Since February, the “Dear Colleague Letter” from the U.S. Department of Education has sparked national debate over the legality of affinity spaces in higher education. Amid this uncertainty, California stands firm with legislative support to sustain affirming spaces for marginalized students. As LAist recently reported, these conversations are intensifying during commencement season.“In California we have the backing of the Legislature and the governor vis-a-vis their funding allocations to do these types of affinity graduations,” states Dr. Eric Felix of San Diego State University. We echo this call-not to retreat, but to deepen our commitment to practices like Lavender Graduations.

For many marginalized groups, attending college remains an unattainable goal, with most questioning if the tassel is worth the hassle. Recent trends indicate fewer Latino and Black high school students aspire to attend college, with numbers dropping considerably in the past few years. Experts attribute this trend to rising inflation, low unemployment rates, and increasing college costs, which have made the opportunity cost of higher education exceptionally high for low-income, first-generation students and men of color.

As the demand for data continues to increase and inform institutional decisions and practices, many of the resources available on data gathering, such as data-driven approaches or data analytics, have failed to emphasize one vital factor of effective research:the importance of framing in the research process. Framing plays a critical role in the development of research question(s) that guide a project, which can also serve as a framework throughout the research process, and in making meaning of research findings.