425 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(05/16/07 11:58pm)
Robert Kunzman has been studying home schooling and with his studies, has suggested that a possible court ruling that would leave discretion to individual districts regarding part-time students could have a negative impact on home schooled students, according to a news release. Kunzman is a professor of curriculum and instruction in the IU School of Education. Earlier in the month, the Indiana Court of Appeals decided on policies that reflect the decisions in many states around the nation.\nThe court decided in favor of the Brownsburg School Corportation in the corporations’s challenge to the Indiana Department of Education. The department maintained that every public school corporation must admit any student who requests “dual enrollment,” according to the news release. Dual enrollment means a student requests to take classes part time in the public school. The judge in the case wrote that Indiana schools have “the authority to regulate and control the enrollment of students in its course offerings under its policy.” \nKunzman is currently in the middle of a multi-year research project exploring home schooling practices and philosophies across the U.S., according to the news release. \nHe said that the decision doesn’t close the door on anyone, but does allow the option for school officials to turn down home schooled students who want to participate in extracurricular activities or specialized classes that are hard to conduct at home. According to the news release, Kunzman said it is also possible for a school to develop a policy of not admitting a part-time home schooler.\nKunzman said this route would be the unfortunate way to go. He recommends that requirements be developed for part-time participation on behalf of the home-schooled students.\nWhen it comes to home-schooled students having access to public school activities, Kunzman said this is a benefit of the part-time system.\n“I do think that when it can be arranged, it is a good opportunity for home-school kids,” Kunzman said in a press release. “And I think that it provides a way to give them the opportunity to interact with a broader segment of society in public schools – not to say that they necessarily don’t have that opportunity in other ways, but it’s certainly one opportunity.”\nKunzman said in the news release that communication between parents and school corporations is key to resolving any problems that may arise in the Department of Legislation regarding home schooled students becoming part-time students at public schools. \nThe press release reports that the number of home schooled students in the state has grown exponentially in recent years. This year the state reported nearly 36,000 home schoolers in Indiana, although Kunzman said there are probably many more because the majority of home schooled students he speaks with do not enroll with the state. \n“Some home schoolers are quite leery of advocating for greater access to public schools because of the accompanying regulation and expectations that will inevitably follow,” Kruzan said a news release.
(05/16/07 11:58pm)
The halls in the School of Journalism will continue going international. This week, the journalism school is hosting its fifth international symposium, “Communication in the Millennium,” which includes around 40 mass communication scholars from Turkey, according to a news release. \nThe University of Texas held the first such symposium in 2003. Since then, the location has alternated between U.S. and Turkish universities. The goal is to host a forum for international multidisciplinary dialogue about mass communication between Turkish and American scholars, according to the release.\nPresenters for the conference come from as far away as Buenos Aires, Argentina, but students from other American universities and the IU Journalism School also attend, according to the press release. \nThe conference began Wednesday and will continue through Friday at the Indiana Memorial Union. There will be nine sessions with news media agenda-setting as topics, along with public relations, advertising, cyber-politics and the television industry in Turkey. \nBrad Hamm, dean of the IU School of Journalism, said the conference allows a chance for American and Turkish communication scholars to meet. \n“It’s also a fascinating time in Turkey’s history, as recent news events show this week, and we look forward as a campus to learning more about the issues from our guests during their stay in Indiana,” Hamm said in the news release.
(05/14/07 1:41am)
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. –\nAt 11 a.m., California State Polytechnic University students were playing beer pong on Dexter Lawn. It was not an alternate reality, but instead a festival of root beer and drinking games to promote awareness of student drinking habits. \nThe scene was complete with every form of entertainment one might find at a backyard fraternity party: three root beer pong tables, an emcee, music and free root beer floats for everyone. \n“We just wanted to provide a fun activity for all our students here,” marketing senior Brandon Wadley said. “Drinking games are fun, but when you drink too much, things can get out of hand. But we’re just showing people you can have fun with being sober.” \nRoot Beer Fest, as it was called, was designed as a fun promotional event around the “Under Four” campaign seen on T-shirts and flyers all over Cal Poly . Wadley said that’s the average number of drinks a Cal Poly student will consume in a given sitting. \n“The average is just under four,” he said. “It’s a social norms campaign. If we promote that people are drinking less than what people are perceiving, then we hope to get people’s perceptions down.” \nIn addition to root beer pong, there was also a competition that involved some multitasking: Students were asked to keep a hula hoop around their waist while at the same time consuming an entire cup of root beer. \n“It’s all in the hips,” nutrition junior Shealy Lebowitz said. \n“I took the approach to just throw the hula hoop once, give up on the hips, and just start chugging,” business senior Evan Marme said. \nWinners of the competition received coolers to keep their future canned beverages cold. \nSo why root beer instead of, say, Coke? \n“Because root beer is way more fun,” business senior Marissa Godwin said. “And it tastes great. Root beer floats – you can’t beat that.”
