With just a few hours remaining until the midnight deposit deadline, West Virginia high school senior Sam Dodson thought he knew which university he鈥檇 commit to for the fall but second thoughts were bubbling up. Accepted to a number of prestigious institutions, he had narrowed his final choice down to two: Columbia University and Dartmouth College.

There were multiple considerations at play: academic opportunities; social life; Manhattan’s Upper West Side vs. bucolic Hanover, New Hampshire. And over the past few weeks a new one had emerged: the quickly spreading pro-Palestinian campus protests and subsequent arrests for which Columbia was ground zero.

Dodson was one of these students, watching closely as protesters occupying Columbia’s Hamilton Hall were cleared from the building Tuesday by the New York Police Department.. 

鈥淎ll of that made me wait until kind of the last minute to officially decide,鈥� the track runner told 社区黑料.

The class of 2024 has had a high school experience bookended by jarring national news, their freshman year coinciding with school shutdowns and COVID-era virtual learning and their senior year ending amid a volatile movement protesting Israel’s assault in Gaza that has swept up dozens of colleges and brought over 2,000 arrests, according to a tally. As seniors weigh options for their future universities, some are looking to the actions of college student activists and the responses of their respective administrations before making final decisions.

鈥淚 do think that all of the turmoil and things that are going on definitely had me reconsidering. It had me having second thoughts about different things and had me, I guess, take second looks at different schools,鈥� Dodson said. 鈥淏ut ultimately I guess I tried to look past anything with that and understand that this is a choice I’m making for the next four years and what I think would be the best experience for me 鈥� academically, personally, in terms of just student life. All of those things.鈥�

Dodson鈥檚 experiences are reflective of as well. Safa Al-Omari, a senior at NYC鈥檚 The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology told she is still deciding between City College and Hunter College. The Yemeni student said she wants to do more research about City College鈥檚 response to the protests before she commits.

鈥淏eing Middle Eastern, I have a lot of feelings about what鈥檚 going on,鈥� Al-Omari said. 鈥淚 would not want to go to a college that is arresting students based on them speaking for people who are suffering.鈥�

For Sam Dodson’s mom, Sarah, there were also conflicting emotions. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very hard to put the 鈥榶es鈥� when you have a lot of 鈥� chaos,鈥� she said. While she said her son was drawn to the diversity of perspectives on Columbia鈥檚 campus, the more heated elements of the past few weeks have given him pause. At the same time, she emphasized the importance of being in a higher education space where free speech is strongly respected and encouraged. 

鈥淵ou never want your kid to go to a school that is on the national news because of police involvement, right? It just doesn鈥檛 sit really well,鈥� she said. 鈥淗owever, I guess I am under the assumption that there鈥檚 going to be resolution 鈥� I鈥檓 guessing because this is a college platform that they are going to hopefully have more engaging, open conversations so that there can be some sort of 鈥� I don鈥檛 know 鈥� persistence of everyday campus life that is not so inflamed.鈥�

For now, all academic activities on Columbia鈥檚 Morningside Heights campus 鈥� including finals 鈥� have been moved fully remote for the remainder of the semester. On May 6, the school to cancel the university-wide commencement scheduled for May 15 and instead focus on school-level graduation ceremonies. The NYPD had been asked to maintain a police presence until two days after the main commencement; it was not immediately clear how the cancellation might impact that.

Sam Dodson, who began his freshman year of high school in hybrid learning, said it would be frustrating if his first year of college classes also goes remote because of campus unrest. On the other hand, “there’s something interesting about being in the center of the news or the center of exactly what’s happening.鈥� 

Students reconsider and recommit

It was about two week after pro-Palestinian students and activists on Columbia鈥檚 campus first erected the 鈥淕aza Solidarity Encampment鈥� that a group occupied Hamilton Hall, a building with a long history of . Hours later, the cops moved in, arresting, 112 people, including 32 who were not affiliated with the university. 

By this point, the movement had spread across the country, including to Dodson’s other contender, Dartmouth, where nearly were arrested this week. About a week and half before that escalation, Columbia hosted its accepted students weekend and Dodson was there. 

He took some time, he said, to wander around campus and speak with protesting students near the encampment. 鈥淭hey were like, 鈥楬ey, new Columbia students. Come talk to us!鈥� You know, I guess, they were very like welcoming. They were very much wanting to talk with the admitted students, which I thought was a nice thing.鈥�

While he was disappointed that many of the accepted student weekend activities had been canceled or modified, he was grateful he got to experience the events on campus firsthand and form his own views.   

Around the same time, another high school senior Lila Ellis, who uses they/ them pronouns, was also closely observing the activities on Columbia鈥檚 campus. A Jewish student from Massachusetts, they had committed months before to the dual-degree joint program between Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary.

Ellis said that because of their religion, they鈥檙e concerned there are certain places on campus they won鈥檛 be welcomed. 鈥淚 think that to just stay away from all secular extracurriculars entirely, is a disservice to myself and to the community as a whole,鈥� they said. 鈥淎nd I’m just thinking about, like, how am I going to balance that while also, you know, recognizing that some spaces don’t want me in them?鈥�

Ellis pointed to the example of a protester outside the gates of campus , 鈥淕o back to Poland,鈥� at Jewish students. Recently, a January video of one of the student protest leaders, Khymani James, began circulating in which he said, 鈥渂e grateful that I鈥檓 not just going out and murdering Zionists.鈥� He has since been barred from campus and released a of apology. 

