College Beat

The UC Native American Opportunity Plan seeks to make the system a viable option for Native students in California by offering them free tuition. But Native students enrolled at UC campuses report that strains on their budgets along with insufficient resources and faculty representation have been obstacles to academic success.

After bringing his story all the way to the University of California Board of Regents, a disabled UC Berkeley student has prompted the UC to ensure emergency evacuation chairs are in every multi-storied building in the 10-university system.

California’s three public university systems are either setting or reworking their climate plans to fall in line with the state’s goal for carbon neutrality by 2045, all while striving to expand in size and scope. New plans do away with a large reliance on carbon offsets, making an already difficult and costly process of reducing emissions even harder.

While graduation rates for Black students are the lowest in California universities, cultural centers can help address equity issues. Centers for Black students create a safe space to foster community while connecting with academic resources and Black faculty.

Now that undergraduate student workers in the California State University system have voted to join the staff union, their next step is to negotiate a contract. Students say they’ll be asking for sick time, fair pay and increased hours.

The Campus Opioid Safety Act required colleges and universities to put the power of reversing fentanyl overdoses directly into the hands of students. Some campuses are giving out the life-saving nasal spray Narcan, while others are not.

Successive state audits of the University of California and the California State University found both systems have failed to comply with decades old state and federal laws mandating the return of Native ancestral remains and cultural artifacts, an act known as repatriation. Only UCLA and Cal State Long Beach have returned a majority of their collections back to local tribes.

The number of nursing students enrolling in high-priced private programs has nearly doubled over the past 10 years as the state’s public universities have stagnated in growth. Private universities charge up to seven times the tuition of public schools for a bachelor’s degree, but nurses say their starting salaries are worth the cost.

Mildred García, the new Cal State chancellor, is earning a total compensation of nearly $1 million. Meanwhile, university president pay has increased at a greater rate than that of faculty, who are preparing to strike in early December, and the system is raising tuition. Yet, Cal State execs still say their pay lags behind the national average.

As electric bikes and scooters gain popularity among college students, California campuses vary over their regulation. The devices pose safety risks yet are cheaper, more convenient and better for the environment than gas-powered vehicles.