Notes & Coffee: May 7 -13
May 13, 2018
Notes & Coffee is here to keep you informed of all the trending student affairs and higher ed news stories most critical to our field as they develop. In the age of information overload, we’re here to bring you vetted examinations of the stories that matter to our field. We invite you to start your week with Notes & Coffee.
Education Department unwinds unit investigating fraud at for-profits – “Members of a special team at the Education Department that had been investigating widespread abuses by for-profit colleges have been marginalized, reassigned or instructed to focus on other matters, according to current and former employees. The unwinding of the team has effectively killed investigations into possibly fraudulent activities at several large for-profit colleges where top hires of Betsy DeVos, the education secretary, had previously worked.”
Aid in the wrong direction – “Frustrations have mounted in recent weeks among members of Congress and advocates for Puerto Rico over bureaucratic obstacles they say may prevent colleges and universities on the island from getting emergency relief approved by lawmakers in February.”
DeVos to review restrictions on religious institutions – “Education Secretary Betsy DeVos plans to overhaul restrictions on religious colleges’ access to federal student aid in the next round of deregulation at the Department of Education. What that means for particular federal programs, though, is unclear -- religious institutions are already among the biggest recipients of federal student financial aid, and the department did not offer any details Wednesday about its aims in revisiting federal rules, beyond the language contained in the release of its spring regulatory agenda.”
After 3-day strike, University of California’s service workers vow to keep fighting – “Thousands of service workers marched on campuses across California on Wednesday, marking the final push of a planned three-day strike that began earlier this week. Custodians, cafeteria staff, truck drivers and nurse's aides, among others, took up signs and slogans to call attention to their floundering contract negotiations with the University of California system.”
New approach to apprenticeships – “President Trump last year issued an executive order calling for an expansion of apprenticeship opportunities while also increasing federal funding for such programs by roughly $100 million. The U.S. Department of Labor subsequently pulled together a 20-member task force of experts, including the secretaries of education, labor and commerce, to develop recommendations to make that expansion a reality… On Thursday the Labor Department issued the group's report to the White House.”
More Notes
This film’s a party, no college lessons
Rapid growth in foreign-student work program
Commencement speakers announced