An ambitious college affordability plan released by the Center for American Progress Wednesday would aim to guarantee that no student has to borrow to pay for their education.

Unlike other notable free college or debt-free college proposals, the plan, dubbed "Beyond Tuition," would impose quality standards on institutions to ensure they address disparate outcomes for students of color, low-income students and other nontraditional groups.

And the CAP plan would provide up to $10,000 a year for costs not related to tuition and fees such as housing, food and transportation.

It proposes that families earning up to 150 percent of the federal poverty level, about $38,000 for a family of four, would have tuition and fees covered at a public university. Above that threshold, families would make contributions as a share of their income. The plan would be funded through a federal-state matching grant; although the state match would vary, the federal government would cover on average 70 percent of the costs in a given state.

In contrast to other college affordability plans, the CAP proposal would include students attending nonprofit private colleges, although students attending those institutions would be expected to make a higher family contribution, as would students attending public institutions out of state. For-profit colleges would be excluded from Beyond Tuition, although they would maintain existing access to federal aid under the proposal.

“It is well past time for a bold, targeted investment in our higher education system,” said Ben Miller, the senior director for postsecondary education at CAP. “For too long, a college degree has been out of reach, particularly for underrepresented students. This plan seeks to close persistent race and income gaps in college access and completion; address historic and systematic inequity in our higher education system; and ensure that access to higher education in America is not a privilege, but a fundamental civil right.”

Numerous academics, higher education leaders and scholarly associations are releasing statements opposing the Trump administration's policy of separating immigrant parents and children at the southern border. Among the statements:

• A statement by scholars of education, history, psychology and sociology.
• A statement from the American Anthropological Association.
• A statement by the Society of Behavioral Medicine.
• A statement from scholars of the family.
• A statement from Ana Mari Cauce, president of the University of Washington and a child psychologist.
• A statement from the Reverend John I. Jenkins, president of the University of Notre Dame.

The University of Guelph, in Canada, has announced that it is giving raises of 2,050 Canadian dollars ($1,543) to every full-time faculty member who is female and who does not identify as male, The Canadian Press reported. The announcement followed a study finding that female faculty members earned less than their male counterparts, even controlling for factors such as seniority and performance.

Past and present members of HAU: Journal of Ethnographic Theory’s editorial board published an open letter Monday expressing “concern for some disturbing news regarding the journal’s leadership.” The letter cited prior reporting from Inside Higher Ed about allegations that the journal’s longtime editor-in-chief, Giovanni Da Col, a research associate in anthropology and sociology at the University of London, harassed and assaulted journal staff members. He’s also been accused of financial misconduct.

“These are serious accusations, which must be thoroughly investigated,” reads the new letter, signed by more than 80 editorial board members. “To the extent that they are verified, those responsible must be called to account.” Signatories expressed support for those affected and called on the journal’s Board of Trustees “to make public, to the extent legally and ethically permissible, the details of previous and current investigations into the allegations, both of bullying and abuse in the workplace and of financial malpractice.” They also called on the trustees to make an “unequivocal statement that responsibilities and lines of management have been clarified, so that should such abuse occur in future, there are adequate safeguards in place to deal with it promptly and appropriately.” The trustees, including Da Col, said last week that they were working to find out what could be disclosed about a prior internal investigation into the allegations.