what more recent percentages looked like, so I visited the Open Doors reports online and for 2010/11, the profiles of study abroad students based on racial backgrounds are:
White: 77.8%
Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: 7.9%
Hispanic or Latino(a): 6.9%
Black or African-American: 4.8%
Multiracial: 2.1%
American Indian or Alaska Native: .5%

So, as you can see, the most recent numbers have only slightly increased over a span of 5 years.  This article caused me to reflect on a recent conference I attended on April 1 & 2: the Inaugural Diversity Abroad Conference.  While this article gives some possible reasons why the interest from minority students isn't there, it was clear to me from sessions at the conference that we're (Study Abroad Offices) may not be necessarily doing everything we can to break down barriers/myths for ALL students who might be interested in studying abroad.  One particular session was focused on the ethics of marketing to a diverse audience, and the presenter encouraged more multicultural marketing, or rather, a more differentiated approach.  She said that through this we employ knowledge of and respect for general cultural touch points.  She also asked her audience this question:

Are our own concerns about offending students holding us back? And what can we do about it?

• Acknowledge we all have biases and perceptions of others, but that we should not act on them.
• Ask underrepresented students for their ideas and opinions.
• Tailor marketing to appeal to different groups, but recognize students of similar backgrounds are not necessarily monolithic.
• Become comfortable with your discomforts and act based on what's best for the student.
• Give yourself permission to reach out.

This was just one example of many the presenter gave as somewhere to start that may result in an increase in participation of minority groups in study abroad.  Does anyone else have ideas of other strategies that could diversify study abroad?

Click here for article

"Keeping Quiet in Family"

This article in Inside HigherEd mirrors what we talked about on Monday in regards to women faculty members and the tenure vs. biological clock. Research found women academics hide their pregnancy or nursing status in a job interview. Angela K. Lewis, the person who authored this study, made a good point in that the department climate will greatly affect whether women who want children will be able to have children  without repercussions from the department. Do you think this issue will affect the number of women who pursue doctoral degrees? What do you think society values more...women gaining tenure and thereby contributing to knowledge creation or starting and raising families?

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/04/09/study-shows-women-political-science-sometimes-play-down-family-while-job-hunting

African American Woman With College Degree Pretends To Be White & Job Offers Skyrocket!

Greetings Colleagues,

Recently, I came across a video that really made me question whether there is really equality in the workplace: Yolanda Spivey is an African American woman who was unemployed for two years. Despite having a decade's worth of experience in the insurance industry and a college degree, she had applied to and was turned down for over 300 jobs. Spivey wrote in a Techyville that as an experiment, she first started "declining to state" her ethnicity on Monster.com's Diversity Questionnaire, but that had no effect. Spivey then created a fake profile, with identical information, except her fictitious job candidate was white, and was aptly named "Bianca White" Suddenly, responses from employers came pouring in. How do you think this connects to higher education? If students realized that their job opportunities in the workplace were limited after attaining a degree, would that affect student enrollment in higher eduction for particular student groups? The link to the video is below. Let me know what you think....

http://youtu.be/9MktF3WLuso

Senator proposes, then withdrawals bill tying welfare benefits to student academic performance

Came across this and found it to be interesting. Senator Stacey Campfield proposed a bill to tie welfare benefits to students academic performance. Although the bill was ultimately withdrawn the implications of such a bill are problematic on many different levels as it specifically targets economically disadvantaged students, further stratifying those who have the means, resources, or capital from those who do not. Thoughts?

"A Low Cost Way to Expand the Horizons of High Achieving, Low Income Students"

Similar to Suzi's post, I found a recent article posted on The Chronicle of Higher Ed. explains research conducted regarding low income students that score in the top 10 percent of their class, yet are in the bottom quarter financially, and their college application/admission process. These students often "undermatch" when applying for schools, because they don't think they can get into, or afford, more selective institutions that match their high academic level.

The two researchers of this study compiled a list of almost 40,000 students and placed them into a control group, and an "intervention" group. Those that received the "intervention' received more than usual college brochures, information and applications to apply than the control group received. The study found that just by sending these students more information they were 19 percent more likely to apply to more selective institutions, tended to apply to schools with an 86 point increase of SAT score requirements, and were 78 percent more likely to actually be admitted to a school that suited their high achieving academic needs.

