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.

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.

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.

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California colleges spend millions on faulty AI systems: ‘The chatbot is outdated’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

Martin Romero

A man with a hat on top of an RV to check the roof while it's parked next to a street.

Education

Homeless students can sleep safely in their cars at this California college. Other campuses say no

Failed legislative bills have attempted to create safe parking programs for students to sleep in their cars on California campuses while awaiting housing. Meanwhile, Long Beach City College allows homeless students to park overnight.

Briana Mendez-Padilla

• September 18, 2024

Illustration of a Latina college student trying to focus on her laptop; she's surrounded by a bunch of desktop notifications and various distracting screens and windows

College Beat

California college students want more online courses, but can they catch up to in-class peers?

The number of students taking college courses online has grown, particularly at the California Community Colleges. While campuses see the modality as increasing accessibility for students, the federal government is calling for greater oversight into the quality and effectiveness of online instruction.

Briana Mendez-Padilla

and

Adam Echelman

• September 11, 2024

Photo collage of a woman with her head in her hands, set against a distorted background of clocks; a male and female college student are walking on campus in the background

Education

Broken trust: Cal State is mending how it handles sexual discrimination cases

Changes are underway one year after scathing audits showed how the California State University system failed to handle reports of sexual discrimination, harassment and assault in its Title IX offices.

Elizabeth Wilson

• July 22, 2024

Students discuss their work in class at the MESA center at American River College on April 25, 2024. Photo by Cristian Gonzalez for CalMatters

Education

California boosts spending to help students earn math and science degrees

A program for low-income, first-generation STEM students at community colleges is receiving millions of dollars to expand across the state.

Li Khan

• July 9, 2024

Graduating students during a commencement ceremony at Southwestern College in Chula Vista on May 24, 2024. Photo by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters

Education

They conquered gloom and Zoom: 2024 college grads on what comes next

Five college graduates reflect on their unique college experience and look forward to their early career plans.

Li Khan

Haydee Barahona

Briana Mendez-Padilla

Christina Chkarboul

and

Elizabeth Wilson

• June 28, 2024

San Francisco Foundation CEO Fred Blackwell speaks during a panel discussion on reparations at CalMatters’ IdeasFest at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Sacramento on June 6, 2024. Photo by Cristian Gonzalez for CalMatters

College Beat

Black leaders provide roadmap to reparations in California

Panelists discuss the importance of acknowledging and apologizing for California’s racist policies during CalMatters’ Ideas Festival.

Sharmarke Holif

• June 11, 2024

Student graduates walk through the aisles to receive their degrees at the Fresno State Chicano/Latino Commencement Celebration in the Save Mart Center in Fresno on May 18, 2024. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

Higher Education

Raising kids in California? They may have college savings accounts you don’t know about.

The state is directly investing money for low-income students and all newborns to attend college. After two years, the program is still not widely known by the students who need the most financial assistance.

Jacqueline Munis

• May 31, 2024

Several people sit at desks working in a small, colorful office, seen through an open doorway. The room is decorated with papel picado banners, posters, photos, and handwritten notes on the walls, while one person in the foreground focuses on writing at a desk with a laptop and papers.

Higher Education

Hispanic Serving Institutions rely on federal funding to support Latino students. What happens when the money ends?

Once federal grant funding ends many resources and opportunities at Hispanic Serving Institutions continue only through student and faculty efforts. Experts say campuses must maintain programs to better serve Latino students.

Haydee Barahona

• May 29, 2024

San Diego Sheriff's deputies and University of California campus officers stand guard at a pro-Palestinian protest at UC San Diego in San Diego on May 6, 2024. Photo by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters

Higher Education

Hundreds arrested and suspended: How California colleges are disciplining faculty and students over protests

Students and faculty protesting the Israel-Hamas war at universities throughout California are facing a range of consequences from arrests to suspensions and bans from campus. Meanwhile, students and faculty have also had to endure campus closures, canceled events, and classes moving online. What are the academic and legal costs of civil disobedience for California’s college protesters?

Christopher Buchanan

Christina Chkarboul

Atmika Iyer

Briana Mendez-Padilla

and

• May 24, 2024

Higher Education

UC’s president had a plan to deescalate protests. How did we get a night of violence at UCLA?

The University of California’s campus safety plan was designed to calm protests by limiting law enforcement. Yet as tensions grew to violence against a UCLA student encampment erected in protest over the war in Gaza, many are criticizing law enforcement’s initial lack of intervention.

Atmika Iyer

• May 1, 2024

College Beat

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