Lisa Kurian Philip

Students for profit? University of Illinois campuses pay company per online student Consumer protection advocates say the practice incentivizes the company to enroll as many students as possible, regardless of whether they'll benefit. University leaders says their standards aren't co...

NEW investigation from @lkpwrites.bsky.social:

IL colleges are contracting w/ for-profit businesses called online program managers which are paid as much as 50% tuition revenue for each student they enroll.
www.wbez.org/education/20...

Students for profit? University of Illinois campuses pay company per online student Consumer protection advocates say the practice incentivizes the company to enroll as many students as possible, regardless of whether they'll benefit. University leaders says their standards aren't co...

“If you're going to pay [recruiters] per student, that person then has the incentive to do whatever they can to get you to enroll...They will tell you whatever they need to tell you. They will promise you whatever needs to be promised.”
@stephmhall.bsky.social

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

Students for profit? University of Illinois campuses pay company per online student Consumer protection advocates say the practice incentivizes the company to enroll as many students as possible, regardless of whether they'll benefit. University leaders says their standards aren't co...

“If you're going to pay [recruiters] per student, that person then has the incentive to do whatever they can to get you to enroll...They will tell you whatever they need to tell you. They will promise you whatever needs to be promised.” -@@stephmhall.bsky.social

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

Students for profit? University of Illinois campuses pay company per online student Consumer protection advocates say the practice incentivizes the company to enroll as many students as possible, regardless of whether they'll benefit. The university says their standards aren't compromised.

University of Illinois campuses pays a for-profit company to recruit students for online programs — a practice that would be illegal if done by the universities themselves, a WBEZ investigation found.

“I Don’t Want to Be Here Anymore”: They Tried to Self-Deport, Then Got Stranded in Trump’s America Venezuelan immigrants signed up for a Trump-promoted app called CBP Home, which promised a safe and easy way to leave the country, and prepared to leave on their given departure dates. Those dates hav...

“I don’t want to be here anymore… What am I supposed to do?”

Trump wants them to self deport. They want to self deport. But many Venezuelans cannot leave … like this woman who told me she now plans to try to turn herself into ICE to get out of USA.

www.propublica.org/article/trum...

Current speaker asks students to link arms, a position he says demonstrates their solidarity in the face of oppression

At the University of Illinois Chicago where dozens are protesting ICE's presence in their city. Multiple students say #ICE detained two women unaffiliated with UIC near the campus Student Services Building yesterday (Weds)

#WarRavagedPortland

Pic of Plestia Alaqad overlaid with text from interview: Plestia Alaqad: I can't believe that it's almost — [she pauses] no, it's not almost, it's actually two years. Okay, I can't believe that it's been two years of this ongoing genocide. When I was reporting in Gaza for 45 days, these 45 days felt like 45 years. And now it's 200 days feeling like 200 years for the people who are actually still on the ground facing bombing, displacement and starvation, which is being used as a method by Israel. Israel is literally ethnically cleansing people in Gaza, and we're watching a genocide unfold live on TV.

23-year-old journalist Plestia Alaqad, like many Gazans, lost her home in the first days after October 7. unable to reenter her homeland, stuck watching the horror continue, she’s publishing her diaries from reporting on the ground.

full interview @teenvogue.com www.teenvogue.com/story/plesti...

This Palestinian college student and Chicagoan is feeling exhausted but empowered A student activist at DePaul University says college helped her find her voice — and fully embrace her Palestinian identity.

For 2 years, Palestinian-American students in #Chicago have had to go to class while witnessing extreme violence against their community in #Gaza: “You feel the guilt of, ‘How am I letting my people go through that?’”

@wbez.org @opencampus.org

bit.ly/3VTFGCU

Partnership Aims to Better Address Food Insecurity Among City Colleges Students This fall, free take-home meals at Malcolm X College, Kennedy-King College and Olive-Harvey College will be available for students and their family members.

A new initiative announced by City Colleges of Chicago and the Greater Chicago Food Depository aims to better address food insecurity among students attending community colleges in the city.

In a few moments tune into @wbez.org 91.5 FM to hear Palestinian college student and #Chicagoan Henna Ayesh's story. The past two years have left her tired to the bone - but empowered.

#college #Palestine #activism

A black and white photo of 5 armed ICE agents atop the Broadview Detention Facility, looking down at the crowd, with an American flag waving to the left.

A dozen armed ICE agents silhouetted against the drifting tear gas, with a news van behind them.

A color photo of an ICE agent, seen from behind, standing in colorfully lit clouds of tear gas, aiming his weapon.

A black and white photo of silhouetted ICE agents stalking through the clouds of tear gas. A stop sign is in the foreground.

Several of us went to Broadview tonight to scope out the situation for ourselves. What we witnessed was a completely peaceful—even uneventful—protest/gathering, until the exact moment ICE unleashed a totally unprovoked and unwarranted tear-gas attack.

I feel like news publications should put more energy into asking autistic people how they feel about all this because…

How a secret recording of a gender identity lecture upended Texas A&M Officials have struggled to detail the exact reasons for the A&M professor’s termination, citing a technical issue with her course description. Faculty say the move was politically motivated.

This is an absolutely terrific piece from @texastribune.org and reinforces my belief that the best coverage of right-wing cancelations occur at the local level, after years of the national media focusing on threats from the left.
www.texastribune.org/2025/09/19/t...

South Side love was on full display at 5th annual Englewood Music Festival • The TRiiBE The free festival brought the community together with art and performances by gospel powerhouse Le’Andria Johnson and rap legend Boosie Badazz.

Playing a major role in this festival is Ald. Stephanie Coleman , who founded the Englewood Music Festival in 2021 with hopes to bring music and positive community energy to her Chicago ward.

thetriibe.com/2025/09/sout...

Staff Shakeup at Fermilab and Argonne as Buyouts Follow Budgeted Funding Drop, Federal Research Shift Employees at Fermilab in Batavia and Argonne in Lemont were recently offered voluntary separation packages. The move comes as the Department of Energy recommends funding for the local national labs be...

Employees at Fermilab in Batavia and Argonne in Lemont were recently offered voluntary separation packages. The move comes as the Department of Energy recommends funding for the local national labs be reduced by almost $240 million for the next fiscal year, and focuses on new research priorities.

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...

I will be following this closely. If you're a student or educator who has questions or wants to discuss your experiences, please DM me or email me at lphilip [at] WBEZ [dot] org

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/...

Also, note that simultaneously with these changes in that destroy full loan forgiveness/the financial feasibility of entering a low-paying career like social work without being independently wealthy, sharply limiting diversity in a profession with a great deal of cultural competency need
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Federal loan limits could turn off prospective social workers from going to school, advocates say Hospitals, schools and community groups depend on social workers. But some are concerned students will be deterred if they need costly private loans to get a master’s degree.

Social workers in Illinois and across the country say the new loan limits will stymy efforts to get more people, especially those from diverse backgrounds, into their field.

My latest for @wbez.org and @opencampus.org:

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

Chicago-area doctors are returning from Gaza with horror stories and demands for elected officials A group of doctors who worked in Gaza is urging members of Congress to support a bill limiting weapons sales to Israel. They say they can feel the tide turning.

"The doctors have been meeting with members of the Chicago-area congressional delegation and other political leaders, urging them to speak out against Israel’s starvation of Palestinians in Gaza, where famine has been declared, and settler violence in the West Bank."

www.wbez.org/politics/202...

'I just wanted to see a change,' Chicago youth reflect on their experience as  peacekeepers • The TRiiBE Dozens of youth peacekeepers completed a Peacekeeper training this summer. They marked its end with a graduation and hip-hop celebration.

NEW — Dozens of Black and brown youth graduated from summer Peacekeeper training led by GoodKids MadCity.

“I just want to be a person for the youth and be somebody they can look up to, they can talk to and learn from,” GKMC member Reece Johnson said.

thetriibe.com/2025/08/i-ju...

Looking back on the past couple of horrible years I do greatly appreciate the simple moral clarity of Bill Burr when he had that infuriating sit down with Bill Maher and they talked about the campus Gaza war protests and Burr simply said “I’m on the side of the kids.” He didn’t need to …

Big changes are coming to student loan repayment. Here’s how to prepare. More than 1.6 million people in Illinois owe federal student debt. The Trump administration is trying to speed up their repayment.

More than 1.6 million people in Illinois owe federal student debt. The Trump administration is trying to speed up their repayment. Here are some steps you can take to prepare.

@wbez.org @opencampus.org
www.wbez.org/education/20...

Their student-run birth control service was banned on campus. They're still delivering. “Womb Service,” a contraceptive delivery network, lost its status as a student group suddenly last month. It's still going.

Psyched to have this story about the Womb Service at DePaul featured by @19thnews.org! Big thanks to @opencampus.org's Colleen Murphy for pitching it ❤️

19thnews.org/2025/07/depa...
#reproductiverights #journalism #college #education @wbez.org

I recommend checking out the group's Instagram account: @depaul.ppga

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...

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.

"This type of student loan, called an income share agreement, could become more appealing in the next few years as President Donald Trump and conservative lawmakers claw back access to federal student loans and grants. . . ."

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

@wbez.org @lkpwrites.bsky.social