College Crisis Initiative

Meet Victoria Ochieng '27, one of our Summer 2024 student staff members! Victoria is from Nairobi, Kenya, and has been with C2i since she started at Davidson last fall. Victoria's favorite part of working with C2i: "My favorite project so far has been on the test-optional admissions policy. It was fascinating seeing how Covid-19 and peer influence impacted the various schools and their test policies." Victoria's favorite thing about Davidson: "I love Davidson for the people. The community way of life at Davidson is just amazing. And also the various opportunities for skill development and leadership, and the Hurt Hub."

Introducing our next summer student staff member, Abby Hulka '25! Abby is a rising senior Psychology major from Chapel Hill, NC, and has been working with C2i for one year. Abby's favorite thing about C2i: "I love all the learning that comes with the work we do! I get to understand so much more about each topic I research." Abby's favorite thing about Davidson: "I love all the friends I have made here and the future opportunities Davidson and its alumni provide."

Introducing our second full-time summer staff member, Sarah Butchko '25! Sarah is a rising senior Educational Studies major, and has been working for C2i since March 2023. Sarah's favorite thing about C2i: "I love the opportunity to be involved in exciting and impactful research as well as the access to excellent professional development opportunities. I feel incredibly supported by the C2i team and I learn something new every day!" Sarah's favorite thing about Davidson: "The supportive community of such awesome and wonderful people! Everyone is invested in each other's success and always excited to help you out or cheer you on."

This week, we'll be introducing our summer student staff members, starting with Natalie Russell '25! Natalie will be with us on campus all summer. A rising senior Communication Studies major from Durham, NC, she has been working with C2i since May 2023. Natalie's favorite thing about C2i: "I love how C2i lets me work with people with all sorts of academic disciplines, skills, and interests! I've learned so much from my peers in ways I never expected." Natalie's favorite thing about Davidson: "The collaborative nature of everybody on campus! I feel consistently supported by the people around me, and that everyone is rooting for my success rather than competing with me."

This month, The Annenberg Institute at Brown University posted a working paper on campus unionizations authored by C2i student Steve Mirabello '25, Assistant Director Rylie Martin, and Founding Director Christopher Marsicano. Check it out at the link below! The study examines trends in unionization at private colleges and universities since 2007. It finds that the majority of unionization elections were organized by staff (67.86%), followed by contingent faculty (~30%). The original C2i data collection used in this study is unique in that it includes all campus employees, not just faculty. Most previous research has ignored the unionization efforts of staff such as maintenance workers, food workers, and campus security. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an uptick in the unionization of residence life and research employees, two groups which often include students. 3 in 5 unionization elections are organized by either the SEIU or the AFL-CIO. These elections tend to be more common in union friendly states and well-resourced institutions. https://lnkd.in/e-M8Xr8r

This Sunday, we'll be saying a bittersweet goodbye to our six C2i seniors – Micah Baermann, Jacob Hertzinger, Cael McLaren, Marissa Meyer, Ilina Navani, and Sydney Schertz – as they graduate and embark on their post-grad adventure! For those who can't celebrate with us in person, there will be a livestream here at 10 a.m. EST, Sunday, 5/12: https://lnkd.in/eS6veBBr

Highlighting more C2i publications from this semester! In January, a paper written by our Founding Director Christopher Marsicano, Assistant Director Rylie Martin, Douglas Harris (Tulane University), Feng Chen (Liaoning University), Ann F. Bernhardt (Texas A&M University), and Paul von Hippel (The University of Texas at Austin) was published in The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences. Read it at the link below. "The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Educational Attainment" explains the COVID-related changes in high school graduation and college entry rates over recent years. While college entry rates declined during the pandemic, especially at community colleges, high school graduation rates actually increased. Using data from a Fall 2020 C2i student data collection, the authors attribute this phenomenon to a relaxation of high school graduation standards and students' deterrence from enrolling in college due to online instruction during the height of the pandemic. They predict that this trend may persist after the pandemic, particularly among marginalized groups. However, new data from the National Student Clearinghouse show an increase in college enrollment among 21+ year-old students over the last few years, which suggests that gap years may have become more popular due to the pandemic. This is one of many trends to keep an eye on as higher education evolves throughout the 21st century.

4 of C2i's student workers presented at Davidson College's Verna Miller Case Symposium this morning. Nina Worley '26 and Victoria Stutto '25 presented a series of case studies showing the relationship between test-optional policies, standardized test scores, and Pell grant recipients at US liberal arts colleges. Sarah Butchko '25 presented her research on how school choice in Northern Ireland is influenced by existing social inequalities, drawing a parallel to problems in the US education system. Steve Mirabello '25 presented his comparative analysis of global universities' COVID-19 responses and their Quacquarelli Symonds rankings. His research suggests that certain universities rose in the rankings as a result of their decision to move classes online.

C2i leadership team members Christopher Marsicano and Rylie Martin, in collaboration with C2i research affiliates CJ Ryan and Ann F. Bernhardt, have been conducting research on higher education's response to the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act of 2017. Last month, their paper, "Gaming the Endowment Tax," was published in the newest edition of the Florida Tax Review. To read it, click the link below. In 2017, the TCJA imposed a 1.4% tax on the net investment income for private colleges and universities with at least $500,000 in endowment assets per student and over 500 full-time tuition-paying students. The paper examines whether these institutions subsequently changed their behavior to avoid paying the tax. For example, institutions might enroll more students to reduce the value of the endowment per student, or pass off the cost of the tax to students through increased tuition or reduced financial aid. Using the synthetic control method, the team modeled a universe in which the TCJA was not passed, and compared the alternate behavior to the institutions' actual responses. They found that although it does not look like institutions are systematically engaging in behaviors to avoid paying the tax, there is evidence that certain institutions have behaved anomalously in response to the TCJA. This behavior may reflect an attempt to avoid paying the tax or to generate outside revenue to offset the tax's cost. The team's findings will become increasingly relevant in the near future as more institutions become subjected to the endowment tax.

Are students protesting the war in Gaza likely to be successful? Depends on their goals. Listen to College Crisis Initiative director and Davidson College faculty member Christopher Marsicano discuss divestment and the war in Gaza on today's Morning Edition from NPR. https://lnkd.in/ejbKE7Wy