College Beat

People walk past an “End Overdose” outreach table with informational materials and QR codes set up in a public plaza.

This new California law will offer college students rehab before discipline for overdosing

College students who seek help for substance use after an overdose face disciplinary action by their campus. A new California law, written in part by students themselves, will require public universities to offer rehabilitation services to students rather than discipline.

By Alina Ta

Small bottles of a product labeled “feel free,” advertised for mood lift, energy, and focus, are displayed for sale inside a convenience store. A sign indicates the product costs $8.99 and must be purchased by customers age 21 or older.

Once given out at USC, this banned, opioid-like product is still cropping up in California

A drinkable product called Feel Free was once marketed to USC students as a wellness tonic. It contains an addictive, opioid-like ingredient called kratom leaf, now banned for sale by the California Department of Public Health but still available in many stores. A new bill in the Legislature would make the ban permanent in California.

By Phoebe Huss

A person wearing a white sweater with blue stripes on the arm and a blue UCLA shirt underneath stands in a field near an apartment building, with tree branches poking into the background.

How college students can earn $10,000 for making a difference in CA communities

The popular College Corps program pays students up to $10,000 for community service work including tutoring incarcerated youth, assisting at food banks and more. The program is expanding from 45 to 52 campuses, adding hundreds of more students.

By Brittany Oceguera

An illustration in green, red, blue and yellow tones that shows a desktop computer screen with an open window tab that resembles a Pokemon battle scene. At one end of the screen is a pixelated student and at the other is a wolf that represents a chatbot. The illustration includes a bubble text that reads "where can students get free food on campus?" alongside other bubbles of text with red exclamation points.

California colleges spend millions on faulty AI systems: ‘The chatbot is outdated’

Community colleges are spending millions on AI-powered chatbots that students say often give inaccurate answers. Many might see upgrades this year.

By Martin Romero

Jenny Varner grew up knowing she wanted to attend Mills College in Oakland, but she transferred out after news of the Northeastern merger. Photo by Steven Vargas for CalMatters

College Beat

Mills-Northeastern merger a sign of challenges facing women’s colleges

The merger between Oakland’s Mills College and Northeastern University in Boston will bring many changes to the tight-knit school for women. While experts say college mergers will continue, students say the effect on campus life should be taken into consideration.

By Juhi Doshi • February 17, 2022

A mural at the Cesar Chavez Student Center at San Francisco State University. Image courtesy of San Francisco State University.

College Beat

‘A change in narrative’: Ethnic studies program helps incarcerated youth navigate identity

With Cal State students now required to take ethnic studies, San Francisco State has launched a program inside California's youth prisons. The educators behind it hope it will inspire incarcerated young people to pursue higher education.

By Emma Hall • February 10, 2022

The Hotel Buena Vista in San Luis Obispo is one of the sites used for quarantine for UC Santa Barbara students who are sick with COVID-19. Photo by Omar Rashad, CalMatters

College Beat

Colleges reassess safety plans after omicron surge

California colleges are increasing isolation capacity and updating mask rules while planning for a future in which COVID-19 is endemic.

By Omar Rashad, Stephanie Zappelli and Marnette Federis • January 31, 2022

College Beat

How can college students stay safe during the omicron surge? We asked four experts

We asked four public health experts all your pressing questions about how to avoid catching omicron on campus.

By Sindhu Ananthavel, Juhi Doshi, Ryan Loyola and Steven Vargas • January 21, 2022

A behavioral health fellow with the Baltimore City Health Department, displays a sample of Narcan nasal spray in Baltimore, Maryland. The overdose-reversal drug is a critical tool to easing America's coast-to-coast opioid epidemic. A record 621 people died of drug overdoses in San Francisco in 2020. Jan. 23, 2018. AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

College Beat

Newsom’s $50 million opioids education pledge comes as colleges warn of risks

Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed spending $50 million on youth opioids education in his latest budget, funding that comes as colleges are grappling with how to best protect students and train them in overdose prevention. The proposal, though subject to negotiation, is a sign of increased concern amid rising opioid overdoses nationwide.

By Emily Forschen, Itzel Luna and Colleen Murphy • January 18, 2022

A student at California State University Long Beach receives a shot of the Pfizer vaccine near the campus bookstore on Aug. 25. 2021. Photo by Jorge Villa/Daily Forty-Niner

Higher Education

Four California universities missed out on as much as $47 million in coronavirus aid. Here’s why

A state audit says four California universities could have received millions more in federal pandemic money and helped more students. University of California and California State University officials could still recoup some of the cash.

By Julian Mendoza, Stephanie Zappelli and Sindhu Ananthavel • December 16, 2021

Eli Fox and Jamie Marquis at their home in Sacramento on Dec. 4, 2021. Photo by Karlos Rene Ayala for CalMatters

Higher Education

Unseen and unsafe: Students who have been “deadnamed” explain why a new California law matters

A new California law requires public colleges to update diplomas and records for transgender students who have changed their names. Students and advocates say it's affirming and will prevent discrimination.

By Oden Taylor • December 14, 2021

Nia Otchere-Sarfo. Photo by Steven Vargas for CalMatters

College Beat

Back to campus under COVID: Students reflect on an unusual semester

The CalMatters College Journalism Network spoke with students across the state about going back to campus — the highs, the lows, the weird.

By Juhi Doshi, Emily Forschen, Itzel Luna, Bernard Mendez, Oden Taylor, Steven Vargas and Stephanie Zappelli • December 13, 2021

Sarah Hamidi, 22, a senior at UCSB, checks her phone in her hotel room on Nov. 17, 2021. Hamidi who applied for housing in hopes of getting an apartment was met with a waitlist and then given a temporary hotel room in Santa Barbara that she has occupied since September of 2021. Photo by Julie Leopo for CalMatters

College Beat

What’s it like to study from a hotel? As UC housing crunch worsens, these students are finding out

At least four UC campuses have resorted to hotels to house students this fall. The option provided temporary relief to hundreds of students. But the financial support campuses offered varied. And for many students, finding more permanent, affordable housing remains elusive, even as the end of fall quarter nears.

By Ryan Loyola and Sindhu Ananthavel • November 22, 2021

A sign announcing COVID-19 testing at the campus of Chico State University in Chico on Nov. 4, 2021. Photo by Julian Mendoza for CalMatters

College Beat

Cal State requires students to be vaccinated for COVID-19 — but it’s not evenly enforced

Cal State University requires all staff and students going on campus to get vaccinated. But enforcement has varied across the system.

By Michaella Huck, Zaeem Shaikh and Julian Mendoza • November 17, 2021

College Beat

Covering higher education from the ground up