Lisa Kurian Philip

wbez.orgColleges scramble after court strikes down in-state tuition for Illinois undocumented studentsThe decision threatens college access for thousands of immigrant students. Illinois college officials want guidance from the state on what comes next.

12 Aug

ICIRR is hosting a facebook live at 5:30pm today to help families following a court decision striking down in-state tuition for #undocumented students in #Illinois: www.facebook.com/ICIRR/ My story about the ruling: www.wbez.org/education/20...

12 Aug

btw I'm back from maternity leave!

wbez.orgMentors can make the difference for young Black men in college. Here's how to be a good one.Mentors, especially those who are Black and male-identifying, can help students with challenges like juggling work and class and finding community on campus.

25 Feb

"Why are we asking the people with the least power to figure out something? Don't ask these boys. Ask the people who can show up." Thank you, Cortez Watson Jr. of the Black Star Project, for setting me straight. @wbez.org @opencampus.org #college #chicago www.wbez.org/education/20...

@micarosenberg.bsky.social

25 Feb

BTW this is my last story for @wbez.org and @opencampus.org before I head out on maternity leave. I'll be back in late June! www.wbez.org/education/20...

Lisa Kurian Philip reposted

Mica Rosenberg

9 Feb

Replying to @micarosenberg.bsky.social

Please take the time to read what the children detained in Dilley wrote me in their own words: www.propublica.org/article/ice-... 10/

propublica.org“I Have Been Here Too Long”: Read Letters from the Children Detained at ICE’s Dilley FacilityHundreds of children are currently being held with their parents at an immigration detention center in Dilley, Texas. In letters and drawings, eight kids convey the pain of feeling trapped with no end...

wbez.orgTrans students felt threatened by this symbol of the far right. Why didn’t Northwestern intervene?Campus leaders say they don’t police “The Rock” unless the content poses an immediate threat or is profane. The decision has some questioning whom administrators see as worthy of protection.

4 Feb

My latest for @wbez.org and @opencampus.org about the painting over a trans flag with an alleged hate symbol and Northwestern University's decision not to intervene. www.wbez.org/education/20...

Lisa Kurian Philip reposted

Freedom of the Press Foundation

@freedom.press

3 Feb

“I think the best defense against an ICE officer potentially seizing your camera in a public space is other people recording that action and then being able to use that footage as evidence in court, when you sue them,” FPF's @trevortimm.bsky.social said.

wired.comHow to Film ICEFilming federal agents in public is legal, but avoiding a dangerous—even deadly—confrontation isn’t guaranteed. Here’s how to record ICE and CBP agents as safely as possible and have an impact.

Lisa Kurian Philip reposted

The TRiiBE

@thetriibe.com

30 Jan

UPDATE — The Chicago Chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is calling for the immediate release of Lemon and Fort, and for all charges against them to be withdrawn. thetriibe.com/2026/01/jour...

thetriibe.comNABJ Chicago calls for the immediate release of journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort arrested after filming Minnesota church protest • The TRiiBEJournalism organizations condemn the arrests of Don Lemon and Georgia Fort as vindictive attacks on press freedom.

Lisa Kurian Philip reposted

EdTrust

@edtrust.bsky.social

26 Jan

Big changes to college affordability are coming ⏰ New limits on student loans, repayment plans, and Pell Grants begin in 2026. ➡️ Visit edtrust.org for more. #HigherEd #StudentLoans #Educationpolicy

Lisa Kurian Philip reposted

Kaitlin Is Just Getting Started

@gothamgirlblue.com

24 Jan

Memory is a fragile thing in this moment, so it is important to keep in mind that Hakeem Jeffries refused to whip his caucus against ICE funding earlier this week.

Lisa Kurian Philip reposted

Dan Mihalopoulos

@dmihalopoulos.bsky.social

24 Jan

As Border Patrol immediately — and some would say reflexively — declares the latest killing in Minnesota to be a good shooting: A reminder that the bearer of the message — Cmdr. Greg Bovino — lied about why he lobbed tear gas in a Chicago neighborhood, per a U.S. judge www.wbez.org/immigration/...

wbez.orgJudge blasts Trump’s Chicago border ‘Blitz,’ extends curbs on use of force that ‘shocks the conscience’Judge Sara Ellis said Trump's Justice Department lacks credibility, partly because of a lie told by U.S. Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino.

Lisa Kurian Philip reposted

ProPublica

@propublica.org

22 Jan

Our reporting has found that ICE sent 600 immigrant kids to detention in federal shelters in 2025. A 17-year-old was detained at a traffic stop because officers couldn’t make contact with his dad, who is deaf. Another kid ended up in a shelter after making a wrong turn:

propub.liICE Sent 600 Immigrant Kids to Detention in Federal Shelters This Year. It’s a New Record.Under a zero tolerance policy, the first Trump administration separated immigrant children from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border. New data suggests separations are happening all over the count...

