The Choice Blog: Supreme Court to Hear Case on Affirmative Action in Higher Education

The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear a major case on affirmative action in higher education, Adam Liptak reports.

The court’s decision in the new case holds the potential to undo an accommodation reached in the Supreme Court’s 5-to-4 decision in 2003 in Grutter v. Bollinger: that public colleges and universities could not use a point system to boost minority enrollment but could take race into account in vaguer way to ensure academic diversity.

Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who wrote the majority opinion in Grutter, said the accommodation was meant to last 25 years.

The court’s membership has changed since 2003, most notably for these purposes with the appointment of Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., who replaced Justice O’Connor in 2006. Justice Alito has voted with the court’s more conservative justices in decisions hostile to the use of racial classifications by the government.

You can read the full report here.

What do you think about the role affirmative action plays in college admissions? Let us know your thoughts in our comments box.

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The Choice Blog: Discrimination Investigations End at Princeton and Harvard

Complaints of ethnic discrimination against the admissions offices of Harvard and Princeton have been withdrawn, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights said Friday. The investigation was the catalyst for a post on The Choice last week about the perception of admissions bias against Asian-American college applicants.

The Education Department said that the original complaints were received last August, and that both had recently been withdrawn. The Office for Civil Rights closed its case against Harvard on Feb. 15, and removed the complaint accusations from an existing compliance review at Princeton.

In each instance, an Asian-American applicant had complained of being rejected because of “national origin/race.”

Jeff Neal, a senior communications officer for Harvard, wrote in an e-mail on Friday that the university was pleased with the outcome. “Harvard College welcomes talented students from all backgrounds, including Asian-Americans,” he said. “Our review of every applicant’s file is highly individualized and holistic, as we give serious consideration to all of the information we receive and all of the ways in which the candidate might contribute to our vibrant educational environment and community.”

Asked to comment, a Princeton spokesman only acknowledged the department’s decision.

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The Choice Blog: The Choice Takes a Holiday

Kurt Wilson/Missoula Missoulian, via Associated PressA 13-foot snowman in Missoula, Mont., in late January.

With school on vacation for at least some Choice readers — as well as for the family of at least one Choice editor — my colleagues and I are planning to take some time away from the blog, through Monday Feb. 27.

If news breaks, or a feature comes together, we’ll still post it. But for those students — including seniors awaiting decisions, or juniors contemplating their applications — who are getting a holiday, we wish you a relaxing few days.

When we return, we pledge to provide you with tips and “news you can use” from our Rolodex of experts, deans and other contacts on the most pressing issues of the season.

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The Choice Blog: Current College Students Struggle to Survive Rising Tuitions

San Francisco State UniversityReaction to another tuition increase at San Francisco State was so intense that the university is helping students sound off on its Student Voices Web site.

Tuition rates can be prohibitive. Prospective students know this and plan their academic careers accordingly.

What students may not consider, however, are the costs that can keep them from graduating once they’re enrolled: tuition increases.

The costs seem to keep rising every semester for students like Rebekah Phillips, a sophomore at San Francisco State University.

“My brain didn’t even go there,” Rebekah said as she recalled her college-application experience. “Honestly, the only thing I thought about was getting in.”

Now, Rebekah is working two jobs to keep pace with her expenses. She’s not sure how she’ll survive in the fall, when tuition may rise again, by 9.3 percent.

Instead of considering only tuition when choosing a college, prospective students would be wise to research a school’s history of tuition increases, said Shawn Whalen, the deputy chief of staff of San Francisco State, which faces a fee increase in the fall if state funding is reduced.

“The students planned for college and got here on one set of financial assumptions, only to find out that the game changes every year,” Mr. Whalen said. “I think one of the biggest shocks is when students come in as freshmen and a semester later there’s a fee increase.”

Parents who have been laid off or are facing foreclosures have had a particularly tough time helping their children get through college when the costs go up, he said.

“These are not students, by and large, who are saying, ‘Poor me.’ The No. 1 theme is, ‘You are killing my parents.’ You can tell when you read their stories that every dollar counts.”

Reaction to another tuition increase at San Francisco State was so intense that the university is helping students sound off on its Student Voices Web site. Administrators hope that California legislators will read the responses and, perhaps, reconsider the cuts to education funding that prompt public universities to increase tuition rates.

