Links of the Week
The high human costs of defunding state
universities
Capital & Main
Last month a seven-member panel met in the state Capitol to
discuss the calamitous funding situation of the California State
University system, as well as the prospects for creating free
public higher education in the state. The latter idea of
nationally establishing cost- and debt-free learning at the
college and university levels had been popularized by Bernie
Sanders during his presidential campaign last year. Yet in
California, the legacy of the revenue-slashing Proposition 13,
which California voters approved in 1978 to cut property taxes,
remains a formidable stumbling block.
California Democrats unveil a sweeping financial aid plan
to help students avoid debt
LA Times
Seizing on growing concerns over college affordability,
California lawmakers proposed what would be the most generous
college aid plan in the nation Monday, covering not just tuition
but also living expenses that have led to spiraling student debt
What the working class wants
Inside Higher Ed
Colleges and universities face a steep challenge separating fact
from fiction in the eyes of working-class and middle-income
voters, according to recent focus group work conducted by the
American Council on Education.
California’s ‘gig economy’ could be hit by Obamacare
repeal
Sacramento Bee
Mehran Mesbah, a visual artist and an adjunct professor at
California State University, Sacramento, said he only gets
coverage through the school when he’s teaching two classes –
usually about half the year. When he’s bumped off his Blue Shield
plan, the 37-year-old purchases a temporary plan through Covered
California so he’s insured while he works other jobs including
construction and freelance sculpting.
San Francisco State expanding college access for
formerly incarcerated
Diverse
Issues in Higher Education
As recently as 18 months ago, Jason Bell had no choice but to
tell parolees in many California cities outside San Francisco
that they couldn’t access a 50-year-old university program
serving formerly incarcerated people aspiring to college
degrees.
However, that has changed. San Francisco State University (SFSU)
is now replicating Project Rebound — believed to be one of very
few formal initiatives of its kind in this country —which has
helped hundreds of formerly incarcerated individuals enroll in
college and supported them until graduation. This semester, 117
Rebound students attend SFSU.
More than 1 million borrowers defaulted on their student
loans last year
MarketWatch
Even as the economy continues to improve, student loan borrowers
are still struggling to cope with their debts, a new analysis
indicates.