Notes in the Margins: STEM, unpaid internships and community college dorms

Online Classes Fuel a Campus Debate A heated discussion has emerged over whether free online college classes will lead to better learning and lower costs — or to a second-class education for most students.

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 (The New York Times)

Massachusetts paves the way for community colleges to open dorms Community colleges have greatly evolved in the past two decades, adopting many hallmarks of traditional colleges. The next frontier is housing, and a growing number of community colleges in a number of states have opened dorms. (The Washington Post)

Colleges Fight to Retain Interest of STEM MajorsThe first two years are crucial for science, technology, engineering and math majors, experts say. (U.S. News & World Report)

Do Unpaid Internships Lead to Jobs? Not for College Students For three years, the National Association of Colleges and Employers has asked graduating seniors if they've received a job offer and if they've ever had either a paid or unpaid internship. And for three years, it's reached the same conclusion: Unpaid internships don't seem to give college kids much of a leg up when it comes time to look for employment. (The Atlantic via University Business)

Student Loan Rates Should Not Increase, Americans Say In Poll The poll, commissioned by the liberal group MoveOn.org, shows 83 percent of respondents want to keep student loan rates from increasing, an opinion that holds constant across party lines. Almost two-thirds support lowering interest rates to 0.75 percent, the rate at which banks can borrow from the U.S. Treasury. In May, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) proposedlowering student loan rates to that level with the Bank on Student Loan Success Act. (The Huffington Post via NAICU)

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