 While this is all rainbows and butterflies serving as an inexpensive way to encourage low income students to actually apply and be admitted to these selective institutions, my concern is what happens after they get in? How do they afford these highly selective schools? What is being done to ensure once they're admitted, support is given to actually make it feasible for them to enroll?

I find this very interesting because many pieces we've read this semester argue that we need to find better ways to support and offer higher education to low income students and then help them learn and develop throughout college. But what about these low income, yet brilliant and high achieving students who don't need assistance throughout college, just assistance getting in to college (like Cedric) who just can't afford college, yet can academically keep up? This also reminded me of LaTisha (I believe it was her character) who was in the top of her class, like Cedric, but "undermatched" by going to a small no-name school near her home because she couldn't afford a place like Brown.

• What are your thoughts to the questions I posed above?
• What can be done after the students have been encouraged to apply, to encourage them to enroll?
• Does this article/study solve the dilemma of low income, yet high achieving students under matching their applications? 
• Overall thoughts?

California Scorecards. Should they be used for 4-year institutions?

I found this article interesting as it relates to higher education and looking at diversity. California community colleges are using this new system to tracking student's performance. The scorecards are said to be a  "new data tool is user-friendly and often sobering, with graduation, retention and transfer rates for each of the colleges and for the overall system, which enrolls 2.4 millions students."

What do you all think? Will this serve as a statistical data set to revamp the higher education system?

Voice your opinion!

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/04/10/california-community-colleges-release-completion-scorecards

Low-income, high-achieving students and their college-going rates

We have talked about over and under matching the implications of those phenomena. Low-income, high-achieving students are not even applying to selective institutions. A relatively cheap program was created to educate students on cost, graduation rates, and give application fee waivers. The students in the program ended up applying to more schools and schools at their preparation level and having success at their institutions. I think that this program has value, but I believe Kezar would say that this does not deconstruct and reconstruct programs that help to gain better access for students. 

Thoughts about this program? There is something to be said about attempting to improve to the capital of low-income students and I do think that the program helps with that. 

Interested to see different perspectives about this program. I would like to see these results replicated.

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/04/01/research-suggests-top-colleges-could-attract-many-more-high-achieving-low-income

At Final Four, NCAA Faces Renewed Questions About Its Role

This post is in response to Jasmine and Dr. Baber's piece on sports at the university level. Although multiple institutions have sports sponsored by the NCAA, the NCAA has been facing a few questions recently. Recent problems have stirred debate about the proper role of the NCAA, and ruffled feathers among many athletic directors, who say they have largely been ignored in discussions involving potentially big changes. Let me know what you think!!

Best,

Marques J. Burris










http://chronicle.com/blogs/players/at-final-four-ncaa-faces-renewed-questions-about-its-role/32749

Athletics and Students

Following up on Jasmine's post about student-athletes and education, David Zirin writes about the extension of commericalism in college athletics. He specifically refers to the Ed O'Bannon vs. NCAA case being heard later this year. It offers interesting commentary on equity and sports.

The link:

http://www.edgeofsports.com/2013-04-03-826/index.html

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: Unintended Consequences of Fulfilling the Dream

Consistent with the Perez et. al piece from March 25, Diverse Issues in Higher Education takes a look at the challenges that exist with being an undocumented student, working toward a post-secondary degree in America. After the Dream Act failed to pass Congress, President Obama started the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program through Homeland Security. The Deferred Action for Childhood arrivals program provides work permits to students under the ago of 31 that can prove that they have been in the U.S since 16 years of age. Applicants to this program have to either be enrolled in school, have graduated, earned a G.E.D. or have served in the military(Homeland Security).

