HBCU Morehouse Offers First LGBT Course; Higher Education in California Gets a Boost From Budget

Morehouse College to Offer First LGBT Course. One of the nation's most prestigious historically black colleges (HBCU), Morehouse College, will offer a course focusing on LGBT pop culture, history and society starting in the Spring semester of this year. The course, offered in the college’s sociology department, is the first of its kind at a HBCU. The campus’ gay/straight alliance, SafeSpaces, partnered with Yale University professor  Jafari Allen PhD. to bring the idea into fruition. Allen, who will teach the course via Skype conveyed that the course will outline various key concepts in Black feminism and critical cultural theory and methodology. [Huffington Post]

New Jersey College Students Rally for Lower Tuition for Undocumented Immigrants. A coalition of college students kicked off a campaign this week calling for tuition equality for undocumented youth attending New Jersey colleges. The group is pushing for passage of controversial legislation that would allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition rates at the state’s public colleges. Under the current law, colleges in New Jersey do not ask students their immigration status. However, if a student cannot prove they live in the state legally, they are required to pay out-of-state tuition and are ineligible for financial aid. In 2010, Congress failed to pass the DREAM act, federal legislation which would have created a path to citizenship for undocumented students. Some young undocumented immigrants can apply for the deferred action program which grants two-year stays and work authorization but does not create a path to become a citizen. To qualify they must have arrived in the states before their 16th birthday, have a squeaky clean criminal record, and must be either enrolled in college, graduated from high school, or plan to serve in the military. [New Jersey]

California Governor's Budget Offers Good News to Colleges. Gov. Jerry Brown (D-Calif.) announced a proposal last week for a balanced 2013-14 state budget, directing more funding into education. Both the University of California and California State University systems will each receive an additional $250 million in the budget, partially restoring drastic cuts made during the fiscal crisis. Also, the California Community Colleges would receive an additional $197 million, an increase of about 5 percent. These three higher-education systems had hoped for more, but Brown said "the gap between what we're going to give them and what they say they're going to need" would have to be made up through efficiencies. [The Chronicle]

For-Profit College Shuts Down. American Career Institute (ACI) shuttered its campuses last week, leaving students in Massachusetts and Maryland out in the cold. The for-profit institution told student the school's campuses will close on Jan. 9, including its locations in Columbia, Silver Spring and Baltimore, due to financial difficulties. ACI’s unexpected and abrupt demise some suggest is another example of how lax standards in the for-profit college industry can harm students and taxpayers. ACI disconnected their phone number and website, making it difficult for students to obtain information on the sudden withdrawal of educational services. [Huffington Post]

Shawn Shaligram is an Online Communications Intern with Campus Progress. You can follow him on Twitter at @shatelegram.

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