Joe@joealv.bsky.social

Here’s the report from KARE. The boy is five-year-old Liam Ramos.

Freedom of the Press Foundation

21 Jan

I wonder how #IL universities who have backed away from #DEI programs will respond. Will they reinstate initiatives? I'm thinking of the University of Illinois system, for instance, which in October banned the consideration of #race/#gender in scholarship decisions.

Jonathan Feingold@jpygold.bsky.social

bravo @democracyforward.org & @aft.org. and shame on all the universities that dismantled their legally secure and morally just diversity, equity and inclusion programs becuase Trump sent them an angry letter. democracyforward.org/news/press-r...

Lisa Kurian Philip reposted

@freedom.press

15 Jan

🔴 "Government invasion into a reporter’s home and the seizure of journalistic materials is exactly the kind of scenario our First Amendment was conceived to protect against." Today, we joined over two dozen organizations in condemning the outrageous government invasion.

wbez.orgWhat to know if you’re one of 170,000 people in Illinois behind on student loansThe Trump administration is resuming withholding wages from student loan borrowers in default. Here are some steps you can take to prevent that.

15 Jan

The #Trump administration is starting to seize people's pay to cover their defaulted student loans. More than 177,000 #IL residents are at risk. Here's how you can prevent this situation - or try to get out of it. @opencampus.org @wbez.org #studentdebt www.wbez.org/education/20...

wbez.orgUIC faculty and students fought for cultural centers. New federal guidance could take them away.President Trump’s Education Department is threatening programs for diverse students. Experts say universities need to fight back.

It has been a rollercoaster of a year, both personally and professionally (a 🧵). I went from attending my close college friend's memorial to reporting on Trump's attacks on programs that have helped people I love both go to college & feel like they belong there. (1/?) www.wbez.org/education/20...

wbez.orgIn Austin, Black mentors are making college possibleBlack men in the West Side community face some of the biggest hurdles to getting a degree. Just 1 out of 4 who make it to college graduate in six years.

And how that struggle has made them empathetic guides for younger generations. Educators who are willing to drop everything to hop on the phone with a student and tell them yes, they do belong, and to ask where they need help. www.wbez.org/education/20...

You can hear directly from Tyrek, Charles & Farid at the link above. Click the red "LISTEN" button. A big thanks to my editors Johanna Zorn and Kalyn Belsha for getting this across the finish line, and to @edwriters.bsky.social for the space to work on this project. Photo by: Candace Dane Chambers

And are still doing everything they can to help each other and others overcome some of the biggest barriers any students encounter on their path to college graduation.

I will never forget my time listening to the three of them -- Tyrek Gates, Dr. Charles Brown and Dr. Farid Muhammad -- tell stories over tea and hot cocoa. I heard about their constant struggle against the misconception that Black men aren't "college material." www.wbez.org/education/20...

I'm grateful that, weeks in, a new doc at my primary care practice **one who is also a woman of color, and pregnant** finally took me seriously, put me on a hefty dose of antibiotics & brought my lung function back. Because of that I was able to wrap up this project: www.wbez.org/education/20...

Throughout 2025, so much of my work has been about loss -- the loss of research funding, scholarships, student visas, the right to criticize Israel's occupation of Palestine. But this story was about three people who didn't have much to start with...

I don't quite know how to answer, other than to share that our oldest son was born just months after my mom died and Trump started his 2016 presidency. His birth, in some ways, kept me afloat. (5/?)

This pregnancy hasn't been the easiest. While federal agents were tearing families apart across the Chicago area, I was in bed for weeks with pneumonia. I felt (still feel?) a lot of guilt that I couldn't help document what was happening to our community. (6/?)

All the while I was struggling but learning with ****so much help from friends and educators who know so much more than me**** about how to better support my son through his autism and ADHD diagnosis. I maybe shouldn't be proud of his answer on this school assignment, but I really am: (3/?)

In the midst of all that, my partner and I decided we wanted to grow our family. Our third child is due in March. Friends and coworkers have commented on how crazy we are to want to bring a child into this world. (4/?)

wbez.orgThis Chicagoan is losing hope for student debt relief under TrumpChicagoans with student debt are feeling whiplash and extreme confusion under President Donald Trump, who has called previous efforts to ease the burden of student debt “illegal” — and is closing path...

Then there was the overhaul of our newsroom structure to integrate BEZ with the Sun-Times. My editor, the most down-to-earth, lovely boss and collaborator and audio wizard, was moved to another team. I think 👇 is one of the last stories we worked on together. (2/?) www.wbez.org/wbez-news/20...

