The last Boston-area encampments standing

Also: Boston's other hockey team; the Mass. Senate's plan for free community college [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  May 7, 2024 ☀️ Sunny, with a high near 74. Good Morning Boston, Cambridge's Mass. Ave has reopened to cars after being blocked by pro-Palestinian demonstrators at MIT yesterday during rush hour. We have more on the scenes at the last two Boston-area college encampments below. But first, a few other quick updates: - Community college for all? Sixteen months after Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka [first called for free community college]( she's making her official pitch. Spilka's chamber released a $75 million plan yesterday to expand the offer of free community college to all Bay Staters as part of a budget proposal for the coming fiscal year. - For students: The plan would cover tuition and fees for all residents at [the state's 15 community colleges](. Residents from households making up to 125% of the state's median income (i.e. $182,000 for a family of four) would also be eligible for a $1,200 stipend for things like books and supplies. ([Pell Grant-eligible students]( would be able to cash in on an additional stipend, too, meaning they could get $2,400.) - For schools: The plan also includes $18 million to hire support staff to help with advising and career planning. "The tuition and fees, it's a fantastic step forward," said Jim Vander Hooven, the president of Mount Wachusett Community College. "But we also need to provide those wraparound services in order to really provide an environment for success for the students." [As WBUR's Carrie Jung reported earlier this year]( some community college staff already feel strained by the existing program offering free tuition for those over 25 years old. - What's next: If passed, community college students would get free tuition starting this fall. But again, that remains a big "if." Neither the House nor Gov. Maura Healey have come out in support of the Senate's free community college plan. (Asked about the proposal, a spokesperson for House Speaker Ron Mariano gave the State House News Service a noncommittal "[We'll review]( The Senate will release its full FY25 budget proposal later today. - Also free: Bluebikes — every Sunday for the rest of May. [To celebrate National Bike Month and Women's Health Awareness Month]( the Boston-area bike-sharing system is offering $5 credits to riders every Sunday this month for both regular bikes and [e-bikes](. - You can unlock the free rides in the Bluebikes app, though each day requires a different code: BLUECROSSHEALTH12 (May 12), BLUECROSSHEALTH19 (May 19) and BLUECROSSHEALTH26 (May 26). - What does bankruptcy mean for me? A new [state-operated website and call center]( will allow Steward Health Care patients and workers to ask questions and track updates about [the company's newly announced bankruptcy filing](. The system includes [an FAQ page]( a [list of Steward-owned facilities]( and a way to [file complaints](. - State officials have stressed Steward's hospitals remain safe and open right now, despite their financial troubles. They've encouraged patients not to cancel any appointments. Still, Healey warned yesterday that it's possible patients and hospital workers will see "disruptions" and "inconveniences." - Meanwhile on campus: MIT says it will no longer require job applicants to submit statements explaining their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. "We can build an inclusive environment in many ways, but compelled statements impinge on freedom of expression, and they don’t work," MIT President Sally Kornbluth said in a statement, [according to The New York Times](. - The so-called "[diversity statement]( has asked those applying to faculty jobs to write up to two pages about their track record and commitment to encouraging DEI on campus — and it's become [a common requirement]( for elite college jobs. However, they've also faced criticism from [many on the right]( (and [some on the left](. - PSA if you're out late tonight: MassDOT is shutting down the northbound side of the I-93 tunnel through Boston overnight for maintenance. The closure will run from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. tomorrow, starting at Exit 15B. The I-93 exits from the Pike will also be closed off. - In case you're going to Game 1 of the Celtics' second-round playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight at TD Garden, don't worry — you'll still be able to jump on I-93 northbound from the Haymarket area. Also, the game has a 7 p.m. tipoff, so you likely won't be out that late. It's a school night after all! P.S.— This year's Pulitzer Prize winners include an NPR contributor and a Massachusetts author who wrote about Black life in Boston during the Civil War era. Check out the [full list of winners here](. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters   The Rundown [MIT, Harvard threaten student protesters with suspension]( Presidents at Harvard and MIT say they will suspend students who refuse to leave the protest encampments that have been operating for more than two weeks. The two campuses are the last in the immediate Boston area with active encampments of students protesting the war in Gaza, and calling on their universities to divest from Israel. [Read more.]