Worcester State Charges Students Pedestrian Fee; Penn State Students to Honor Martin Luther King

Bill Giving Colorado Illegal Immigrants In-State Tuition Passes Test. A bill guaranteeing undocumented youth in-state tuition passed the Colorado Senate Education Committee this week, raising the hopes of many that the bill would receive bipartisan support in the full Senate. If the bill becomes law, students who graduate from a Colorado high school and attended a Colorado high school for at least three years would be eligible for in-state tuition regardless of immigration status. The bill received one Republican vote from Sen. Owen Hill, who said, “We’ve always been a nation of immigrants. I know I’m not going to be the only Republican who votes for this.” A similar bill received harsh condemnation only four years ago.  [Denver Post]

‘Bill of Rights’ for Students Enrolled in Online Classes.  Twelve educators met in California last month and drafted a “Bill of Rights and Principles for Learning in the Digital Age,” in response the upsurge in popularity online learning. This document would include protections against violations of privacy and access, to name a few. Cathy Davidson, one of the contributing authors, explained her support for the document: “The idea is to have a large conversation about this so that MOOCs [Massive Open Online Courses ] don’t become the Facebook or Instagram of higher education—where you sign up for some free service and it turns out that you’re the product being sold.” [Chronicle of Higher Education]

Colleges Including Small Fees to Compensate for Shrinking Funding. Hoping to avoid a parking fee by walking to class? Think again. A $72 “parking/pedestrian access fee” tacked onto their college bill surprised students at Worchester State University. John Brissette, chairman of the Worchester State Board of Trustees, argued that it is a necessary fee due to a lack appropriate funding. Colleges across the country turned to charging small fees that are often overlooked by many students, in response to cuts to education funding. The University of Indiana for instance charges students a “Temporary Repair and Rehabilitation Fee,” which is used to repair smoke detectors and make improvements to the air conditioning. [Huffington Post]

Penn State Students March to Honor Martin Luther King. Students at Penn State participated in a march to honor the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his contributions to the civil rights movement. Marching in below-freezing temperatures, students held candles and sang “Amazing Grace” and “We Shall Overcome." After the march, students gathered for an open discussion on issues of social justice. Beth Bradley, the assistant director of the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center, praised the conversation, saying, “I think it’s important to have people open their minds to difference and to celebrating that we’re all very unique.” [Centre Daily]

  Christine Dickason is a Communications Intern with Campus Progress. You can follow her on Twitter @cdickason11.

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