Current and prospective college students in Maryland and beyond are struggling with pandemic-related disruptions which can jeopardize their studies, a new survey found.

It also showed how much people view college degrees as key to finding the right job and improving their quality of life. The report from Gallup and Lumina Foundation revealed about one-third of bachelor's degree students have considered stopping out in the past six months.

Stephanie Marken, executive director of education research at Gallup, said the study shows just how much students are struggling with stress, even more than in similar research conducted at the height of the pandemic.

"Mental health challenges have really been on the rise for the last decade in most higher education institutions, nationally," Marken reported. "This has been a long-term challenge for most schools, especially as they consider how do they staff appropriately to serve the higher need they find from the student population."

The report was informed by a Gallup survey of more than 11,000 students, currently or recently enrolled, and prospective college students. In a 2020 survey of University of Maryland college students, 92% of undergraduates reported the pandemic had a negative impact on their mental health.

The survey also highlighted the experience of students who recently "stopped out" of college. More than half said the cost of higher-ed has played a role in why they haven't continued their studies.

Courtney Brown, vice president of impact and planning for the Lumina Foundation, said making college more affordable is crucial.

"Financial aid packages were the number one reason that students stayed enrolled, even when they were feeling stressed about it," Brown pointed out. "The fact that they were getting money to stay in school is really telling. We should do a better job of communicating where opportunities exist for financial aid packages."

Excluding Washington, D.C., Maryland borrowers have the highest average student-loan debt, at nearly $43,000.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.

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Correction: Sánchez Sotelo would go on to contribute money in exchange for the land used to build ASU. An earlier version of this article stated she sold the land. (07:53 a.m. PST., Sept. 26, 2024)

It took one Arizona State University alumna years to find out she is a descendant of a Mexican pioneer, who was foundational in the creation of ASU.

Sonia Reyes Corella, 55, is hoping to establish a scholarship to honor her third great-grandmother, Manuela Sánchez Sotelo. Reyes Corella says Sánchez Sotelo made her way to Tempe with her family for irrigation work. Sánchez Sotelo and her husband eventually purchased 160 acres of land near present day Rural Road and east University Drive. She would go on to contribute money in exchange for the land used to build the university.

During Hispanic Heritage Month, Reyes Corella wants folks to know that Latinos have been an integral part of ASU's history, something she hopes to further cultivate with her proposed scholarship.

"But if you know, 'Hey, we've been here, we've been here the whole time, we've been here since before it started - this is our school, this is our town, maybe it's not so scary that way.' If I knew that I would've come in feeling completely different if I would've known this woman had helped to found ASU," she said.

Over the years, Reyes Corella has mentored several ASU students, something she said simply was not an option during her studies. She is now working to establish a Los Diablos alumni chapter scholarship that will help a student cover the costs of books and supplies. She says the scholarship recipient would have to give a presentation on Sánchez Sotelo to honor her legacy.

Today the university is designated a Hispanic-Serving Institution by the Department of Education, for having over 25% of undergraduates identify as Hispanic or Latino.

A Phoenix native, Reyes Corella said she came to find out about her connection to Sánchez Sotelo through an uncle, whom she calls the historian of the family. As she learned about Sánchez Sotelo's life, she said she was shocked to know they shared so many similarities such as being single mothers, property owners as well as supporters of education.

"I mean, I thought I was doing something kind of new in the family - not at all. People will ask me, 'How did you do it?' And I never really had a good answer, until I found out about her," Reyes Corella explained.

Reyes Corella added that as a first-generation college graduate and a Latina, she recognizes her higher education journey was impacted by Sánchez Sotelo and is eager to honor her by helping enable access to deserving and qualified students.



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Workers in Washington state schools are spotlighting the need for higher wages as kids settle back into the classroom. Workers at the preschool through high school levels known as classified staff - people other than teachers who help schools run - are paid low wages and sometimes work multiple jobs to stay afloat. That's why the American Federation of Teachers of Washington is campaigning for higher pay for classified workers.

David Patten, a bus driver for the Renton School District, said some of his coworkers with families, for instance, are having a hard time getting by.

"They're working that job on top of having to apply for state benefits or state help. That shouldn't happen these days. f you're working, you know, 40 hours a week, there shouldn't really be that struggle," he said.

Patten said AFT Renton, representing classified staff in the district, was recently able to secure a new contract. But workers are still facing low wages. For example, he notes that nutrition service workers earn 26 dollars an hour, too low they say, after decades of work in the district.

Patten said it took eight months to hammer out a new contract for classified workers in Renton schools and that his union nearly went on strike, and added that many members were frustrated with the contrast between their pay and that of higher positions in the school district, such as the superintendent's.

"All we have money to do is pay our bills and make sure that we're able to make our mortgage, make our rent and do those things while some of the other people that are sitting up there are able to do whatever they want to do, and they look at us when we're asking for, maybe, a 6% raise or 7% raise and telling us 'no' and making us fight for it," Patten contended.

Patten added he and other classified workers are the ones who ensure schools efficient operation.

"Being able to provide those services and make sure that those kids are there safely, getting to eat, the mechanics making sure the buses are working, the plumbers and stuff making sure the stuff at the schools are working - without any of us, there is no school," he said.

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An Alabama nonprofit will play a critical role in shaping the future of federal student aid.

Alabama Possible is breaking new ground as one of the six organizations selected by the U.S. Department of Education to help fine-tune the 2025-26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.

The group's Executive Director Chandra Scott said the group will help remove obstacles, and work to make this year's application process easier for students in Alabama and across the South.

"Our timelines around FAFSA completion and graduation is so different from institutions in the North," said Scott. "So being able to get in on this a little early - to see where students are going to land on this, what still needs to be fixed - it's a great privilege."

The beta testing includes recruiting at least 100 students and families across the state to complete the FAFSA, as they would under normal circumstances.

Scott said Alabama Possible will help identify where students are likely to encounter issues and work with the Department of Education to resolve them before the December 1 launch.

Scott said this effort doesn't give an advantage to students who will complete the FAFSA during this testing, but ensures they face fewer roadblocks than they did with last year's application.

She said a common issue they will be looking out for is one that delayed the process for many students last year.

"There shouldn't be a need for both parents to need an FSA ID if they're filing taxes jointly," said Scott, "and that was a huge barrier for a lot of students - because they were only having one parent do it, and then it would put a great pause in the process."

The group will also work to ensure that students without social security numbers and those classified as independent don't encounter unnecessary hurdles.

Scott said she believes this testing will not only benefit students, but also equip school counselors and career coaches with essential tools to provide effective support.

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