Daily Lumina News 040224

For students like Rayvon Bray, the Multicultural Center at the University of North Texas is like a second home—a place to meet friends, play games, and share experiences as part of the Black gay community.
Now, a new state law that forbids diversity, equity, and inclusion programs sponsored by public universities has taken that once-welcoming atmosphere away, contends Bray.

This year's rollout of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form has been plagued with one issue after the other, causing havoc on colleges’ admission timelines.
As challenges continue to beset the new FAFSA, most colleges are pushing their deposit deadlines into June. But some are still dragging their feet. What’s the hold up?

They’re known as "Pell runners." After enrolling at a community college, they apply for a federal Pell grant, collect as much as $7,400, and then simply vanish.
California’s community colleges are reporting a rise in financial aid fraud, with so-called Pell runners scamming schools out of millions of dollars. Administrators there say the fraudsters are only getting smarter with the help of artificial intelligence.

California and other states have been trying to recruit and retain Black teachers for years, but the numbers aren’t improving.
The cost of earning a credential and the disrespect they face while teaching are keeping Black teachers out of the classroom, say some experts.

Back in February, more than 1,000 practitioners from hundreds of colleges across the nation gathered in Orlando, Florida, to exchange evidence-based approaches to accelerating student success and equity.
DREAM—the signature annual event of Achieving the Dream—has become the go-to convening for community college educators and policymakers interested in institutional change.

High school senior Annabelle Tornio is looking for a college where she can explore her interests, and she’s already been accepted by several public and private universities in Wisconsin and Illinois.
But before the Milwaukee teen can decide which university to attend, she needs to know how much financial aid each institution can offer her. An ongoing delay in release of federal student aid information is keeping her—and students around the country—waiting.