Students who experience those problems also report lower grades and higher stress levels in college. Building on those findings, Calarco will discuss how the digital divide contributes to inequalities in college, how the COVID-19 pandemic may be exacerbating those inequalities, and what instructors and university administrators can do to promote equity and empathy in this difficult time.

Speaker biography | Jessica Calarco is an associate professor of sociology at Indiana University and the author of two books, A Field Guide to Grad School: Uncovering the Hidden Curriculum (Princeton 2020) and Negotiating Opportunities: How the Middle Class Secures Advantages in Schools. Calarco's research examines inequalities in education and in families' health and well-being, with a focus on how privileged people use their privilege to gain and maintain an unfair advantage over others. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Atlantic, and on NPR.