AUSTIN, Texas -- En 2021, San Antonio College recibió lo que se ha llamado los "Oscar" por logros sobresalientes como colegio comunitario, gracias a su compromiso para con los estudiantes que a menudo tienen dificultades para permanecer en la escuela.

El Premio Aspen a la excelencia de colegios comunitarios se otorga cada dos años.

El presidente de San Antonio College, Robert Vela, dice que la institución de 95 años se enfoca en atender a personas de su entorno inmediato, en algunos de los códigos postales más empobrecidos del país, con bajo porcentaje de obtención de títulos y altas tasas de desempleo.

"Es muy dificil para una institución urbana lograr la excelencia y lograr este tipo de éxito," dice Vela. "Por lo que nos aseguramos en preparar a los estudiantes para que triunfen en la fuerza laboral o en el entorno universitario."

San Antonio College recibirá 600 mil dólares por su logro de primer lugar en áreas que incluyen la finalización de certificados y títulos, éxito en la fuerza laboral y equidad para estudiantes de color y de bajos ingresos.

Amarillo College, Odessa College y San Jacinto College también recibieron reconocimiento.

John Wyner, del programa de premios Aspen, dice que es una prueba de la inversión por parte del estado en la mejora de colegios comunitarios, que cuatro de los 10 finalistas estén en el estado de Lone Star.

"Estamos viendo que las universidades están logrando mejorías rápidas y equitativas, y eso es realmente un testimonio del arduo trabajo que han realizado tantas entidades dentro del estado de Texas," agrega Wyner.

Vela dice que en el pasado, muchos futuros estudiantes evitaban los colegios comunitarios si podían pagar una institución de cuatro años. Pero desde que el presidente Joe Biden los promovió dentro del Plan Familias Americanas, Vela cree que muchas personas están dándo una segunda mirada.

"Brinda opciones," asegura Vela. "Y por tantos años, nos han fabricado la idea de 'te estas asentando'. Dado nuestro entorno, dado el tipo de situación económica en la que todos estamos, en realidad es una decisión muy inteligente desde el punto de vista financiero."

Dos tercios de los estudiantes de SAC son hispanos, negros o nativos americanos. Vela agrega que de el 52 por ciento de los estudiantes inscritos, se gradúan o transfieren en tres años, en comparación con el promedio nacional del 46 por ciento.

La Fundación Lumina proporcionó apoyo para este informe.


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A New Mexico resident will attend President Joe Biden's State of the Union address tonight as legislation is pending to expand the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act.

The measure was passed in 1990, with money going to residents of the Southwest who were harmed, either from uranium mining or atomic tests in 1945. The original legislation included "downwinders" in Arizona, Utah and Nevada. But New Mexico was left out, despite the state being home to the world's first atomic bomb testing and explosion.

Tina Cordova, co-founder of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, has made it her life's work to get New Mexico families compensated.

"I've been working for 19 years to bring attention to the negative health effects the people of New Mexico suffered," Cordova explained. "The Trinity bomb was detonated in the middle of our state and adjacent to a bunch of towns where 13,000 people lived in a 50-mile radius."

Cordova was invited to the annual Presidential address by Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M. In the coming days, the Senate is scheduled to vote on legislation to reauthorize the act, now scheduled to end in June.

Cordova pointed out the more than 30-year-old compensation program was an admission of guilt on the part of the government but left out many of those harmed. She knows families who have lost relatives to cancer, some within 10 years of the nuclear bomb testing.

"I just hope that people who know I'm present, realize that we will never give up the fight," Cordova asserted. "We will work very hard to get the RECA amendments passed this year, but if by some chance that doesn't happen, we will continue to fight this fight for justice as long as it takes."

This Sunday, the Hollywood blockbuster, Oppenheimer, about the creation of the atomic bomb, is a favorite to win best picture at the 2024 Academy Awards. The film did not address effects to those downwind of the bombing site.


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A new report finds Connecticut's recently released prison population is facing reentry challenges.

The State of Reentry report found resources and services are lacking for formerly incarcerated people. Between 2022 and 2023, 14% of the population said they would be homeless upon release.

It is just the tip of the iceberg as many of the state's Reentry Welcome Centers reported most of their clients were housing unstable.

Scott Wilderman, president and CEO of Career Resources, said it can be attributed to numerous factors including the stigma of being an ex-offender.

"We have to do a better job of educating and working with landlords and try to encourage them to give individuals a second chance," Wilderman contended. "There's no doubt about that. The sad part is, with returning citizens or ex-offenders, there's really no such thing as an ex-offender since everybody always sees the offense."

He thinks Connecticut should focus more on justice reinvestment. Other criminal justice advocates have called for using funds saved by closing prisons to invest in reentry centers. The centers are not funded by the state and have been subsisting on American Rescue Plan funds. When the money expires at the end of the year, it is uncertain how they will be able to help people with life after prison.

Given it is the third year of the report, Wilderman acknowledged there have not been many changes, but he found it surprising, noting there has been plenty of time to make improvements, specifically in areas like education.

"We know education is the great equalizer and having a high school diploma is essential," Wilderman asserted. "It just opens a lot more doors for an individual as it's often a requirement for employment, or in some cases going after further education or job training."

The report noted 66% of incarcerated people with sentences ending in six months said they did not have a high school diploma. Enrollment is down in programs for incarcerated people to complete their degrees. One reason for it is Connecticut's ongoing teacher shortage.


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After a five-year court battle, New Jersey's medical aid-in-dying law has been affirmed by the state's Supreme Court, which rejected an attempt to overturn the statute.

Signed by the governor in 2019, the law was soon challenged by a physician based on religious, personal and constitutional grounds. It allows mentally capable, terminally ill adults with six months or less to live to get a prescription they can use to end their lives.

Dr. Paul Bryman, a hospice and palliative care physician, is an advocate for medical aid in dying for people who feel their suffering is intolerable.

"I think it's important that that option is available for people who choose to avail themselves of it. It's not for everyone and it's someone's choice whether they want to use that. No one's forced to do it," he explained.

Bryman practices geriatric and internal medicine and believes there are adequate legal safeguards to make sure patients are protected. The law was briefly suspended in August 2019, but reinstated 13 days later as court proceedings continued.

The nonprofit group Compassion & Choices expressed support for the decision as well as expanded and improved end-of-life care options.

Alan Howard, Compassion & Choices attorney, urged the justices to uphold a lower court's ruling.

"We are grateful that the Supreme Court recognized that there are terminally ill New Jersey residents who are counting on this end-of-life care option to bring them peace of mind during this difficult time," said Howard. "Dying people should have this compassionate option to peacefully end their suffering if it becomes unbearable."

Bryman added a total of 186 terminally ill New Jerseyans have used the medical aid-in-dying law and believes the court made the right decision.

"I'm glad that it's finally over and that this law's available for people in New Jersey who have the right to their own health-care decisions," he said.

In addition to New Jersey, Washington, D.C., and nine other states, which represent 22% of all Americans, have authorized medical aid in dying.