Daily Lumina News 031323

State lawmakers in 13 states have introduced at least 21 bills since December that aim to restrict colleges’ efforts to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion.
While supporters argue that the measures are needed to push back against a “bureaucracy” that impedes intellectual diversity, critics warn that such thinking could drastically curtail colleges’ efforts to recruit and retain students of color and place the institutions afoul of accreditation standards.

As a freshman at the Pratt Institute School of Architecture, Sablan Pascale was told she'd never become an architect because she's Black and a woman.
That excruciating classroom moment launched Pascale's passion for advocacy, pushing her to seek more just design policies and practices. It also made Pascale more determined to get young people who look like her to pursue careers in architecture.

When a shooter killed three students and critically injured five more at Michigan State University last month, school officials canceled classes for a week. But many students balked at the idea of returning to learning in any building.
The trepidation and backlash MSU unleashed with its decision to resume classes after a week illuminates a difficult question that U.S. universities are increasingly being forced to answer: After a campus shooting, how much time off is enough?

A new effort from the United Negro College Fund plans to create a shared digital platform for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, one they can use to deliver online learning and social experiences that reflect the communities they serve.
Called HBCUv, the project aims to roll out a pilot product this fall. UNCF leaders say their goal is to help HBCUs grow their revenue and extend their reach, building off the momentum they’ve experienced recently from increased student interest even as college enrollment more broadly falls.

Movements to promote interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) often miss one thing—the voices of today’s students.
Two high school students, Henrietta Rasmusson and Emerald Yankey, believe girls everywhere need access to STEM learning beyond the classroom. They share their ideas—and what schools and adults can do to help—in this essay.

Hurricanes, earthquakes, bankruptcy, and a pandemic. When it comes to catastrophic events, Puerto Rico has experienced its lion’s share in the last decade. Along the way, the occurrences have led to population declines and fiscal vulnerability.
Yet despite the chaos, Puerto Rican postsecondary institutions have managed to keep their students enrolled and on track for completion.