The article, Many States Fight Immigration Overhaul for Youth sheds light on the states that have made it difficult for young people who through this program, have an opportunity to pursue post-secondary education. Some states welcomed students who have taken advantage of this opportunity, offering in-state tuition. However, other states have made it difficult by enacting policies that disenfranchise immigrant students and make it difficult to reach the necessary milestones and requirements to attain a post-secondary degree.. Here are a few examples of what states such as Florida and Michigan have done to make access to post-secondary education extremely difficult and next to impossible for immigrant students:

1. No financial aid at all, charged full out --of --state tuition even if you live in-state
2. No drivers licence
3. In some states, an immigrant student is considered lawful for community colleges, but not state institutions

Given our conversation about access to higher education for immigrant Latino students in class, how do you believe this new policy though well meaning, places immigrant students in a position that may not be as advantageous as once thought?

Also think about the Anderson piece (Feb 4 class) on the impact of Brown vs. Board as you consider your response.

What is your definition of globalization?

Dear classmates,

In Rizvi and Lingard's piece, The OECD and Global Shifts in Education Policy, they mention that globalization is a subjective phenomena (441). I am wondering what you all think globalization is?

Best,
Amira

This is an interesting article about the lack of diversity among international students. The author discusses SES diversity and diversity in field of study. Thoughts?

http://qz.com/71062/international-students-are-making-us-universities-more-homogenous-not-more-global/?goback=.gde_1314847_member_229717218

Do You Lose the Education of Athletes in the Madness of March?

I am not sure if anyone else is an avid fan of college hoops like me, but in the wake of the NCAA championship game (Go CARDS!) I can't help but wonder about the academic success of students in such high-profile sports. Furthermore, many Division 1 institutions have men's athletic teams that are predominantly comprised of African American students who traditionally have lower grades and graduation rates than their white peers. This article sheds a little bit of light into the challenges that student athletes face. What are the implications for students of color? http://www.higheredjobs.com/higheredcareers/interviews.cfm?ID=421

Jackson State University attempts to reach non-black enrollment goals

I intended to post this article a few months back. It touches on Jackson State's attempt to reach a 10% non black enrollment goal as a result of the Ayers v. Fordice decision in 2002. JSU is opening a satellite campus in a predominantly white town in MS in order to make their school more accessible to other racial groups. What are your thoughts on mandated diversity goals?

http://diverseeducation.com/article/50888/

Undocumented students push for higher education

Saw this article this morning on diverseeducation.com regarding undocumented students and their pursuit of higher education. What are your thoughts on undocumented students and their rights?


http://diverseeducation.com/article/52380/

Imposter Syndrome

Thought this article was interesting. I do not think that I have felt this way but I do appreciate the honest writing that describes the pressures and anxieties that do exist.

http://chronicle.com/article/An-Academic-With-Impostor/138231/

The missing student

In this news article from Inside Higher Ed, a new study is highlighted that talks about inexpensive ways to attract low-income, high achieving students (aka the missing student) to apply to competitive colleges (I think these would equivalent to the SEL I, A's in Bowen's book).  Some of the suggestions were application fee waivers and lots of information/education about the cost of that education.  The study focus mostly on applying to college and not necessarily admission.  In the news article, you will find a link to the PDF for the study, which comes out of Stanford.  Thoughts?

The Missing Student

Science and....Women?

I came across this incident a few days after it happened and while it made me upset, I can't say I'm surprised. A female blogger who posts all things "hard" science on her FaceBook page posted a link to her twitter account on her Facebook. Her twitter account revealed that she was female. Her Facebook account gave no indication as to her gender. Her page is called "I F***ing Love Science" and it is an opportunity for her to engage society with science information. What was upsetting but not surprising were the comments made after people found out she was female. Many people responded saying they were shocked to find out she was female. Others were shocked that people assumed she was male. I am unsure of how many Facebook "likes" she had before this incident but currently, she has 4.4 million likes. This tells me that she was popular way before this incident. The article below explains the incident and gives links to her Twitter and Facebook page (Check out March 20th on her Facebook page) and the author makes a good point that we can't be too sure why people were surprised to find out the blogger was female. The author suggests it could have been the humor or cussing on the blog, or it could be the science. Either way, I think the comments of her followers bring to light the stereotypes of women in the hard sciences. It is incidences like these that make it easier to understand why women would not want to major in a STEM field and consequently, why female undergraduates do not have role models in the STEM fields that they can look to for support. As a future practitioner in academic advising in a hard science, it will be important for me to understand the female students and their particular experiences in a male-dominated field. 

