Elgin Community College resorted to covering the surveillance cameras with trash bags and zip ties. Public records show that federal immigration authorities have accessed Flock data at other Illinois colleges.
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Lisa Kurian Philip covers higher education. Email her at lphilip@wbez.org.
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5 public universities in Illinois use Flock surveillance cameras on campus, records show
The list includes the state’s two largest public campuses, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Illinois Chicago. Altogether, the five universities have spent nearly half a million dollars on AI-powered surveillance services from Flock.
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Colleges scramble after court strikes down in-state tuition for Illinois undocumented students
The decision threatens college access for thousands of immigrant students. Illinois college officials want guidance from the state on what comes next.
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Illinois Institute of Technology cuts 160 faculty and staff just before fall semester
University officials say finances have taken a hit from declines in research funding and foreign student enrollment. Faculty say leaders’ slow response and lack of transparency have deepened the crisis.
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Illinois affirms trans girls can play on girls’ sports teams, as Supreme Court upholds state bans
Top Illinois officials said trans athletes in the state have the right to play on teams consistent with their gender identity, and nothing in Tuesday’s Supreme Court ruling changes that. But the Trump administration said it would work to ensure that “every educational institution in America abides by the law of the land.”
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A quarter million student borrowers in Illinois need a new repayment plan. What to know as SAVE plan ends
Hundreds of thousands of borrowers in Illinois, and millions more nationwide, need to select a new student loan repayment plan if they don’t want to end up on a more expensive plan by default.
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The job market is brutal. Here’s how recent Chicago college grads are navigating it
With statewide unemployment at its highest point since 2024 and employers navigating artificial intelligence, global conflicts and tariffs, many recent Chicago college graduates are floundering as they look for jobs.
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U. of C. faculty and parents protest Lab School policy they say limits classroom discussion, inclusion
Parents and faculty say the policy limits what teachers can talk about and makes it harder to show students how to be good community members. But Lab School administrators say the “viewpoint-neutral” model is more aligned with the school’s values.
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Illinois colleges failing to protect immigrant students despite new law, analysis finds
Advocates have touted the Illinois law that applies to public colleges as a model, but some colleges don’t make it easy to find information and don’t have protocols for what to do if immigration agents come on campus.
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University of Chicago to offer free tuition for students from families making less than $250,000 a year
The university is the latest to waive tuition for families making under a certain threshold in an effort to make education at top-tier colleges more accessible to middle-class families.