We hope you will join us in March for Friday 5 Live as we focus on student success and support centering our discussions on critical topics like resiliency, communications strategies and creating content to engage our students! Join us!

4 Practices to Promote Equity in the Classroom

5 Things Educators Can Do To Address Bias in the Classroom

This week Education Dive examines the most recent federal relief package passed in December. The package includes $7 billion to expand broadband with the goal to provide internet to underserved communities.  These resources will support minority-serving institutions and students receiving Pell Grants. Pell recipients will be eligible to receive a subsidized discount of up to $50 per month in broadband services.  It is estimated that around 4 million college students have difficulty accessing the internet. New America, a think tank advocating for expanding broadband access, has found that “one in five people who stopped taking classes or chose not to enroll at a community college this fall said they lacked the technology or internet access to take classes online.”

“Mixed bag” is how Inside Higher Education describes state funding for colleges and universities in the coming year.  While institutions across the nation prepare for cuts, some states are choosing to protect or even bolster higher education funding.  Governors are focusing on three areas as they examine state funding: “colleges’ role in workforce development, higher education financial stability and assistance to historically Black colleges and universities.” The governors of Kentucky, California, Indiana and Iowa have proposed increasing financial support while Georgia, Hawaii, Nevada and North Dakota’s governors have recommended cutting higher education budgets.

We hope you were able to join us for our Friday 5 Live when our student panelists from August updated us on their fall semester experiences.  We look forward to November 6 when Dr. Tom Tobin will talk with us about the future of online learning as we kick off National Distance Learning Week.  We are now podcasting Friday 5 Lives so you can more easily share this resource with colleagues!  

Student Name and College: Ersa, Pace University

Major: Political Science & Economics Double Major - Class of 2022

Hometown: St. Louis, MO

What has been your biggest challenge this semester thus far?

For me, the largest challenge this semester has been staying motivated throughout the semester. It can be so difficult to keep myself motivated and make sure I get up everyday and join my zoom classes, especially when my “office space” is 2 feet away from my bed. It can sometimes feel very difficult to separate my work space from my “relaxing” space, which is why I try my best to go to different spaces around campus to study or do my classes! It helps get me motivated to get ready in the mornings, and gives me the opportunity to even see some new faces around campus!

Share one thing you wish your faculty knew about your experience this fall.

Professors need to know that students are not working from home, students are wherever they can be to do the best that they can do during a global pandemic, international recession, and time of uncertainty. I just wish professors were more mindful of the language that they use regarding online schooling and the outside work that students have. Just because we are not physically in the classroom does not mean that students do not have just as much or even more work to do, including watching children, cooking dinner, or other responsibilities that might not be present during more traditional semesters. Avoid using language such as “since we don’t have anything better to do” or “because I know we are all bored at home” especially in relation to assigning more “busy work” or work not on the syllabus.

What has been the resource you’ve found the most helpful this semester?

With a lot of resources at Pace only being offered online this semester, I have found that the most helpful resource has been my personal support system of peers. Being online can be an extremely  lonely experience, and I have found that having a close circle of people that are always available, even if it's just for a quick laugh on the days that my laptop doesn’t really want to work, can make all the difference. I could never imagine transitioning to virtual learning without my friends by my side — both virtually and in person. This access to a group of individuals with shared experiences, successes and frustrations helps keep me motivated, caffeinated, and always on my toes. Oh, and of course the local ice cream shop helps too!

Colleges, major businesses and industry groups are challenging new rules announced two weeks ago that would “narrow the eligibility requirements for H-1B skilled worker visas” while increasing the wages employers would have to pay H-1B visa holders. Lawsuits have been filed in both the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by multiple universities.  Ken Cuccinelli, with the Department for Homeland Security, said he expects these new rules will cut petitions for H-1B visas by one-third.  There is great concern that these restrictions “will cause hospitals, universities, and employers of all shapes to lose their enormous investments in this skilled-workforce.”

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We hope you will join us on Friday, June 10th for our next Friday 5 Live.  Dr. Denise Swett will join us to talk about how to develop student support resources and creatively address supporting students when budgets are tight.

Our thoughts continue to focus on those protesting police violence and systemic racism in our country. College students voiced their frustration over what they see as empty promises by administrators; students are looking for institutions to take action to address bias and racism.  Two Black scholars at the University of Virginia say they were denied tenure, their research belittled and their tenure process flawed raising the question of racial bias in their tenure review.  IE remains committed to sharing resources on the topics of antiracist training.  This week, Dr. Julia Metzker shared with the POD Network a Resource Guide for Anti-racist and Equity Producing Facilitation.

Diverse Issues in Higher Education reports this week on research about how to make college more affordable. A new brief by the think tank New America recommends developing four-year degree programs at community colleges as this provides an opportunity to students who would otherwise not pursue bachelor’s degree. One example: Florida’s average community college baccalaureate student is 31 years old, compared to 22 years old for public universities.  Bachelor’s degree programs at community colleges are less expensive and more accessible.  We will look to see if similar initiatives develop in other states. 

Research done by Gallup suggests college students who participate in athletics tended to fare better than nonathletes in their academic, personal and professional life during college and after graduation. Researchers concluded that the “differences between former athlete and nonathlete outcomes are evidence of the ‘built-in support system’ athletics provides throughout a student’s college experience, such as mentorship from peers and coaches and direct access to financial aid advisers and academic support.”  University administrators are encouraged to develop similar support structures for students across their institutions.

In order to honor Juneteenth, we hosted our Friday 5 Live on Thursday, June 18th. We were fortunate to have George Hoey as our guest.  George shared his thoughts as a higher education professional and a man of color about how we can support students of color on our campuses as well as faculty and staff.

Our thoughts continue this week to focus on those protesting the killing of George Floyd, police violence and systemic racism in our country.  Roanoke College announced this week the establishment of a Center for Studying Structures of Race.  Columbus State Community College, located in Ohio, will remove statues of Christoper Columbus.  As educators, it is vital that we acknowledge the work of those protesting for change in our country.  In this week’s Friday 5, we are continuing to include resources for higher education professionals as a starting point for the critical and necessary work of addressing institutionalized racism.

The Chronicle of Higher Education and Diverse Issues in Higher Education reported on an initiative coming out of the California Community College System to address campus racism.  Led by Dr. Shaun Harper, more than 60 community college presidents have committed resources to an alliance.  Leaders from institutions across the state will convene and, “focus on hiring and retaining faculty of color, confronting acts of racism on campus, using survey data to improve campus racial climate, addressing tensions between faculty of color and closing racial gaps in student transfer rates.”

Inside Higher Ed reports this week on the U.S. Supreme Court’s  decision that cements LGBTQ workers' protections from sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination.  As a result of this decision, colleges must ensure the fair treatment of transgender students playing campus sports and living in residence halls. Because the court redefined its interpretation of “sex” under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to encompass both sexual orientation and gender identity, this ruling now allows for challenges of this definition under Title IX, the law prohibiting sex discrimination at federally funded institutions.