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/03/22/new-online-debate-over-women-and-science

A few questions to think about:

How can we, as practitioners or researchers, individually and systemically help to debunk the stereotype of women in hard sciences?

Alternatively, in female dominated professions, like education and nursing, do the same conversations exist about attempting to diversify the fields? If so, what steps are being taken?

Movie "Admissions" through the lens of real admissions process

Inside Higher Ed wrote an interesting piece about the movie "Admissions" and how it portrays college admissions.  Has anyone seen the movie and can comment on it?  In that same link, they talk about other movies/novels that address college admissions and college life.

Article

School in BIG 10 Makes Strides to Support LGBT

With the recent, and much needed, focus on human rights and equality of many Americans these past couple of days, I thought it was important to see how America's colleges are aligning with these efforts in regards to the LGBT community.

I did a search for LGBT on The Chronicle of Higher Education and found very little relevant information, which is disheartening. However, I was proud to be part of the BIG 10, as The University of Iowa is seeming to make positive strides in identifying and supporting students in the LGBT community. The article explains that Iowa placed a question on their admissions application regarding whether the student identifies as LGBT. This is in hopes to support the students prior to their arrival on campus by supplying them with campus resources and information and aid in their transition to campus. 

I, personally, think this is a great tool to monitor the number of students who identify with this community, so that resources can be provided for them. However, as the article states, there are many who disapprove of this method.

What are your thoughts? Do you think this is a positive progression? Should this concept be adopted by other/all institutions? 

In limbo

One of the main themes of Cedric’s first year at Brown University can be summed up by the term “in limbo.” This term reflects Cedric’s uncertainty of how to navigate between the sharp academic, social and emotional learning curve of new situations commonly faced in higher education while keeping his past struggles and lessons in mind.  He distanced himself from his mother (physically and emotionally) Barbara, as a mechanism to protect himself and her from the stress of uncertainty.  His benefactor, Donald, was able to send financial support, but little in the way of empathetic understanding and guidance.  Cedric is undoubtedly steadfast in his convictions, and anyone can appreciate A Hope in the Unseen’s positive message of overcoming the odds.  However, it begs many questions. 

The main focus of this post is what is currently being done, at an institutional or macro, to help students that are “in limbo”? Being “in limbo” tends to occur to lower SES and first generational students. They tend to be, like Cedric, educational and personality anomalies in their families and/or communities. Arthur Levine and Jana Nidiffer write in their book, Beating the Odds: How the Poor Get to College (1996), that starting mentorship early is a key factor to creating a normalcy, rather than anomaly of the poor getting to college. Not only can proper mentorships benefit the student’s likelihood of getting to college, but it can also create a catalyst for social change by breaking communication barriers that often occur across generations and social class.  Mentorship is individual by nature, so it has its shortfalls. Again, what is being done to support students, and their families, that face the situation of being “in limbo”?

Social Media and Underserved Students

Here is an article on using social media to provide college resources to underserved students, particularly in areas pertaining to access, financial aid, and academic success.

“For underserved students, one of the most plaguing issues is affording and accessing college, as the lack of resources has been a perpetual struggle. Social networking, society’s most transformative and interactive tool, hosts applications that bring complex and inaccessible resources to all students. Founded on the campuses of higher education institutions, social media sites are incorporating a mixture of entertainment, interaction and guidance to the college admissions and completion processes.”

While social media could be a valuable tool for providing resources to underserved students, I wonder what effects it might have on the social experiences of these students. It used to be that a student met her roommate and classmates when she arrived at college; now she can find these students on Facebook and Twitter and communicate with them before the school year begins. I wonder if early exposure to classmates online helps underserved students feel more accepted when they get to campus, or if it can have the opposite effect and leave them feeling more anxious and excluded. (Considering, too, that our online and face-to-face personas are often different.) How might Cedric’s first-year social experiences have been different if he had met Rob and Zayd online the summer before Brown? Would he have initially felt more comfortable at Brown or more isolated? How might the other students' perceptions of Cedric have been different?