(05/10/07 12:28am)
IU football coach Terry Hoeppner issued a statement Wednesday through IU media relations addressing the leave of absence he took before the start of spring practice.\n“We want to thank the many fans and friends who have sent their best wishes and thoughts to us over the past several weeks,” Hoeppner said in the statement. “I continue to receive medical treatment and remain inspired to return to coaching when my health permits.”\nHoeppner left the team in March to attend to personal health matters. The leave was the third the coach has taken since December 2005, when he had surgery to remove a tumor from his brain. He returned for the start of spring practice in 2006 and coached the Hoosiers during the first couple of games of the 2006 season. With the Hoosiers sitting 2-0, Hoeppner left the team again to have some scar tissue removed and was out for two games. While he was gone, the Hoosiers fell to Southern Illinois and Connecticut. Hoeppner came back in time for the Hoosiers’ Big Ten opener against Wisconsin and led them to a 3-5 conference record, including a 31-28 win against then-No. 15 Iowa at Memorial Stadium. \n“I love Indiana University and Indiana football and will make decisions in the best interest of the program, as I have always attempted to do,” Hoeppner said. “I will ask for your continued respect for the privacy of me and my family as I address these matters going forward.”\nThe statement was the first released by Hoeppner since March 18, when it was announced he was taking a leave. Hoeppner stayed updated with his team’s progress through practice films delivered by Bill Lynch, who took over head coaching duties for Hoeppner in spring. The day before the Cream and Crimson game, Hoosier players received an e-mail from Hoeppner telling them about what he had seen in the film. \n“Hep’s health is of the utmost interest and concern to us,” Athletics Director Rick Greenspan said in the statement. “We’ll continue to provide him with all of the support that we can with hopeful anticipation that he’ll get well as quickly as possible.”
(05/10/07 12:17am)
Three IU juniors, Elizabeth Schaefer, Elizabeth Sutton and Julia Hamilton won first, second and third place, respectively, in their competition categories for the National Kitchen and Bath Association Student Design Competition. These students, who are all enrolled in the IU Department of Apparel Merchandising and Interior Design, are recipients of the competition’s Indiana State Chapter awards. \nSchaefer was recognized for having the best overall project in the competition, marking the second consecutive year an IU interior design student has received the award, according to an IU press release. \nThe National Kitchen and Bath Association Student Design Competition is judged by a panel of industry professionals. This contest recognizes bath and kitchen designers who are able to create a plan for a safe, functional and personalized space that incorporates imagination and “aesthetically pleasing solutions,” according to the press release. \nThis year’s Indiana State Chapter of the competition received 83 student entries from schools such as IU, Purdue and Indiana State University. \n“The NKBA Student Design Competition is an outstanding opportunity for IU design students to apply their classroom and studio skills in a top-level test with other aspiring designers from across the state, “ said Cynthia Landis, senior lecturer in the AMID Department, in the press release. “These students represented our University very well in this year’s event, and we were thrilled an IU student was recognized again as the competition’s overall winner.”
(05/10/07 12:16am)
DAVIS, Calif. – Despite years of gain in the workplace, a new study shows that come payday, it’s still very much a man’s world. \nUsing data from the 2005 U.S. Department of Education and firsthand interviews, the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation, an organization that promotes gender equality in the workplace, shows that after one year out of college, women earn 80 percent of what equally educated men earn. The gap continues to widen 10 years after graduation, with women earning 69 percent of what their male counterparts make. \nEven when taking into account motherhood, work hours and type of career, the study shows that women are still paid substantially less than men. This inequality in pay rates has a lasting effect. \n“In part, pay equity is simply a matter of fairness,” the study states. “When women are paid less than men are for comparable work, women have few resources to support themselves and their families. Some women experience real deprivation as a result of the pay gap, especially when they enter their retirement years.” \nThe study also shows that a woman’s career choice has an effect on salary. Women who major in more “male-dominated” careers such as engineering, mathematics and physical sciences tend to make more than women who work in education, health or psychology. \nBut even when choosing a higher paying job, researchers say women are still affected by the gap. \n“In education, a female-dominated major and career, women earn 95 percent as much as their male colleagues earn. In biology, a mixed-gendered major, women make only 75 percent as much as men,” the study states. \nAAUW stressed the important role of the government in ensuring equality in the job market. Despite the progress women have made, there still remains an issue in the workplace.\nCaldeba Lomel-Loibl, gender education specialist for the UC Davis Women’s Resource Center, said the center has several programs motivated to help women become more assertive and men become more aware.\n“The Women’s Resources and Research Center is committed to working towards financial equality through our programs and workshops on salary negotiating, confidence in the classroom, self-esteem in the workplace and academia, our ‘Women on the Verge’ series (for women about to graduate) and one-on-one financial advising for staff women,” Caldeba said in an e-mail interview.