( [MIT, Harvard threaten student protesters with suspension]( Presidents at Harvard and MIT say they will suspend students who refuse to leave the protest encampments that have been operating for more than two weeks. The two campuses are the last in the immediate Boston area with active encampments of students protesting the war in Gaza, and calling on their universities to divest from Israel. [Read more.]( [As Boston makes playoffs, PWHL enjoys booming interest in women's sports]( Less than a year since getting off the ground, the Professional Women’s Hockey League has broken attendance records over and over, putting the sport in the spotlight like never before. [Read more.]( [As Boston makes playoffs, PWHL enjoys booming interest in women's sports]( Less than a year since getting off the ground, the Professional Women’s Hockey League has broken attendance records over and over, putting the sport in the spotlight like never before. [Read more.]( [Trump fined $1,000 for violating gag order again and threatened with jail time]( The former president received a second fine for violating a gag order prohibiting him from speaking about witnesses, jurors, court staff and their families. Trump is trying to appeal the gag order. [Read more.]( [Trump fined $1,000 for violating gag order again and threatened with jail time]( The former president received a second fine for violating a gag order prohibiting him from speaking about witnesses, jurors, court staff and their families. Trump is trying to appeal the gag order. [Read more.]( [Israeli forces take control of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing with Egypt]( An Israeli tank brigade seized control Tuesday of the Gaza Strip side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, authorities said, as cease-fire negotiations with Hamas remain on a knife's edge. [Read more.]( [Israeli forces take control of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing with Egypt]( An Israeli tank brigade seized control Tuesday of the Gaza Strip side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, authorities said, as cease-fire negotiations with Hamas remain on a knife's edge. [Read more.]( [The clock is ticking to fix Social Security as retirees face automatic cut in 9 years]( Social Security's finances have improved slightly in the last year. But the popular retirement program still faces big challenges including the threat of automatic benefit cuts in less than a decade. [Read more.]( [The clock is ticking to fix Social Security as retirees face automatic cut in 9 years]( Social Security's finances have improved slightly in the last year. But the popular retirement program still faces big challenges including the threat of automatic benefit cuts in less than a decade. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - John Snyder, a Boston musician with a doctorate in electrical engineering, started building guitar pedals in 2015 to solve a problem for his band. Now, his company is [reshaping the sound of influential rock bands across the country](. - Chinese automakers are selling electric vehicles as cheap as $10,000. So, [why aren't EV's available at that price point in the U.S.]( - Months before its publication today, Massachusetts native Alina Grabowski’s debut novel “Women and Children First” had landed on many high-profile book lists. And according to book critic Carol Iaciofano Aucoin, it lives up to the hype. [Read her full review here](. - The popular dating app Bumble will no longer require women to send the first message. Here's [what to know about the change and the reasons behind the app's new direction](. What We're Reading 📚 - In Ipswich, a big dam fight ([The Boston Globe]( - Huntington Ave. Redesign Will Eliminate Last Mixed-Traffic Segment of the Green Line By 2027 ([Streetsblog Mass]( - How Pope Francis opened the Vatican to transgender sex workers ([Washington Post](  Tell Me Something Good [Brookline 19-year-old Ada Korkhin headed to 2024 Paris Olympics in Sport Pistol (Brookline.News)]( Sitting on her bed in an effort to procrastinate packing up her Ohio State dorm room after finishing her freshman year, Ada Korkhin got the news she’d hoped for. The 2023 Brookline High School graduate qualified for this summer’s Paris Olympics and will represent Team USA in Women’s Sport Pistol. [Read more.]( [Brookline 19-year-old Ada Korkhin headed to 2024 Paris Olympics in Sport Pistol (Brookline.News)]( Sitting on her bed in an effort to procrastinate packing up her Ohio State dorm room after finishing her freshman year, Ada Korkhin got the news she’d hoped for. The 2023 Brookline High School graduate qualified for this summer’s Paris Olympics and will represent Team USA in Women’s Sport Pistol. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common looks at [what a proposed "Ebony Alert" system would do for Massachusetts](. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: [RIP to my weeknight plans.]( 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 🔎 Explore [WBUR's Field Guide]( stories, events and more. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.](    Want to change how you receive these emails? 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