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Open Campus

@opencampus.org

Higher ed is a local story. We're a nonprofit newsroom that tells it that way, in partnership with more than a dozen newsrooms across America. opencampus.org

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Latest posts by Open Campus @opencampus.org

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University of Texas silent on Trump compact as deadline looms Most other invited universities have rejected the administration’s offer tying priority federal funding to campus policy changes.

UT-Austin hasn’t said whether it will sign an agreement with the Trump administration that would tie preferential access to federal funding to a series of campus policy changes.

Most other invited universities have rejected the administration’s offer.

17.11.2025 17:34 👍 29 🔁 19 💬 5 📌 2
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How divestment calls brought academic freedom backlash at Pitt - Open Campus Students and faculty members at the University of Pittsburgh continue to call for financial transparency and divestment from Israel. Campus expression has felt the strain, and professors debate the sc...

Students and faculty members at the University of Pittsburgh continue to call for financial transparency and divestment from Israel. Campus expression has felt the strain, and professors debate the school’s response.
www.opencampus.org/2025/11/17/h...

17.11.2025 19:25 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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What local colleges are telling students to do during increased federal immigration enforcement Students are being told to avoid unnecessary risks and to contact university police if federal agents approach them.

Stay calm & respectful, but know your rights. Carry your student ID card at all times. Avoid unnecessary risks.

These are some of the tips UIC officials sent students to prepare for Trump’s deployment of federal agents to the #Chicago area.

@wbez.org @opencampus.org

www.wbez.org/education/20...

09.09.2025 21:36 👍 2 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
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For every person in an Illinois prison college class, another waits their turn. Research shows getting educated in prison helps prevent people from going back. In Illinois, new state data shows higher education opportunities inside are sparse.

“‘The fact that around 2,000 individuals are on waitlists — almost the same number as are actually enrolled — suggests that we need to greatly scale up [higher education in prison] in Illinois,’ Ginsburg said.” @charlottewest.bsky.social for @opencampus.org & @wbez.org www.wbez.org/public-safet...

13.09.2025 03:12 👍 6 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 0
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6 flashpoints in the history of academic freedom in Pittsburgh From Pitt to CMU to CCAC, Pittsburgh universities have faced clashes over speech, politics and academic freedom for nearly a century.

If you missed the opening story in "Gagging Academia" then you may not know that Pittsburgh has a 95-year history as a scene of back-and-forth on campus expression. Explore six flashpoints: www.publicsource.org/historic-pit...

18.09.2025 15:50 👍 2 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 0
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Do you have thoughts on academic freedom? Share your input on academic freedom in higher ed — the freedom to research, publish and discuss relevant issues without censorship.

Scholars are scared. Who can blame them? If you choose to share your thoughts on Academic Freedom in 2025 for our recently launched series "Gagging Academia," we at @publicsource.org will work with you in whatever way you feel comfortable. Here's where to start: www.publicsource.org/academic-fre...

18.09.2025 15:50 👍 1 🔁 3 💬 1 📌 0

Thanks to @opencampus.org for its support of this series and of @publicsource.org's higher ed coverage generally!

18.09.2025 15:50 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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Wisconsin colleges vow to keep supporting Hispanic students despite federal funding cuts - Open Campus The U.S. Department of Education announced last week that it’s ending grant programs that help fund minority-serving colleges, including more than 600 Hispanic-serving institutions. Wisconsin colleges...

The U.S. Ed Dept announced earlier this month that it’s ending grant programs that help fund minority-serving colleges, including more than 600 Hispanic-serving institutions. Wisconsin colleges say they’ll keep up the work with or without the additional money. www.opencampus.org/2025/09/16/w...

18.09.2025 13:40 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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Trump administration targets Illinois in-state tuition for immigrant students lacking legal status Federal officials allege the practice violates federal law and discriminates against U.S. citizens living in other states.

#Illinois is the fourth state to be targeted by the Trump administration over long-standing state laws providing reduced #college tuition to #immigrant students who reside in their states but lack legal status.

@wbez.org @opencampus.org

www.wbez.org/immigration/...

02.09.2025 20:34 👍 9 🔁 6 💬 1 📌 0
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Higher ed’s ‘hunker-down mindset' A tight housing market and a fragile job market mean those working in higher ed have fewer options than ever.

I talked with @opencampus.org about what I called higher ed's "hunker-down mindset" as the number of available jobs shrinks and housing prices and interest rates both remain high. It's really hard to get good people to move right now...and really hard to move up the staff ladder without that.