We thought our readers at The Choice would like to know how tuition increases are affecting students in real time. Here are some anecdotes from Student Voices:

The tuition increase has made it difficult to graduate on time. With all of the cuts and lack of funding, it is hard to get into classes that I need for my major, which means that I have to stay in school longer in order to finish my degree. Every semester is more expensive than the last, with no guarantee of classes. How is this a positive learning environment when we’re paying more for less classes, resources or support? — Natalie T., 23 Folsom, CA

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Going to college has always been my goal in life. Once I was accepted to San Francisco State, it was a bittersweet feeling. I was ecstatic to have the opportunity to go to a wonderful university. On the other hand, I knew my family and I could not afford it. Like many other students in California, I had to take out three loans in order to study. Even choosing the least expensive options, I know I will be paying off my loans for many, many years after I graduate. When I found out that tuition fees increased, I began to lose hope. I was planning on toughing out the four years until I got my degree and paying off all of my loans, including my parent loan because my parents cannot afford it either. However, now that fees have increased in the past year and are planning to increase in the future, I am almost forced into leaving my dream school, San Francisco State University, to go back home and attend a community college because there is just no way my family and I can afford to send me through school at this rate. Even working two jobs and doing any service work I can get, I can only afford to pay not even half of one years fees at SFSU. I do not want to risk my future, and all the hard work I’ve put into the past to getting where I am now, just because I cannot afford to go to school. This is a sad change of plans for all of my future aspirations. — Monica R., 18

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I am a first generation college student and will be the first college graduate in my family in over four generations on either side of my family. Budget cuts have greatly impacted me. I am a transfer student to San Francisco State University. I had to go to community college in order to work and support my family. We are a low income family and I am the oldest of three sons. My father works 12-14 hour days 7 days a week, and my mother is chronically ill and unable to work. It is necessary for me to work not only to put myself through college, but also to help support my family. The rising tuition costs have not been counterbalanced by increased course offerings. Since it is necessary for me to work to survive, even though I am a financial aid recipient, I find myself making hard decisions. I find my job security threatened because all of the classes I need to take for my major are not offered at times that I am able to take them. I am in a hard position, having to choose between furthering my education and following my family’s dream of me completing college, and having to deal with the present reality of having to work. — Dennis H., 23

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Rebekah is paying her own way through school. She works as a nanny and a has a job at Staples. She uses student loans to pay the rest, she said. But if tuition goes up again, she is worried that she will not have enough money to stay in school.

“Tuition itself is not bad. It’s just when you bring in the future, which I didn’t account for. I didn’t account for any of the tuition hikes at all,” Rebekah said. “Right now, I’m trying to apply for as many scholarships as I can. I can fall behind on the books a little bit. But I need to find $600 for tuition.”

Mr. Whalen suggests that prospective students establish a financial plan that assumes a tuition-rate increase during their college years. Families should also research the education funding trends of their state.

“See what kind of tuition increases they’ve experienced. If you’re looking at a state that has huge budget deficits in the coming years, you can expect that it’s going to fall on the backs of students,” Mr. Whalen said. “Joining with the current students who are fighting tuition hikes is the best thing. It tells legislators that the traditional view of students who are young, and flexible, and resilient, is not the case.”

What financial planning, if any, did you make during your college application process? Did you consider tuition rate increases? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below.

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The Choice Blog: Beyond SATs, Posse Foundation Is Finding Success in Numbers

In this week’s Fixes column, Tina Rosenberg writes that the Posse Foundation is redefining the way some universities define success. The foundation, which was started by Deborah Bial, selects public high school students with potential and pairs them with elite schools.

In Wednesday’s Opinionator piece, Ms. Rosenberg highlights participants of the program who attended Middlebury, a liberal arts college in Vermont. One went on to join Teach for America and is now in graduate school at Columbia University; another attended law school and is now a White House press assistant.

Posse chooses its scholars through a series of group and individual interviews, a system it calls the Dynamic Assessment Process. It brings hundreds of kids into a room and puts them through activities that test their problem-solving, leadership, communication and collaboration skills, their initiative and resourcefulness. “If you’re hiring someone for a leadership position in a company,” said Bial, “those are the very things we’re looking for.”

You can read the rest of the column here. Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below.

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The Choice Blog: Obama Proposes Community College to Career Fund

Making a college list, filing applications, and marshaling the resources to afford an education can be intimidating. But it need not be. Join Jacques Steinberg, New York Times education writer and author of “The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College,’’ as he and his colleagues examine all facets of the college admissions process. You can reach Mr. Steinberg by sending e-mail to thechoicenyt@gmail.com.

