Think Progress

As Universities Become More Diverse, Debates Over Buildings Honoring White Supremacists Grow

There’s been on going debate on university campuses about whether the names of slave owners and white supremacists should be removed from college buildings. It’s a conversation that pits those concerned over campus climates for students of color against the views of some historians and administrators, some of whom say that it’s not appropriate to remove the names of historical figures from college grounds.

17 Students Arrested In Protest Against Dumping Coal Ash Wastewater Into Rivers

Seventeen college students protesting for clean water were arrested in Richmond, Virginia on Monday, as a battle against the local utility’s waste disposal practices has moved to the state’s regulatory agency.

Everyone Is Set To Cash In On The National Championship Game, Except The Athletes Playing In It

On Monday night, top-ranked Clemson will take on Alabama in the NCAA College Football Playoff National Championship Game. If history is any indication, the game will attract a sizable audience: Last year’s championship game on ESPN drew 33.4 million viewers, making it the most-watched program in cable history.

As always, the match-up will feature coaches and executives who are rolling in riches alongside athletes, those who are risking their physical and mental well-being on the field, who are paid nothing at all.

Student-athletes play for free, a lot of people profit off of it

NYU Advises Student Not To Apply Because They Are Too Poor

A New York University official’s response to an email from a senior at Brown University asking for a fee waiver has set off a firestorm on Twitter about low-income students’ access to higher education.

These Teens Were Jailed For Wearing Saggy Pants. This Isn’t Unusual At All.

Two seniors at Bolivar Central High School in Bolivar, Tennessee, were arrested for wearing sagging pants to school and spent 48 hours in jail.A school resource officer brought attention to the students’ wardrobe choices, and the students were charged with indecent exposure — although, according to WMC Action News, the local television station that first reported the story, saggy pants may not actually constitute indecent exposure under Tennessee law.

So You’ve Been Scammed By A For-Profit College. Now What?

In the past few years, for-profit colleges have come under increasing scrutiny for preying on students. These institutions have been accused of touting misleading or inaccurate job placement rates, using questionable recruitment practices, misrepresenting their educational benefits, and giving inaccurate information about accreditation.

Government officials are starting to see through the scams. For example, one Corinthian Colleges graduate who ended up working at Taco Bell was counted as having a job in her field of study, which was accounting. After investigations by the U.S. Department of Education revealed that those job placement rates were indeed misleading, the company was fined $30 million by the department. In April, Corinthian shut down its remaining campuses.

Gun Rights Group Plans Mock Mass Shooting On College Campus

After a spate of mass shootings that killed more than a dozen people, a pro-gun group that advocates for the right to openly carry firearms is planning to stage a mock mass shooting at the University of Texas campus on Saturday.

These Employers Have Decided Student Debt Repayment Is The Next Perk For Millennial Hires

As overall student debt has ballooned to $1.3 trillion, and poses a significant financial burden on young people, there may be a new trend on the horizon: Employers including loan repayment in their benefits packages to help attract younger workers.

After Student Protests, Georgetown University Will Rename Buildings Named After Slaveowners

Georgetown University will rename two buildings on campus — Mulledy Hall and McSherry Hall — that are currently named after slaveowners, following protests and sit-ins from students demanding increased awareness about the institution’s racial legacy.

Georgetown students argue that the university needs to acknowledge the ways the university was built on slavery and to foster more discussion on the university climate for students of color. A group of 250 students recently gathered in solidarity with students at Yale University and the University of Missouri, who have also been asking their administrators to acknowledge a racist climate on campus.

College Dean Resigns After Protests Over School’s Lack Of Response To Racist Incidents

Mary Spellman, the dean of students at a small California college called Claremont McKenna, resigned on Thursday after students criticized her response to a racist school climate — including students of color being spit at at parties, white students posing in racially offensive Halloween costumes, and vandalism of posters supporting Black Lives Matter.

On Wednesday, President Hiram Chodosh suggested several steps to address the students’ concerns, including creating forums to discuss the school climate, creating an officer on diversity and inclusivity in both the academic affairs and student affairs office, and a “new programming space to support campus climate” for those two staff positions. However, the president promised to create a safe space for marginalized students eight months ago, and hasn’t acted since, according to The Huffington Post.

The Latest Resignation In A Wave Of Student Protests Against Racism On Campus