05.09.2025 16:59 👍 11 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
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Big changes are coming to student loan repayment. Here’s how to prepare. - Open Campus More than 1.6 million people in Illinois owe federal student debt. The Trump administration is trying to speed up their repayment.

Big changes are coming to student loan repayment. The Trump admin is rolling back relief measures, collections have resumed, and the # of repayment plans is being cut. Borrowers have fewer options and more risk of falling behind. Here's what you need to know. www.opencampus.org/2025/07/25/b...

19.08.2025 21:43 👍 3 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
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What fewer international college students could mean for Ohio this fall - Open Campus As the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown continues, national estimates project 30% to 40% fewer new students from around the globe will be on American campuses this fall.

As the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown continues, national estimates project 30% to 40% fewer new students from around the globe will be on U.S. campuses this fall. What this means for Ohio and the country. From Amy Morona for Signal Cleveland www.opencampus.org/2025/08/14/w...

19.08.2025 18:58 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Why a new Trump policy could expel thousands of adult students from classes - Open Campus The U.S. Department of Education says adult students without legal status are now banned from certain courses. Teens at public K-12 districts could see changes too.

In July, the Ed Dept said that adult students without legal status must be banned from federally funded career technical education classes, ESL programs and HS equivalency courses. Many school leaders say the new policy could lead to enrollment declines. www.opencampus.org/2025/07/28/w...

11.08.2025 18:02 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
What to know about the Trump budget bill’s impact on schools that serve students of color - Open Campus Together, the Trump administration’s budgetary cuts and the pending lawsuit could cause the schools to reduce services for students, hike tuition, and even close their doors, according to higher educa...

Federal funding cuts are hitting schools that serve students of color hard. Trump's budget includes a 14.4% cut to Title III funding that supports Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and Minority-Serving Institutions. www.opencampus.org/2025/07/17/w...

24.07.2025 19:31 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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First person: "AmeriCorps gave me a bridge back to society. Then Trump cut the funding." - Open Campus Cuts to Americorps funding hit formerly incarcerated volunteers especially hard.

For @opencampus.org, Kun Lyna "K" Tauch writes about an employment program that was supporting him post incarceration, until funding was cut by President Trump.

www.opencampus.org/2025/07/21/f...

23.07.2025 13:34 👍 0 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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In midnight move, CMU students roll in new fence to protest closure of free speech icon - Open Campus After Carnegie Mellon paused customary student control over The Fence, members of the campus community wheeled in a new one to highlight the importance of free expression in the wake of a contentious ...

After Carnegie Mellon paused customary student control over The Fence, members of the campus community wheeled in a new one to highlight the importance of free expression in the wake of a contentious summit. CMU leaders then reopened the iconic message board. www.opencampus.org/2025/07/21/i...

21.07.2025 22:05 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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📣 Big news for North Carolina! Three newsrooms — WUNC, @opencampus.org, and @nclocal.bsky.social — are joining forces to strengthen higher education reporting across the state.

Here's more about the collaboration and how to share your thoughts on what should be covered: www.wunc.org/education/20...

16.07.2025 16:29 👍 20 🔁 4 💬 0 📌 0
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Students find belonging in a Michigan prison - Open Campus Artist Alvin Smith worked together with his fellow students in the Hope-Western Prison Education Program to put together this series of reflections on what it meant to see the college community embrac...

Writer and artist Alvin Smith shares words and art with @opencampus.org, in a profile of the joint bachelor’s program that Hope College and Western Theological Seminary offered at his Michigan prison.

www.opencampus.org/2025/07/07/s...

15.07.2025 18:05 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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TCU student group Legacy Frogs combines business and sports to create NIL deals - Open Campus With the NCAA settlement finalized, the group is poised to maximize student athlete’s social media presence.

Three business students at Texas Christian University saw an opportunity to help student-athletes following a recent $2.8 billion NCAA settlement. www.opencampus.org/2025/07/14/t...

15.07.2025 17:54 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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How nonprofit newsrooms are rewriting the rules of beat reporting - INN News From Arizona to Maine, INN members are proving that collaboration isn’t just a budget fix — it’s a better way to serve communities.

Community coffee chats. Bilingual explainers. Shared reporters.

AJP-supported organizations like @spotlightdelaware.bsky.social and @opencampus.org are rethinking what beat reporting can look like. Read more via INN ⬇️

15.07.2025 16:18 👍 4 🔁 4 💬 0 📌 0
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Pell Grants escape ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ mostly unscathed - Open Campus The bill also expanded access by creating “Workforce Pell Grants” for students in accredited workforce programs in high-skill, high-wage areas, even if these are short-term programs.

