College Beat

Grief, fear, and hopes for peace: California college students describe campus climates during Israel-Palestine conflict

Students at university campuses throughout the state are coming together - many times at odds - in their demands for peace and justice between Israel and Palestine. Here is a look at how the divisions are impacting California college students.

By Haydee Barahona, Christopher Buchanan, Briana Mendez-Padilla, Jacqueline Munis, Hugo Rios and Amelia Wu

Students walk through the Fresno State campus in Fresno, on Feb. 9, 2022. Photo by Larry Valenzuela for CalMatters

Cal State student workers get the OK to hold a union vote

Student workers at the 23-campus system say their pay is low, their hours are restricted and they get no sick pay. They are hoping to join the employees union to fix that.

By Helena San Roque

East Bay Consortium Financial Aid Program Coordinator Ruby de Anda Enriquez, right, speaks with a parent about grant options during a financial aid workshop at College Information Day at UC Berkeley in Berkeley on Oct. 14, 2023. The California Student Aid Commission held sessions on financial aid to help inform students and families about their different options. Photo by Juliana Yamada for CalMatters

California wants every high school senior to apply for student financial aid. Will a federal delay slow efforts?

A new California law required all high school seniors to complete a financial aid application last year, leading to a record number. Now, everyone’s waiting for the federal government to overhaul the online FAFSA application, which won’t be ready until December.

By Haydee Barahona and Li Khan

Elisa Arquieta at California State University Long Beach on Oct. 12, 2023. Arquieta is both a student and a parent. Photo by Lauren Justice for CalMatters

California colleges miss the deadline to offer student parents priority registration

Signed by the governor in September 2022, AB 2881 aims to identify and address the needs of student parents in California by offering them priority registration. Coordinators and advocates are optimistic the law will formalize data collection, allowing them to better serve this student population that represents 1 in 5 students nationally.

By Atmika Iyer and Briana Mendez-Padilla

College Beat

‘It’s a big removal of a barrier’: What housing at California’s community colleges looks like

Two California community colleges built housing in the last couple of years, with very different approaches. The projects give a peek at the future of student housing as the state rolls out $500 million in grants to build or expand dorms and apartments on a dozen community college campuses.

By Andrea Madison and Katherine Bent • February 2, 2023

A Sacramento Regional Transit bus arrives at Sacramento City College in Sacramento on Nov. 30, 2022. Photo by Rahul Lal, CalMatters

College Beat

California campuses try to lower college costs with free transit

Transit expenses are one part of the high cost of college that is pushing many low-income students out of the state’s higher education systems. Some campuses have partnered with local transit agencies to reduce or waive all fares for students, but recent efforts to create more partnerships with state funding have failed.

By Carmen González • January 5, 2023

Eli Erlick in her parents' backyard in Sebastopol on Dec. 26, 2022. Photo by Talia Herman for CalMatters.

College Beat

How new Title IX rules could affect California’s transgender and nonbinary students

New Title IX rules barring gender discrimination could put more responsibility on colleges to protect transgender and nonbinary students. But those students say creating welcoming campuses will require more than just policy.

By Zaeem Shaikh • December 30, 2022

College Beat

Colleges experiment with restorative justice in sexual assault cases

Some California colleges are responding to campus sexual assault and harassment with restorative justice: a process that brings together the student who was harmed, the person who harmed them and the community to seek solutions.

By Oden Taylor and Felicia Mello • December 28, 2022

Dennis Susan (left), a graduate student instructor at UC Berkeley, marches with UC academic workers through downtown Sacramento on Dec. 5, 2022. Photo by Rahul Lal, CalMatters

College Beat

During UC strike, professors take learning outside of the classroom

After tens of thousands of UC academic workers walked off the job last month – in what may be the largest strike in higher education history – professors and teaching assistants took class to the picket line. Students have made films about the strike, attended teach-ins about disability rights, and gotten crash courses in labor history. And some say it gave them a new perspective on how their university works.

By Megan Tagami • December 19, 2022

Allison Leggett, a fourth-year student at Charles Drew University, on campus in the Watts region of Los Angeles on Dec. 7, 2022. Photo by Lauren Justice for Cal Matters

College Beat

California’s only HBCU aims to solve Black doctor shortage

Charles Drew University, the only historically Black university in California, will launch a new MD program next year. The goal is to train more doctors of color to help underserved communities in a state where only 3% of physicians are Black.

By Alyssa Story • December 15, 2022

Joseph I. Castro, former Fresno State president, during a press conference in 2016. Castro became president of the California University System in 2013, but resigned earlier this year after accusations that he mishandled sexual harassment complaints against a university official while president at Fresno State. Photo by Silvia Flores, The Fresno Bee

College Beat

Ex-CSU chancellor Castro’s teaching job stirs controversy over ‘retreat rights’

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is facing backlash over the hiring of former Cal State Chancellor Joseph Castro for a faculty role. Castro resigned the chancellorship in February in the wake of a scandal over how he handled sexual harassment allegations against a top administrator.

By Oden Taylor • November 22, 2022

“La Memoria de la Tierra,” a mural created by Judith Baca, resides on the north side of Ackerman Union at UCLA in Los Angeles on Nov. 9, 2022. The mural is approximately 80 feet and made up of three 26-foot-long glass panels. Pablo Unzueta for CalMatters

College Beat

Are California’s Hispanic Serving Institutions living up to their name?

California has the most Hispanic Serving Institutions among its colleges of any state — 174, including 21 of 23 California State University campuses and five of the nine University of California campuses. But how well are HSIs — where almost 90% of the state’s Latino undergraduates are enrolled — actually serving Latino students? It’s a mixed bag, students and advocates say.

By Megan Tagami and Matthew Reagan • November 17, 2022

Illustration by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters; iStock

College Beat

Universities can’t yank financial aid from students who get private scholarships, new law says

California colleges often reduce financial aid to students when they earn private grants, a practice known as scholarship displacement. Students say it’s unfair to lose funds they’ve worked hard for and need to pay for soaring living costs. This year, the state agreed, and banned the practice for low-income students starting in the 2023-24 academic year.

By Alyssa Story • November 2, 2022

The UCLA campus in Los Angeles on Feb. 18, 2022. Photo by Raquel Natalicchio for CalMatters

College Beat

Central American Studies gains popularity on California campuses

California colleges are launching new classes and departments in Central American Studies, part of an increased focus on ethnic studies statewide. With California host to a quarter of the country's Central American population, Central American Studies scholars say it's about time.

By Itzel Luna • October 21, 2022

College Beat

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