Daily Lumina News 031824

In a normal year, students would be sorting through their financial aid offers by now, giving them plenty of time to prepare for the traditional decision day on May 1, when many schools expect commitments.
But this is not a normal year.

The University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee recently announced plans to close its branch campus in Waukesha in the spring of 2025, making it the fifth two-year campus in the UW system to be marked for closure as the state grapples with the sustainability of its higher-education infrastructure.
The closing of another two-year branch campus in Wisconsin is being cast as either a harbinger of a darkening future for the sector or a promising test case for reimagining public higher education in the state.

Colleges across the United States are selecting students for their incoming classes. It's the first time they've done so since the U.S. Supreme Court barred the formal consideration of race in admissions.
But on many campuses, another controversial admissions practice remains in effect: “legacy preferences,” or an admissions advantage given to the children or relatives of their alumni.

In West Virginia, women earn 74 cents for every dollar that men earn. The gap is even wider for Hispanic women.
A company called West Virginia Women Work is trying to address those inequities. Through a free pre-apprenticeship program, the effort provides women with the training and tools they need to secure good jobs in male-dominated industries, including HVAC, masonry, and plumbing. Many of the participants are single moms.

Hispanic-Serving Institutions, colleges where at least 25 percent of undergraduates are Hispanic, wrestle with severe infrastructure needs, including expensive backlogs of delayed repairs to campus buildings, according to a new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
HSI advocates say the findings echo what they’ve known for years—namely that the institutions are underfunded and need more financial support.

Colorado is considered a pioneer when it comes to being a transfer-friendly school. Yet, despite its work to bolster the transfer process, students there still encounter challenges when they try to switch between public colleges, advocates say.
State leaders are hoping new legislation will improve that scenario, helping students save time, money, and credits when they decide to change schools.