Pell Grants remained largely unscathed in the final version of the "Big Beautiful Bill" that President Trump signed earlier this month. The biggest change is the intro of short-term workforce Pell and the elimination of eligibility for students with full rides. www.opencampus.org/2025/07/04/p...

14.07.2025 18:53 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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How nonprofit newsrooms are rewriting the rules of beat reporting - INN News From Arizona to Maine, INN members are proving that collaboration isn’t just a budget fix — it’s a better way to serve communities.

INN newsrooms like @opencampus.org and @spotlightdelaware.bsky.social are rewriting the rules of beat reporting, writes INN's Alana Rocha.

The key? Collaboration. news.inn.org/how-nonprofi...

11.07.2025 15:34 👍 5 🔁 4 💬 0 📌 0
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This program helps seniors find jobs. Trump’s cuts would end it - Open Campus Goodwill’s program helps low-income seniors in Indy learn skills, such as digital literacy.

In May, Pres. Donald Trump recommended eliminating federal funding for a program that helps low-income adults age 55+ learn new skills and build careers. If Congress doesn’t act by Oct 1, seniors in the program may be left with little assistance in reentering the labor market. tinyurl.com/y578fucz

10.07.2025 21:16 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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California colleges can now pay athletes directly. Why taxpayers may foot some of the bill - Open Campus A watershed legal settlement takes effect today, allowing universities to pay college athletes directly.

Starting last week, California’s top universities can pay their athletes directly. A CalMatters estimate suggests some student-athletes at UC Berkeley could make roughly $200K a year. At public universities, schools could use taxpayer $ to make these payments. www.opencampus.org/2025/07/01/c...

07.07.2025 20:56 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Student group banned by DePaul continues to run covert birth control delivery service University officials recently suspended the group from campus because of its affiliation with Planned Parenthood. Student leaders accuse DePaul of kowtowing to President Donald Trump.

Meet the "Womb Service," a group of DePaul University students who supply birth control to classmates. The Catholic school has long banned the distribution of contraceptives on campus. Womb Service volunteers say the policy is dangerous.

@wbez.org @opencampus.org

www.wbez.org/health-medic...

03.07.2025 15:58 👍 13 🔁 8 💬 1 📌 1
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Charlottesville Tomorrow joins Open Campus Local Network - Open Campus Open Campus now has 20 reporters at 17 newsrooms around the country.

President Donald Trump’s administration is reshaping higher ed, healthcare, immigration, and more. We’ll dig into the effects of those changes on public institutions, in partnership with @cvilletomorrow.bsky.social www.opencampus.org/2025/07/01/c...

02.07.2025 18:38 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Colorado students, education leaders try to help TRIO college-access program avoid Trump cuts - Open Campus The Trump administration wants to end funding for the federal TRIO program, which helps students from low-income backgrounds, students with disabilities, and first-generation students get to and throu...

870,000 high school and college students and older adults from low-income backgrounds, students with disabilities, and first-generation students benefit from TRIO. Trump’s proposed budget for FY-2026 would strip all funding from the 6-decade old program. www.opencampus.org/2025/06/26/c...

27.06.2025 18:55 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Hear one man’s 18-year journey to get his GED while locked up in Illinois prisons Juan Hernandez was a teenager when he was sentenced to prison. He was 32 when he finally completed his high school education.

This story, written by me and produced by @prisoncast.bsky.social, tell a story of bureaucratic barriers, arbitrary rules, and one man’s refusal to give up on earning his education. Done in partnership with @wbez.org www.wbez.org/criminal-jus...

25.06.2025 20:15 👍 8 🔁 4 💬 0 📌 0
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‘It could just be over’: Federal university research cuts threaten young scholars’ careers - Open Campus Universities across the country are bracing for the impacts of billions of dollars in federal funding cuts. Young scholars could be hit particularly hard.

Universities across the country are bracing for the impacts of billions of dollars in federal funding cuts. One group is set to be particularly hard hit – young scholars just beginning a career in research. From @batkinson2501.bsky.social for our partner @wunc.org www.opencampus.org/2025/06/25/i...

25.06.2025 20:01 👍 0 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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Helping hand or scam? A different approach to paying back student loans is under scrutiny. These loans, called income share agreements, could become more popular as President Donald Trump’s administration claws back federal loans and grants.

A type of student loan called income share agreements could become more popular as President Donald Trump’s administration claws back federal loans and grants.

But income share agreements come with their own issues.

20.06.2025 22:16 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0