(05/10/07 12:16am)
Joining the ranks of Nobel and Pulitzer prize winners, presidents, authors and other influential thinkers is IU’s very own Linda Smith, the chair of the Department of Psychology and Brain Sciences and a noted early childhood development expert. Smith was recently announced as a fellow to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. \nThis year Smith will be a fellow along with former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, filmmaker Spike Lee and former Vice President Al Gore, Jr., according to an IU press release.\nSince 1977, Smith has taught and researched at IU. Her research focuses on the developmental process and the “cascading interactions” of perception, action, attention and language as children between the ages of 1 and 3 acquire their first language, according to the press release. \nThe Academy, which Smith has now joined, has elected Fellows and Foreign Honorary Members as influential leaders from each generation. Currently, the Academy research focuses on science and global security, social policy, the humanities and culture and education.\nPlant biologist Mark Estelle shares similar honors and recognition, having been elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Estelle has made contributions to the understanding of how plant growth is regulated. \nHe has uncovered numerous details of previously unknown regulatory systems for hormone action. His research lab recently identified the receptor that binds the plant hormone auxin, which serves as the missing link in the chain of events that controls plant growth and development. What Estelle has discovered in plants reveals the existence of fundamental shared regulatory pathways in plants and animals, even humans.\nMost of Estelle’s projects focus on plant hormones influencing the expression of genes, according to an IU press release.\nEstelle is IU’s 11th member to join the National Academy of Sciences.
(05/07/07 4:00am)
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - A recent study found that marijuana has the potential effects of causing psychotic experiences, hallucinations, intense paranoia and other abnormal brain functions, according to The Associated Press. \nStephen Shetler, psychologist and addiction specialist for the Counseling and Psychological Services at Pennsylvania State University, wrote in an e-mail that the potential psychosis effects experienced by marijuana users is a plausible result of using the drug, especially for those who have already suffered from mental instability. \n“Almost all users report some changes in their perceptions and thoughts while high. If someone is already prone to thought disorders such as psychosis, marijuana would probably make symptoms worse,” Shetler said. \nThe study of the effects of marijuana on the mind comes in lieu of another study recently issued by the Office of National Drug Policy and National Institute of Drug Abuse, which found the levels of tetrahydrocannabidiol in marijuana have significantly increased. \nRafael Lemaitre, NIDA press secretary, said the levels of THC in recently confiscated marijuana samples have tested for about 8 percent THC compared to older samples from the 1970s that test for about 4 percent THC. Some samples have even been tested for as much as 30 percent THC, he said. \n“[Marijuana] is almost an entirely new drug from [the] 1970s,” Lemaitre said. \nShelter said the higher levels of THC in marijuana provide a reasonable explanation for the findings of psychotic effects in users. \n“It seems logical that if there is more THC in today’s marijuana that more people could experience ‘psychotic symptoms,’” he said. \nThe study tested 15 healthy people who were given small doses of the two active ingredients in marijuana, cannabidiol and THC. Though CBD made the test patients very relaxed, the small doses of THC made the patients temporarily suffer from psychotic hallucinations and paranoid delusions, according to the AP. \nDiana Ramos, coordinator of the Marijuana Intervention Program for University Health Services at Penn State, wrote in an e-mail that students who use marijuana with the addition of alcohol and other drugs allow for a significant increase in the possibility of psychotic effects. \n“If you’re mixing alcohol with marijuana, or other forms of drugs, the effects are more severe and can lead to a mental meltdown,” she said. \nThough Shetler wrote that he has not seen a patient suffer from psychotic effects because of marijuana, he added that he has heard of many clients and students who have. \n“I’ve heard reports from clients/students who have had bad experiences with marijuana along these lines in the past,” he wrote.
