by Corinne Murdock | May 28, 2022 | Education, News
By Corinne Murdock |
Northern Arizona University (NAU) students will have to take a 12-credit general studies program focused on diversity. Following initial reports on their plans, NAU hid the DCCC page behind a university login page. (Archived link here). In doing so, they also blocked access to links leading to the DCCC meeting dates, agendas, and minutes; diversity requirements; how individuals could propose a “Diversity Designation” course; and an outline of their curriculum creation and review processes.
The Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) approved NAU’s new diversity program last October.
It appears that NAU shielded the DCCC website from the public eye after City Journal reported about the new diversity curriculum. A web cache of the page taken on May 14 allows individuals to see the DCCC website, not an NAU login page. City Journal issued their report on May 24, offering an in-depth assessment on how NAU’s aim for the program was to only include critical theory’s definition of diversity.
NAU also removed DCCC’s notes (archived here) from last September that acknowledged how the level of ambition the undertaking demands. Yet, the DCCC projected that it would cause NAU to take the lead on their competition.
“The 12 credits of diversity requirements are unprecedented and puts [sic] NAU at the forefront of higher education,” read the notes.
The initiative is the latest from the Diversity Curriculum Committee (DCC) formed by NAU’s Faculty Senate. The committee declared in their proposal that NAU is lacking in diversity requirements. (Archived link here).
The DCC explained that students will be required to take three credits in each of the following areas: U.S. Ethnic Diversity, Global Diversity, Indigenous Peoples, and Intersectionality. Within those areas, there will be focuses catered to the arts and humanities, scientific literacy and methods, and social and political worlds.
More won’t just be required of the students; the DCC proposed that NAU hire a director for the new diversity program; increase hires in Ethnic Studies, Applied Indigenous Studies, and Women’s and Gender Studies; establish retention mechanisms for faculty engaged in “diversity objectives;” create a faculty learning community focused on diversity; create a faculty professional development program on diversity curriculum; hire a Chief Diversity Officer; ensure course releases or other compensation for female and minority faculty; require faculty to engage in more diversity work and challenges; and establish a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program within each college in NAU.
NAU plans to initiate a soft launch of their revamped diversity program this fall, with a full launch in fall 2023.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Corinne Murdock | May 2, 2022 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
Last Wednesday, Northern Arizona University (NAU) announced that it would grant free tuition to Arizonans with household incomes at or below $65,000 — about half of Arizona households qualify.
Free tuition came from NAU’s Access2Excellence (A2E) initiative to increase enrollment. NAU President José Luis Cruz Rivera explained in a press release that this latest development aligned with broader operational goals: access and equity.
“Affordability of college is top of mind for many, and this program ensures that tuition is not a barrier,” said Cruz Rivera. “It’s the embodiment of our university’s commitment to excellence and delivering equitable postsecondary value to all our students.”
NAU’s enrollment has been in steep decline over the years. Last fall, their total enrollment was over 28,700 students. The latest numbers mark a steady declining trend over the past three years: in fall 2020, they had over 29,500 students enrolled; in fall 2019, over 30,700 students enrolled; and in fall 2018, over 31,000 students enrolled. Prior to the last three years, NAU had grown steadily in its enrollment for over a decade. Their campus went from just over 20,500 students enrolled in 2006 to over 31,000 in 2017.
The Biden Administration likely spurred the free tuition initiative. In January, the Department of Education awarded $4.8 million to NAU for low-income students and low-wage or unemployed workers to achieve higher education.
According to a report from Pew Research Center last month, $65,000 would fall around the middle of middle-class income for a single individual: about $30,000 to $90,000. For households of five, middle-class income would range from over $67,000 to over $201,000.
NAU’s free tuition announcement came several weeks after the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) announced tuition and housing hikes at all three of Arizona’s public universities. NAU, along with Arizona State University (ASU), also announced an increase in its student meal plan costs — something University of Arizona (UArizona) didn’t do.
Under the ABOR changes, NAU students received a 3.5 percent tuition increase: around $11,000 to nearly $11,400. The increased tuition applied to both state residents and non-residents equally. Additionally, they will face an 3 to 3.5 percent increase in housing costs, along with additional course fees.
In March, NAU guaranteed that it would admit individuals that meet Arizona high school graduation requirements with a 3.0 or higher GPA.
