Daily Lumina News 012221

History will recall President Joseph Biden at his inauguration urging unity in a deeply divided nation confronting a raging pandemic, growing inequity, systemic racism, and a climate crisis.
It’s impossible to tell what the next four years will bring. But for many advocates who have been pushing to make college more affordable, Jan. 20 was a new beginning—a day of hope that one day low-income families will not have to worry about whether their children can afford to pursue their college dreams.

This week, Joseph R. Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, with Vice President Kamala D. Harris by his side.
Scholars and higher education leaders express hope that the Biden administration will take speedy and decisive action on behalf of low-income students and students of color. Already, Biden passed multiple executive orders on his first day as president, including actions on student loan payment extensions and protections for recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

Federal financial aid to people in prison was quietly restored as part of a COVID-19 stimulus bill passed by Congress last month. The reversal of the 1994 Pell Grant ban represents a watershed moment for criminal justice advocates, who say prison education programs reduce recidivism and advance racial equity.
In this interview, Margaret diZerega of the Center on Sentencing and Corrections at the Vera Institute of Justice talks about the change in federal financial aid policy and how it might affect availability and access to higher education in Illinois prisons.

As college campuses begin their spring semester, COVID-19 remains a major concern. Just like in the fall, some schools are doing as much in-person teaching as possible, with safety interventions like plexiglass barriers in front of podiums. Others are staying fully online.
One big difference? College leaders now have some experience under their belt with the compromises of balancing learning and staying healthy. Students and professors—some from campuses that went fully online and others keen on staying in person—share their lessons learned.