College student newspaper editors are concerned about different issues, but most of them are unified by the discussions related to three particular topics.
According to a new Axios survey, race, diversity, and inclusion were the most discussed issues by the editors of students run newspapers different institution types including community colleges, liberal arts schools, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and religious universities.
Lately, the college campuses across the country are wrestling with a surge in racist incidents. Earlier this month, a picture of four white students at Colorado State University wearing blackface and captioned “Wakanda”, the setting for the movie “Black Panther,” surfaced on social media prompting the university to launch an initiative to tackle racial biases.
Axios surveyed editors at nearly 120 post-secondary institutions nationwide and found that mental health services, sexual misconduct, gun violence, and public safety were also among the most discussed issued on campuses.
A recent survey by World Education News + Reviews (WES) found many international students worried about gun violence at their institution and in local communities.
Students from Southeast Asia are most likely to be worried about gun violence both at their institution and the local community, followed by students from South and Central Asia, East Asia, and the Middle East/North Africa (MENA), who also express high levels of concern.
For editors, the rising tuition and student loan debt is the biggest concern for the next generation of student.
“Is college really worth it? If I may not be able to get a job?” University of Oregon’s Michael Tobin told Axios on the rising cost of college.
Many issues of discussion were specific to some colleges. The most discussed topic at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa is the construction of Thirty Meter Telescope on top of dormant volcano Mauna Kea, considered as a sacred land while at Pima Community College the most discussed topic is a decline in enrollment of DACA students.
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