This is a follow-up to Marques's post about the "White Student Union" at Towson University.

Here's Marques's post:
http://thegrio.com/2012/09/10/towson-university-student-proposes-white-student-union/

Here's the new article:
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/03/25/1772141/racist-hate-group-to-conduct-nighttime-patrols-on-college-campus/

The WSU has been designated a "hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Why One University Chose to Become a HSI

I came across this article on Notre Dame de Namur University, in Belmont, California, making the decision to become a Hispanic Serving Institution. The institution, once lagging in enrollment, now has an all-time high enrollment after becoming an HSI. A third of California's population identifies as Hispanic or Latino, so Notre Dame de Namur decided to direct its recruitment in a different route. The Education Department recognized Notre Dame de Namur as a Hispanic-serving institution in September 2011, awarding it two grants totaling more than $6-million. 

This article describes the decision making process and how the funds were used. http://chronicle.com/article/Why-One-University-Became-a/138105/

What are your thoughts on this decision? Do you think the mission of Notre Dame de Namur aligns with the decision to become an HSI? 

Supreme Court and affirmative action

And here goes the Supreme Court again in the issue of affirmative action.  I was not aware of what has happened in Michigan and the voting that happened in that state. Very interesting.

Click here for article

Interesting article on the ways that white men feel alienated in student affairs. Thoughts?

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/03/22/white-men-alienated-higher-ed-workplace-survey-suggests

Higher Education isn't for Everyone

Reminiscent of scenes from Stand and Deliver (1988), Dangerous Minds (1995), and Freedom Writers (2007), a Chronicle of Higher Education post published March 11, 2013 entitled "The Second-Chance Club" offers a narrative account of a remedial English course taught by an instructor by the name of Greg  in a Maryland community college. "The Second-Chance Club" sheds light on the unique challenges that Greg faces not only as a teacher but as a counselor of sorts. Not only does he have to begin with the very basics of classroom know-how, "Who knows what a syllabus is?" but as the article describes, “Instructors here must be social workers, too. If you take students in, Greg believe, it’s your obligation to support them.” In the case of 19-year old Xiomara who often has to take care of her nieces and nephews, Greg must decide whether to let her come back to class after missing several weeks and also struggles with whether she should pass the course after her mother suffers a stroke, causing her to turn in her final assignment late.

“The Second-Chance Club” reads like a short story, narrating a semester of trials and successes. Much like students at Ballou High School, the students enrolled in English 002 face many hardships outside of the classroom. Unlike the Ballou students, those who enroll in English 002 must pay nearly $750 to enroll. This course comes at a steep price—especially considering that many of the students come from poverty, no credit is offered for course completion, and many students do not pass the first time around. The student must pass the course before gaining permission to enroll in for-credit courses. One student, Elio, works 40+ hours at a local Safeway grocery store to make ends meet, another student Kenneth, is from Nigeria and is ineligible for financial aid. Kenneth offers insight, "Being in a noncredit class takes a toll on you," he says. "I feel like they put you in a corner to milk out more money."

In a Letter to the Editor submitted March, 18, 2013, a disgruntled reader (a Professor Emeritus of Walsh University) vehemently opposes the support of students like those in the English 002 course. He writes, “Academics, and really Americans in general, have to recognize that it’s not heartless to believe that higher education isn’t for everyone. It’s bad enough that recent studies consistently show how ill-prepared and unfit modern students are for college, but Mr. Wahl’s “enrollees” have to be among the worst.”  Refusing to call them “students,” this despicable professor refers to the “enrollees” of English 002 as “wards” and challenges their intellectual capabilities—claiming no employer will ever want to hire them.

If, as stated by one of Greg’s students, Lynn (54), "You can better yourself by going to school and getting good grades and getting a good job,” then what is to be said about the vicious cycle of poor students remaining poor while trying to pay their way into a system that doesn’t want them? If these students work hard to pay tuition do they not deserve to be enrolled in a college course? Is higher education for everyone? Who should take responsibility for the lack of basic reading and writing skills of these enrolled students? If remedial classes are not the answer then what is?

Women of Color in the Academia

This article discusses a new book that highlights the challenges for women of color but also speaks to an issue regarding all faculty of color and how diversity initiatives fulfills an objective of a monetary end.

Read:
　

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/khanh-ho/presumed-incompetent_b_2778384.html

New program in Georgia for enrolling Black males

University System of Georgia Offers a Model for Raising Black Male Enrollment

The University System of Georgia created a new statewide initiative to increase Black male enrollment and are just starting to see results with an 80% increase in enrollment. Their focus is on recruiting  retaining and graduating this specific group of students by creating:

• Summer Bridge programs
• Mentoring programs
• Elite Scholars program (focusing on STEM fields)
• Leadership Training programs
• Student African American Brotherhood (SAAB) chapters
• African American Male Institutes (links to resources and alternative weekend and evening activities)

Policies for Transgendered Students

Here is an interesting article on institutional policies for transgendered students, particularly at women’s colleges. Some colleges have specific policies reassuring their students that, once admitted, they will be allowed to graduate as long as they meet the requirements, regardless of a change in gender. The article raises questions about the intersection of gender-specific college goals and inclusiveness in higher education.

http://www.journalnow.com/news/local/article_e5dc42e2-890f-11e2-8085-0019bb30f31a.html

Recent wave of bias incidents at Oberlin College.  When I read things like this, about campus climate, I can't help but wonder how does this influence access and persistence in higher education from students of color. 

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/03/08/oberlin-says-context-was-key-canceling-classes-after-kkk-report 

Murillo

More Minority Scholars in Liberal Arts Schools

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This post discusses the need to diversify college faculty at these postsecondary institutions. Reading this article, I began to draw the connection to this campus and other institutions that I have visited.  It makes one wonder if there are any initiatives put into place that helps gain some type of equal faculty body. 

I thought it was interesting, hope it's thought provoking for you all too. Enjoy.

The article can be found here:

http://chronicle.com/article/A-Dean-Seeks-Ways-to-Recruit/137641/

One initiative that article used can be found here:

http://www.middlebury.edu/media/view/440374/original/c3_strategy.pdf

Shirley M. Collado, 41, dean of the college, chief diversity officer, and an associate professor of psychology at Middlebury College, has been working to diversify the faculty at the institution and help other liberal-arts colleges do the same. Here's her account of that effort, as told to Audrey Williams June.

Economically Adrift: Sequestration is HERE and There are Serious Consequences for Low Income Students

Today is the day. March 1, 2013, the deadline created in 2011 in an attempt to force congress to agree on terms to reduce the federal budget after raising the debt ceiling (source). Instead of steep budget cuts, the Obama administration proposes tax hikes for those who make 250,000 and above. Republicans are holding out for increase reduction in federal spending (source). Regarding of position, indecision of the federal government and subsequent sequestration, has deleterious effects on the financial stability of higher education and ability of many low-income students to reduce cost of attendance in our nations institutions.

Low-Income students across the country rely on sources of funding that fall under the "discretionary income" purview of the federal budget. Sequestration means that 5% will be cut from discretionary programs such as Upward Bound, Federal Work-Study, and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant. It also includes federally funded research, which solves pressing world problems, and funds graduate students at research institutions across the county.

Scholars have estimated the state by state cost, indicating that the State of Illinois would have 3,280 fewer students on financial aid and 2, 650 fewer work study jobs (State by State breakdown). This could set a precedent, one in which encourages the federal government to makes these cuts permanent instead of looking for other long term solutions in making up the federal deficit.

As you think of readings from Kezar, what does this mean for access and retention of all low-income students  with special attention to private for profit, and two-year institutions, where most low-income students are located?

If you were President or Chancellor of an institution of higher education, what may be an appropriate action to take in order to:

1. Support currently enrolled low-income students and
2. Attract future low-income students to your campus?


To read more about sequestration, and its impact on Higher Education here are a few articles of interest:
CNN Explains: Sequestration
Education Sequestration: State By State Breakdown (Diverse Issues In Higher Ed)
Dire Warnings as Cuts Approach ( Inside Higher Ed)
America's Research Community Speaks Out

A 'White Student Union?'