18 Dec 2025

“I haven’t been there through Pastor Brown’s whole life, but at least I know that he’s been through some things,” Gates said of Brown. “You have to go through … some type of trial in life to be able to show me that you’re worth that ‘mentor’ status.” www.wbez.org/education/20...

18 Dec 2025

A thousand thanks to Tyrek Gates, Dr. Farid Muhammad & Dr. Charles Brown for being so generous with their time & answering my endless stream of questions. You'll be able to hear directly from them this afternoon on 91.5 FM 📻 #college #chicago @wbez.org @opencampus.org www.wbez.org/education/20...

chalkbeat.orgLawsuit dismissed after Illinois opens teaching scholarship to all students, regardless of raceGov. JB Pritzker signed a law that replaces the Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship, getting rid of the word “minority” and race and ethnicity eligibility requirements.

18 Dec 2025

From @sammiesmylie.bsky.social at Chalkbeat: Illinois quietly changes scholarship for teachers of color amid lawsuit, threats from federal government www.chalkbeat.org/chicago/2025...

Lisa Kurian Philip reposted

Robert Kelchen

@robertkelchen.com

11 Dec 2025

Once again, I'm a lot of fun at parties.

Robert Kelchen@robertkelchen.com

I shared my thoughts with this cool @chronicle.com project examining the past quarter-century in higher education.

chronicle.comThe Quarter-Century ProjectMore than 50 people across higher education weigh in on the most consequential trend in the sector since 2000.

Lisa Kurian Philip reposted

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò

@olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social

4 Dec 2025

"At least $5.9 trillion will be inherited by billionaire children over the next 15 years, the bank calculates."

Reuters@reuters.com

Billionaires are inheriting record levels of wealth, UBS report finds reut.rs/3MFJWnW

reut.rsBillionaires are inheriting record levels of wealth, UBS report findsThe spouses and children of billionaires inherited more wealth in 2025 than in any previous year since reporting began in 2015, according to UBS's Billionaire Ambitions Report published on Thursday.

Lisa Kurian Philip reposted

Better Government Association

@bettergov.bsky.social

3 Dec 2025

Curious about how to access police body-cam video through public records? This new guide explains when recordings are eligible, how long they're kept and how to write a proper FOIA request. https://www.bettergov.org/2025/12/02/how-to-foia-for-body-camera-footage/

bettergov.orgHow to FOIA for Body Camera FootageUnder Illinois’ Freedom of Information Act, there is a presumption that government records are open to the public. Body cam footage is an anomaly. Its availability is dictated by the […]

Lisa Kurian Philip reposted

19thnews

@19thnews.org

3 Dec 2025

Rep. Delia Ramirez introduced the resolution criticizing the agency and is urging her party to take a firmer stance against the administration’s immigration enforcement agenda.

19thnews.orgDemocrats bring resolution condemning ICE treatment of pregnant, postpartum immigrantsRep. Delia Ramirez introduced a resolution criticizing ICE and is urging her party to take a firmer stance against the administration’s immigration enforcement agenda.

Lisa Kurian Philip reposted

Gothamist

@gothamist.com

21 Nov 2025

A U.S. postal worker on Long Island is accused of trying to help a man escape from ICE custody earlier this month, according to a federal criminal complaint: https://gothamist.visitlink.me/YNagDp

gothamist.visitlink.meUS postal worker charged with breaking man out of ICE custody on Long IslandPolice arrested the worker and the man she tried to free.

wbez.orgHari Kondabolu: What’s So Funny about Chicago?Comedian, writer and frequent ‘Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me’ guest Hari Kondabolu returns to Chicago to tape a new comedy special.

Highlight of my week: Calling into @wbez.org's Say More to chat with Hari Kondabolu about how Indians really do f***ing love mangoes, what journalists can learn from comedians in these dark times and the most common mispronunciation of his name (Hasan Minhaj 😂) www.wbez.org/say-more-wit...

(I called in about 15-20 minutes from the end)

This week #IL students and faculty delivered stacks of postcards to the state higher education board asking for $25M meant for their public universities to be released. Their colleges have been squeezed by federal cuts, decreases in international students and decades of declining state funding.

The governor's office has said the funding is be withheld as a buffer to federal funding volatility. But students and faculty say it's this volatility that makes the funding so essential for their schools.

wbez.org‘It’s just devastating,’ Chicago State president says of federal cutsWhile schools like Harvard, Columbia and Northwestern have gotten most of the attention, regional public universities are losing grants too.

Take Chicago State University, the only predominantly-Black college in the state. The school has lost millions in federal grants. The president says the impact of that loss is "real and unimaginable" for the school: www.wbez.org/education/20...

11 Nov 2025

Young people in #Chicago age 18-29 can apply to be part of a Civic Matchmaking program run by Chicago Votes and The Civic Success Project. More info here: