Afternoon Update: Education Dept. won’t send completed FAFSAs to colleges until "first half of March"

Hate crimes nearly double at colleges and schools; lawsuit is dismissed over state-funding bias at HBCU; how to approach a book editor; and more. ADVERTISEMENT [Afternoon Update Logo]( You can also [read this newsletter on the web](. Or, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, [unsubscribe](. STUDENT-AID STRESS [Education Dept. Won’t Send Completed FAFSAs to Colleges Until ‘First Half of March’]( By Eric Hoover [STORY IMAGE]( A financial-aid cycle like none before is about to become even more complicated. Many colleges will have to scramble to issue aid offers in time for applicants to respond by the May 1 deadline. ADVERTISEMENT ADVICE [How to Approach a Book Editor]( By Rebecca Colesworthy [STORY IMAGE]( What you should do, what you can but don’t need to do, and what you will have to do to get published. CAMPUS SAFETY [Hate Crimes Reported at Colleges and Schools Nearly Doubled Between 2018 and 2022]( According to federal data released on Monday, Black students were the most frequent targets, followed by LGBTQ and Jewish students. The overall number of such crimes jumped to 1,300 from 700, after a [similar surge]( reported in 2018. [Another surge]( followed the Israel-Hamas war’s outbreak. The most common crimes were intimidation, vandalism, and assault. (The New York Times, The Chronicle) CAMPUS EQUITY [Judge Dismisses Discrimination Lawsuit Over Florida A&M’s State Funding and Programs]( The suit had accused the state of [intentionally discriminating]( against the historically Black university by underfunding it and allowing the University of Florida, a predominantly white institution, to duplicate its programs — [claims similar]( to those in [other states](. The judge said the disparities were not actionable because they did not stem from de jure segregation. (Higher Ed Dive, The Chronicle) LEGAL FEES [U. of North Carolina Paid Anti-Affirmative-Action Group $4.8 Million After Court Loss]( The money paid legal costs of Students for Fair Admissions, which last year won lawsuits against UNC’s Chapel Hill campus and against Harvard in which the U.S. Supreme Court [struck down race-conscious admissions](. The information was disclosed in response to an open-records request. It is not known what Harvard paid SFFA. (Reuters, The Chronicle) CAMPUS CUTS I [UNC-Greensboro’s Faculty Senate Censures Chancellor Over Program-Cutting Process]( The vote at the University of North Carolina campus was 25 to 10. The resolution, which also targeted the provost, criticized both officials for not consulting the Senate about the process and not providing a “clear rationale” for which programs to close. Some 20 programs may be eliminated, with a final decision to be made this week. (NC Newsline) CAMPUS CUTS II [SUNY’s Rockland Community College Braces for Faculty Layoffs]( The president of the State University of New York campus said layoffs and furloughs so far had been insufficient to close a $4-million budget gap. Additional furloughs and layoffs, and a tuition increase, are now likely. The college’s financial vice president said he sometimes wondered if it would make payrolll. (Rockland/Westchester Journal News) NEWSLETTER [Sign Up for the Teaching Newsletter]( Find insights to improve teaching and learning across your campus. Delivered on Thursdays. To read this newsletter as soon as it sends, [sign up]( to receive it in your email inbox. SPECIAL OFFER FOR NEW SUBSCRIBERS Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for less than $20 and get unlimited access to essential reporting, data, and analysis. And as a special bonus, you'll get the 2024 Trends Report, our annual issue on the major trends shaping higher education — coming in March. 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