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The Choice Blog: When Chronic Illness Interrupts the Rhythms of College

Ms. Altavena, a junior majoring in journalism and urban studies at New York University, is an intern this semester on The New York Times Learning Network and The Choice.

Melinda WilsonThe author on a study-abroad program in Paris in October 2011, her health restored.

My stomach ached. I had not had anything but Gatorade for days, but the pain persisted. I had dropped more than 15 pounds in the previous two weeks. I was in only my first class of the day, but I was already thinking about skipping the following two. I was also on an assignment for the school newspaper and was expected at my internship at 2 p.m.

I was 2,000 miles away from home, and in the middle of a Crohn’s disease flare-up.

Crohn’s disease was diagnosed when I was in high school, after a brief occurrence in my freshman year. My Crohn’s was, in fact, kept at bay until October 2010, when I was a sophomore at New York University. I had the same load that most college students have: 18 credits, an internship at The Village Voice, and an editor’s position at our school’s newspaper.

Having a chronic illness  in college is tough. I didn’t factor it into my college decision — I traveled far from home, because I knew N.Y.U. would serve me best. If I got sick, I thought, I would find a doctor and get better. Easier said than done.

But for readers of The Choice soon to head off for college themselves, perhaps there are some lessons in my experience. To that end, I’ve put some advice in bullet points at the end of this post. But first, I want to tell you how my story turned out.

The doctor I found, after hours of Googling and calling, was in Chinatown. On a Saturday morning, I elbowed through crowds of tourists for a visit. The office reeked of rotting fish, day-old food, and sick people. But the doctor was helpful and started me on a mild medication.

I was still sick when Halloween came around. But I was still a college student and it was still Halloween. I dressed as a dinosaur, noticeably thinner, went to a party, pulled an all-nighter, and boarded a bus to Washington at 3 a.m. for the Rally to Restore Sanity, led by Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. I chugged Gatorade and tried to feel like a normal college student, not like a sick person.

Balancing my disease and being a college student is especially rough when the disease is in full swing. In November, my doctor requested that I take a CT scan. I had to drink an awful-tasting white liquid, which I barely gagged down, to illuminate my insides for the procedure. I also missed another whole day of classes arguing with my insurance company, which delayed the appointment six hours. The wait was particularly agonizing because I had to rush across town by 7 for a Bob Dylan concert.

Finally, as I was about to go through, the nurse told me that because I was so anemic, they could not find a vein. Then, the doctor could not. Hospital employees surrounded me, poking at my arms like a desperate addict. At the last moment they struck a vein on top of my hand. I took a cab to the concert hall and realized that I had not eaten all day. I was pale and wearing sweatpants, with a big white bandage adorning my hand. I did not look like a Bob Dylan fan — I looked like I had just escaped from the hospital. This actually worked in our favor because a kind security guard moved my friends and me to the V.I.P. section.

In December, my doctor finally decided to put me on prednisone. Prednisone, a magic fix for Crohn’s flare-ups, was my last resort. It make my cheeks puff up, causes my hair to fall out in clumps, and makes me ravenous. I was dying to go home at this point. I barely went out with my friends or even moved from my bed. When I finally got home, I slept and prepared for next semester.

Here’s my advice for students with medical needs:

Find a doctor
Find a physician who is a specialist before you leave for school, or during the first months. Make an appointment, even if you do not need one, right away. Don’t wait until you are sick. Bring them your medical records to copy and keep on file.

Get your medical records together
For my disease, that means the results of past colonoscopies and blood tests. Have them on your computer, or in a folder, printed out, ready to hand over to any doctor.

Tell your professor early
I have never encountered an instructor who was not understanding about my medical situation.  I did not miss class excessively, but I did miss more than ordinarily acceptable, and I occasionally needed an extension on an essay. Stay on top of your work, but remember that health is your priority.

Stay in communication with your parents
Sure, you are an adult now, but you probably have no idea how complicated health insurance can be.  Tell your parents exactly how sick you are. Yes, it can be annoying when they call constantly, but it’s because they care.

Know when it’s time to go home
I have never reached this point, but I have been close. Leaving in the middle of the semester isn’t ideal, but if you are close to hospitalization, or missing all of your classes, you need to focus on getting better. Being hospitalized far from home is not fun. It might take longer to finish your degree, but the time it takes doesn’t matter.

Have you, or has anyone you know, had an experience in college similar to that of the author? What advice would you add? Let us know in the comment box below.

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