News Links | October 22, 2020

System News | Opinion

SPSCC introduces noncredit classes focusing on racial equity

This winter, South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC) is introducing “Engaging Race & Dismantling Racism”, a noncredit two-part class with a focus on racial equity. The class is open to anyone in the community and participants will walk away informed, challenged, and empowered to take action toward dismantling racism at a personal level.
Thurston Talk, Oct. 22, 2020

New TCC bachelor of applied science program open for applicants interested in career in IT

Tacoma Community College has launched a new Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) degree in Information Technology (IT). The college is now accepting applications for the first cohort of the IT Networking Information Systems and Technology (ITN-IST) program, which will start classes in fall quarter 2021.
Suburban Times, Oct. 21, 2020

Joe Bowman joins Highline College Board of Trustees

Joseph S. Bowman IV was recently appointed to the Highline College Board of Trustees by Gov. Jay Inslee. Bowman joins a board that has served a collective 29 years at Highline. “Joe Bowman has an amazing passion for community, care and service in his work and advocacy efforts throughout South King County,” Highline College President John Mosby said.
Waterland Blog, Oct. 21, 2020

Opinion: Washington must keep its promise of public education

By Dr. Sheila Edwards Lange, president of Seattle Central College. ... This year, the city of Seattle expanded the Seattle Promise program, offering every Seattle high school graduate two years of free tuition at Seattle Central, South Seattle and North Seattle colleges. More than 70% of these students are people of color.
Crosscut, Oct. 21, 2020

WVC enrollment drops nearly 8% for fall quarter

Enrollment is down at Wenatchee Valley College 7.8% for the fall quarter, which is not unexpected as college enrollment is down across the state as the pandemic continues to impact. Fall enrollment at WVC is 3,349.
Wenatchee World, Oct. 21, 2020

Big Bend Community College offers first bachelor's degree

Big Bend Community College will now offer a Bachelor of Applied Science in Applied Management, the first bachelor’s degree offered at the college. The State Board for Community and Technical Colleges gave the college approval to offer the degree.
560 KPQ, Oct. 20, 2020

Commentary: Edmonds College is building for the future

We are facing hard times as a local and global community, and as a college it is important, now more than ever, to continue to innovate and provide exceptional value to our students, stakeholders, and community. At Edmonds College, this is part of our mission and a top priority.
My Edmonds News, Oct. 20, 2020

Local leaders sound the alarm over the surge in COVID cases

... Many aspects of the guidance are already in place for students housed at Everett Community College and Edmonds College. “The good news is we’re already doing almost all of these measures,” said EvCC Student Housing Director Mike Bowers in an email. ... Edmonds College’s student housing buildings, Rainier Place and Triton Court, are operating with a safety plan that complies with most of the governor’s new guidance and safety requirements, spokeswoman Marisa Pierce wrote in an email.
Everett Herald, Oct. 20, 2020

Trends | Horizons | Education

Federal investigation targets foreign student work program

Department of Homeland Security officials sent a clear message Wednesday that they are scrutinizing foreign students' and colleges' compliance with the rules of a program that allows international students to stay in the U.S. to work for one to three years after they graduate in a job directly related to their field of study.
Inside Higher Ed, Oct. 22, 2020

FAFSA applications are open. Here's how to fill it out this year

Welcome to FAFSA season. The Free Application For Federal Student Aid opened on Oct. 1 — and if you're planning on going to college next year, or even just toying with the idea of taking classes, you should fill it out. Yes, it's a government form, but it's free, and it's the first step in getting financial aid that could be the key to going to college. 
NPR, Oct. 22, 2020

Multiple measures lead to better outcomes

The use of multiple measures for placement results in more students taking college-level English and math, according to a new study by the Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness (CAPR). And students who are placed in college-level courses are more likely to complete those courses, it added. 
Community College Daily, Oct. 21, 2020

The promise and disappointment of free college

Some college promise programs are associated with positive effects on enrollment for Black and Hispanic students, according to new research published in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis​. Promise programs commit to covering tuition costs for eligible students, generally at community colleges (some go beyond this and also cover fees or provide cost-of-living funds).
Inside Higher Ed, Oct. 21, 2020

Report: 28% of college students come from immigrant families

Students from immigrant families accounted for 28 percent of all U.S. college students in 2018, up from 20 percent in 2000, according to a new analysis by the Migration Policy Institute commissioned by the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. The number of students from immigrant families -- those who were either born abroad or born in the U.S. to immigrant parents -- grew at a much faster rate than the number of U.S.-born students with U.S.-born parents.
Inside Higher Ed, Oct. 20, 2020

Politics | Local, State, National

Lawsuit against DeVos, Title IX rules is dismissed

A judge for the United States District Court for the District of Maryland dismissed a lawsuit on Tuesday that was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of organizations that advocate for survivors of sexual assault and challenged the new federal rules for how colleges handle sexual misconduct allegations. The organizations do not have standing under the U.S. Constitution to sue, the court concluded.
Inside Higher Ed, Oct. 22, 2020

More than half a million young people have already voted

Younger voters are apparently heeding urgings to vote early. A Tufts University study finds that, as of Oct. 14, over a half a million more voters aged 18 to 29 had already voted in this year’s election in 13 key states compared to the same date in 2016. In other words, ten times more younger voters have voted by absentee ballot or through early voting than at this point four years ago, 606,427 compared to 57,888, according to the university’s Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning & Engagement, which tracks the voting patterns of younger people.
Inside Higher Ed, Oct. 21, 2020