I came across this article a few months back and I felt like it would be a perfect discussion topic to post for our class:

A Towson University student wants to start a ‘White Student Union’ on the campus. Matthew Heimbach said that he is gathering support from other students who support the idea of the organization.

The controversial idea was published in the University’s newspaper, where Heimbach alluded that the purpose of the organization is to replicate other student union organizations on campus by giving white students the same avenue to appreciate their history and heritage.

Students and professors balked at the idea of divisive ‘white only’ proposed organization on campus. One student said, “We had to congregate together because we weren’t allowed to congregate with whites. There is a difference between a White Student Union and a Black Student Union based on the history of America.”

Link:
http://thegrio.com/2012/09/10/towson-university-student-proposes-white-student-union/

Sexual Orientation and the Common Application

The University of Iowa is the first public institution to include questions on the college application regarding the sexual orientation of the applicant. Though these questions are optional, proponents of the questions think it will help demonstrate that the university is accepting and welcoming of LGBT students. Representatives of the common application said that by adding the questions on sexual orientation, applicants might worry about answering the question and the implications of answering versus not answering. What is your opinion on this? Do you think institutions should include these questions? Perhaps it depends on the use of the information. If the data is used to promote inclusion or is used to spread knowledge on resources, then maybe it is a good thing? In relation to what we have been discussing in class, do you think sexual orientation could be an affirmative action issue?

Article: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/12/12/university-iowa-adds-optional-question-sexual-orientation

A Call to Action: How one Community College Addresses Disparities in Higher Education

In the Fall 2012 Office of Community College Research and Leadership (OCCRL) newsletter, Dr. Baber and I contributed to an important conversation around educational equity in the community college system (see newsletter here). Current scholarship around students in the community college system, addresses the educational disparities facing African American and Latino males. Part of the conversation, and scholarship, which I address in the newsletter highlighted above, is the importance of structural (institutional) change that promotes the retention and support of students.

The Community College of Denver has answered the call. Diverse Issues in Higher Education featured the Urban Male Initiative (UMI) at the Community College of Denver. It was found that at the Community College of Denver, African American and Latino males made up under 10 percent of the student population yet accounted for  63 and 52 percent of the students in developmental courses, respectively. Dr. Ryan Ross, Dean of Student Development has taken a proactive stance, focusing on the needs of the students as well as the institutional barriers that inhibit success. 

Adopting the proverb, it takes a village, Dr. Ross strongly believes “Where are we (educators)? Are we only in the village from 9 to 5? And only in the village from 9 to 5 if they come see us on campus? We’ve got to get out in the village and see our students where they are to get them to where they need to be.” As a result of the UMI program which has grown from 15 to 135 young men, the collective G.P.A of group has increased from 1.8 to 2.4.

You can read the article Urban Male Initiative: Seeing Students Where They are To Get Them To Where They Need To Be here.

In Study Abroad, Men Are Hard To Find

I have always been very curious about why female participation dominates study abroad program enrollments.  It’s actually what I would like to write about for my final paper for this class. 

Some of the reasons regarding why male participation is low in study abroad that are addressed in this article are:

*Men are reluctant to leave campus social groups (from a focus group study)

*Men are in academically rigorous programs on campus and can’t fit it in

*Men are more likely to question the value of the experience more than women

*Study Abroad is just not on their radar

More and more institutions are embracing practical bottom line benefits of study abroad to males and trying to expand program offerings in places where males could see themselves working long-term or in places where they can work or hold internships overseas.

Just to give you something concrete, I coordinate faculty-led study abroad programs here on campus, and for our winter 2012-13 programs, out of 201 participants on 10 different programs, we had 58 male participants and 143 female participants.  That is 29% male participation.

Gentlemen in the class – it would be lovely to get your perspective.  If you studied abroad, why did you?  And if you never studied abroad, then why not?

Here is the link to the article:  http://chronicle.com/article/In-Study-Abroad-Men-Are-Hard/130853/