Ep. 90: Out, Damned Test!

EQ: Should Universities that adopted test-optional practices due to Covid maintain these policies in the post Covid world?

Guest: Mallory Torgerson-Preuitt (torgersm@seattleu.edu)  has worked in Higher Ed for 10+ years in a variety of positions and is currently the Associate Director of Transfer Admissions at Seattle University. She has spent her career focusing on accessibility to higher education and working to change the review process for transfer applicants to focus on counseling and advising.

Our conversation today focuses on test optional Universities and ultimately its role in equity and access to higher ed. We are joined by Mallory Torgerson-Preuitt, who opens the conversation by sharing her own journey to her higher education admissions work, focusing on how she didn’t find the right fit immediately, and how she stepped into her own during her time at a Community College. The discussion then moves into how Seattle University moved to a test optional model, even before Covid hit. The conversation hits on access and equity to test prep, testing sites, preparation, transportation and equitable rigor. We make the case for why Universities should consider keeping their Covid test optional policies in place for long after Covid leaves.

Related Links:

Champagne and Real Pain:

🥂The court transcripts re: Election 2020

🥂 All the admissions and high school counselors who are working their tail off during the Covid times
👎🏻 The White House refusing to answer the public's questions during a pandemic.

👎🏻Those election lawyers who are fighting for the election fraud angle. Shame Bell on getting State abbreviations wrong.

👎🏻All of the people that are not following Covid guidelines and being good community members.

Do Your Fudging Homework:

  • Hope/Megan: Read and tweet about Caste! Read with some friends.

  • Mallory: The Daily Podcast. Really good digestible news.

Book Club Reminder:

Pick up a copy of Caste by Isabel Wilkerson to join the collab book club between The Nerd Farmer Podcast and IWL.

Tweet about the book with either #nerdfarmreads or #readlessbasic

Ep. 83: Kill the Ogre of Post Secondary Education with Katie Wallace

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EQ: What are the unique challenges of BIPOC students in post-secondary education and how can these institutions begin to dismantle their oppressive systems and histories in order to create a more inclusive and accessible community for these students?

Guest: Katie Wallace is an educator living and working in Seattle. She's Korean-American, adopted, and grew up in a multiracial family. After eight years teaching high school Spanish in Central and South Seattle, she transitioned out of the classroom and into higher education. She now leads a paid internship program for undergrads working with nonprofit and public sector organizations. 

Hope and Megan sit down with Katie Wallace to discuss the experience of BIPOC students in Post-Secondary education. As more BIPOC students are enrolling in Post Secondary education, the conversation is shifting to how are Universities creating equity in the experience of these students. The conversation focuses on the retention of students of color, and what the responsibility is of the Universities/Colleges regarding this work.

Resources Referenced:

Champagne & Real Pain:

🥂Not related to our topic at all, but if you are Christian leaning go listen to Chasing Justice podcast or pick up “Raise Your Voice: Why We Stay Silent and How to Speak Up” 

🥂The Republicans who spoke at the DNC and endorsed Biden despite party politics.

🥂Orientation Leaders at Colleges who are still showing up and serving the first year students

👎🏻Lack of care around face masks and people that are not listening to science and making life more challenging for business owners.

👎🏻People that are still opening schools and are ignoring the science around reopening

👎🏻Covid causing rituals and traditions to look very different and having to experience very real things on a screen

Do Your Fudging Homework:

  • Katie- Disturbing Your Peace podcast - Created by Katie’s former student

  • Hope- not related to our topic at all, but if you are Christian leaning go listen to Chasing Justice podcast or pick up “Raise Your Voice: Why We Stay Silent and How to Speak Up” 

  • Megan- Find your ballot dropboxes in your area. Request your ballot early. Drop off your ballot directly to a dropbox early. Then, buy a book of stamps.

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