The free tuition opportunity will take effect next fall. Housing costs won’t be covered.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Terri Jo Neff | Apr 10, 2022 | Education, News
By Terri Jo Neff |
Tuition for the next academic school year is going up at Arizona State University for all students, while tuition hikes at the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University will hit mostly new students, according to the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR).
On Thursday, the ABOR which oversee the state’s three public universities announced higher tuitions and housing costs for residents and non-residents during the 2022-23 school year. All except the UofA will also be increasing the cost of student meal plans.
“The board recognizes any increase in tuition has an impact on Arizona students and families, but we are pleased that the presidents’ proposals included only modest added costs in 2022-23,” ABOR Chair Lyndel Manson said of the hikes. “The proposals demonstrate the joint commitment of the presidents to prioritize Arizona, access and quality while shielding resident students to the greatest extent possible from extraordinary inflationary cost pressures.”
The ABOR’s announcement means existing and new resident students at ASU will be paying 2.5 percent more than this year’s tuition. That works out to $10,978 for undergrads who are Arizona residents and $12,014 for graduate in-state resident students
ASU students who are not residents of Arizona will experience a 4 percent tuition hike, while the ABOR approved a 5 percent hike for international students at ASU. Online students registered at ASU will also notice a 2 percent increase in the cost of each credit hour.
At the UofA, resident students currently in the Guaranteed Tuition Program will not see tuitions go up, but incoming freshman and undergrads whose tuition is not guaranteed will pay $11,535 per year, a two percent increase. UofA grad students who are residents will pay $12,348, which is also up 2 percent.
Non-resident new students and non-resident existing students who are not in one of UofA’s guarantee tuition program will see tuition rates jump 5.6 percent. Different tuition rate increases are being implemented for the UofA’s College of Medicine and College of Veterinary Medicine students.
Meanwhile, incoming freshman and graduate students at NAU will be hit with a 3.5 percent tuition increase to $11,024 and $11,390 respectively. The rate boost applies to resident and non-resident students.
Undergraduate course fees at NAU will also be changing for the 2022-23 year. Meanwhile, international students at NAU will experience the biggest tuition hike among the three universities, with increases of 7.2 to 7.4 percent.
But that is not the only economic impact students at Arizona’s public universities will have to contend with for the 2022-23 school year. The ABOR has upped its housing costs between 3 and 3.5 percent at all three universities.
Any students seeking to utilize a university’s meal plan will also have to fork over more money during the next school year. In addition, ABOR also boosted some mandatory student fees.
According to the ABOR, a person must be able to prove “continuous physical presence in Arizona for at least 12 months immediately preceding the semester of application” to be eligible for resident tuition.
by Corinne Murdock | Aug 12, 2021 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
Arizona State University (ASU), Northern Arizona University (NAU), and University of Arizona (UArizona) all announced a mask mandate on Wednesday. NAU even encourages students to police their peers on mask wearing and social distancing. As of press time, UArizona hasn’t updated their face covering policy – though President Robert Robbins promised that further guidance would be available this week.
All three universities will enforce the mandate indoors where social distancing isn’t possible. This includes classrooms, teaching or research labs, all clinical programs and centers that serve the public, meeting rooms, workshops, and design or production studios. The universities say that they may even require masks in certain outdoor settings and activities where social distancing can’t be maintained.
These mask mandates will go into effect when classes resume – for ASU, that’s next week. NAU and UArizona start classes in two weeks’ time.
Several weeks ago, ASU said that masks would be recommended only for most students except for certain health care centers and non-campus shuttles. However, the university did allude to the possibility of expanding its mask mandate beyond those areas.
“ […] ASU is now strongly recommending that everyone on campus wear a face cover when inside a university building. We previously communicated that face covers would be required in certain health care centers and on-campus shuttles. Those requirements may extend further to select buildings and at events that may pose a higher risk of transmission,” wrote ASU. “Notification will be provided in advance of events and/or at building entrances if face covers are required. Consistent with the governor’s executive order and the CDC guidelines, we are not making distinctions between the vaccinated and unvaccinated. This will apply to all individuals regardless of their vaccination status.”
Students have already planned protests against ASU’s mask mandate. Maricopa County Young Republicans and the Arizona Young Republicans announced that they would take part in a protest on Friday. Republican governor-hopeful Kari Lake and other special guests will make an appearance at the protest.
“We are going to stand with our brother[s] and sisters at ASU tomorrow!” wrote Arizona Young Republicans. “The madness must end! #FreeASU[.]”
https://twitter.com/ArizonaYRs/status/1425842512497811456
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