Notably, as reported by , protests within the encampment were on the whole peaceful and included Jewish students, though others on campus agreed with Ellis that anti-Zionist rhetoric made them feel unwelcomed. 

While Ellis is sticking with their decision to attend Columbia, they did briefly toy with the idea of a gap year or of moving core curriculum requirements around to stay away from the main campus for a while. 

鈥淚 really do want to be in this program,鈥� they said, 鈥淎nd it’s just a matter of thinking about 鈥楬ow do we make that work with what’s happening at Columbia?鈥� rather than 鈥楥an it work?鈥� Because I think it can work.鈥� 

As Ellis prepares to enroll for classes 鈥� especially literature overview courses on Columbia鈥檚 campus 鈥� they鈥檙e considering a number of factors including whether or not the professors taught from the encampment. 

鈥淗opefully,鈥� they said, 鈥渋t鈥檚 not an issue in the fall, but just thinking about who were the professors who were willing to do that? And is that an environment that I want to be in for learning and for having an open discussion?鈥�

Their father, Andy Ellis, added his own apprehension. All parents, he said, are nervous to send their first child off to college. But the protests on campus, he said, add an extra dimension, especially for a Jewish student. 

Ellis, a graduate of MIT, has spent significant time in higher education. He said he was on a Harvard visiting committee and in an academic center there for the last decade but resigned from both positions in October, 鈥渨hen it became clear that people were ripping off their mask around anti-semitism.鈥� 

He said that if he were a current student on Columbia鈥檚 campus, he would be on the front lines of the counter-protests, displaying footage from Hamas鈥檚 Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel.

鈥淚 think I would be that person,鈥� the consultant said, 鈥淏ut I know that Lila is not that person. But I also know that Lila is not going to just duck [their]head and stay completely quiet, but I think find a balanced view. Listening to what Lila said about, you know, 鈥榝ind the humanity鈥� is an amazing, generous take. I’m really proud that I think we’ve created somebody who has a better moral compass than I do because I’m a lot more angry.鈥�

Back in West Virginia and with time to spare before Wednesday’s midnight deadline, Dodson had finalized his decision: He committed to be a member of the class of 2028 at Columbia where he plans to study political science and government. 

鈥淚 think it鈥檒l just be interesting,鈥� he said, 鈥漷o go from 鈥� to take my perspective from this kind of small town area where like, I mean, I鈥檝e met people from other places. I try to read, I try to keep myself exposed to those things, but it鈥檇 be cool to actually meet people from all sorts of perspectives and all sorts of backgrounds.鈥�

On his first day in office, Gov. Jeff Landry cut off an alternative graduation route for Louisiana high school seniors who fail the state鈥檚 academic progress exam.

The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) narrowly approved new rules last June for students who fall short on the Louisiana Educational Assessment Program (LEAP) test needed to graduate. In October, the state House Education Committee rejected the policy, leading then-Gov. John Bel Edwards to in November. As a result, BESE put the new rules into place last month.

Technically, the state Senate Education Committee could have taken up the issue late last year, but it was left for the new governor and legislators to decide. On Monday, Landry issued an executive order to 鈥渧eto鈥� the alternative graduation standards.

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In the order, Landry noted 鈥渢he LEAP test is aligned with the academic standards established by the (Louisiana) Department of Education and approved by BESE鈥� and a state law approved in 2021 鈥減rovides an alternative means of graduation for students with an exceptionality.鈥�

The alternative standards could 鈥渋ntroduce subjective criteria into the graduation process and lower the standards to receive a high school diploma,鈥� the governor wrote. 鈥溾��(I)t is in the best interest of our State to ensure that students are adequately prepared for postsecondary education and the workforce by meeting minimum standards of proficiency in core subjects.鈥�

Supporters of the alternative graduation standards argued a failed LEAP test penalizes a senior who has otherwise performed well enough to earn a diploma.

鈥淓ducation research illustrates that Louisiana鈥檚 current policy of denying students a diploma based on the results of a standardized test does not reflect best practices,鈥� Edwards wrote after he rejected the House committee vote in November. 鈥淭his proposed rule brings Louisiana in line with national norms and research. While standardized tests can be useful, this proposed rule will provide teachers with greater ability to meet the needs of individual students 鈥︹��

BESE is unlikely to reconsider the matter now that new members have been seated. They include a conservative majority among its eight elected members and three of Landry鈥檚 appointees.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Louisiana Illuminator maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Greg LaRose for questions: info@lailluminator.com. Follow Louisiana Illuminator on and .

Gov. Brad Little touted Idaho鈥檚 growing apprenticeship programs Wednesday.

He also used the occasion to talk up one of his pet projects: the fledgling post-high school incentives program.

鈥淭here are multiple pathways to success,鈥� Little said Wednesday, at a proclamation ceremony in Meridian marking November as Idaho Apprenticeship Month. 鈥淲e need more young Idahoans to go on to postsecondary education, and we鈥檝e been very intentional about expanding 鈥榞o-on鈥� to include opportunities outside of the traditional four-year college degree 鈥� including apprenticeships.鈥�

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Idaho now offers about 2,400 apprenticeships, a number that has increased by 40% over the past three years, according to a Wednesday news release from Little鈥檚 office.

The state has put more than $10 million into building apprenticeship programs over the past five years, and starting next year, the state will put about $75 million of additional money into Launch.

High school seniors can now apply for Launch grants of up to $8,000, which they can put toward two- or four-year college, career-technical education or worker training programs. Grants will go out next summer.

This story was originally published on .