(05/07/07 4:00am)
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Around 20 people, including students and other members of the Harvard University community, protested Thursday afternoon in front of Mass. Hall, marking the kickoff of a widely publicized hunger strike aimed at convincing the University to support better working conditions for security guards. \nEleven members of the Student Labor Action Movement (SLAM) said they would fast in order to garner support for recently unionized security guards employed by subcontractor AlliedBarton, who are currently undergoing contract negotiations with the company. \nSLAM member and strike participant Alyssa M. Aguilera said the campaign is necessary to draw the attention of the community and the administration. \nThe students, who officially started their hunger strike at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, said they will refrain from eating until the University pressures AlliedBarton to meet their demands for higher wages, steady work schedules and other benefits. \nAlthough Harvarddoes not directly employ security guards, protesters said they believe the University does have the ability to influence contract negotiations. \n“Because Harvard pays AlliedBarton, Harvard does have the final say in the contract,” Aguilera said. “They have the capability [to ensure] that Harvard workers receive good pay and benefits. We’re holding them responsible for that.” \nUnder the Wage and Benefits Parity Policy, Harvard requires outside contractors to pay service workers wages comparable to those given to unionized Harvard workers who perform similar work, according to Harvard spokesman Joe Wrinn . \nBut Wrinn disagreed with Aguilera’s assertion that Harvard had direct influence in the negotiations, and said that the University did not plan to pressure AlliedBarton about the negotiations. \n“We certainly respect their right to protest, but the issue is between AlliedBarton and its employees,” Wrinn said, although he added that “whatever the solution is, it has to meet the wage parity policy.” \nRepresentatives from AlliedBarton could not be reached for comment. \nBut protesters say they have no intention of backing down. \n“We want to reflect the urgency of the issue,” said Aguilera, who is a member of The Crimson’s editorial board. “The rallies and the meetings are not urgent enough. There are people who are working full-time and still can’t afford to feed their families. We want to bring back that sense of humanity.” \nSecurity guard Aryt Alasti said in a phone interview that he has worked seven nights a week for the past 20 years to make ends meet and looks forward to a wage increase. \n“It’s not enough,” Alasti said. “As I understand it, Harvard is providing AlliedBarton with enough to provide us with a living wage. What their standards are for a living wage, I don’t know.” \nThe Harvard College Democrats plan to show support by holding a day-long solidarity fast Friday, according to Brigit M. Helgen , a junior and the group’s president. \n“We hope to put more pressure on the administration to give in to the demands of the security guards,” Helgen said. \n“This is not just a small movement; this is campus-wide,” she said.
(05/07/07 4:00am)
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Smokers might be allowed to light up again in Champaign, Ill., bars and restaurants – for another seven months, at least. \nChampaign Mayor Gerald Schweighart said that he is “looking at the possibilities” of a total repeal of the smoking ban and is likely to introduce a bill to the City Council on May 15. \nThe council bill comes on the heels of a statewide ban that the Illinois House of Representatives approved 72-43 on Tuesday. Gov. Rod Blagojevich said in early April he would likely support the bill if it passed the House. \nIf approved, the council bill would go into effect immediately, allowing people to smoke inside public buildings for seven months before the proposed statewide ban would go into effect January 2008. \n“Seven months is a great deal of time because (bars and restaurants) have been running 30 percent below what they had been (before the ban),” Schweighart said. \nHe added that if the repeal is approved in Champaign seven months to level the playing field. \nThe City Council approved the Clean Indoor Air Ordinance 5-4 in May 2006. At that time, At-Large Council member Giraldo Rosales voted in favor of the ordinance. \nWith At-Large Council member Karen Foster replacing Rosales as a result of the April 17 elections, the majority may have shifted in favor of the repeal. \n“I’m still thinking that I will support the mayor,” Foster said, adding that she is standing behind “business owners’ rights to choose their own policies,” and that it is important to give them the choice for at least another seven months. \n“What happens in January, happens in January,” Foster said. \nSchweighart said he is unsure if the total repeal will be approved. \n“Right now there are some (Council members) who are leaning towards a partial (ban), just bars and clubs only,” Schweighart said. \nAt-Large Council member Tom Bruno originally voted for the ban in May 2006 and thinks repealing it now would have negative effects. \n“It’s not prudent to public policy to run a zig-zag course like this,” Bruno said. \nBruno added that this is a health issue, not a business issue. \n“The real question is, do we care enough about the health and safety of restaurant and bar workers between now and January?” Bruno said.
(05/04/07 4:00am)
Fred Cate, an IU law school professor, will chair a search and screen committee appointed by Interim Provost and IU President-elect Michael McRobbie tasked to review and select candidates for the new position of Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs for the Bloomington campus.\nWith McRobbie leaving his position July 1 to become president of IU, Cate said the search will move fast. McRobbie would like to see a list of candidates by early June, Cate said. \nThe law school professor also said that now that the search has been announced, interested candidates can begin applying. A list of requirements of what is being looked for in each candidate will also be announced.\nThe choice of the new provost will ultimately be up to McRobbie, Cate said. Confirmed committee members include:\n•David Baker, distinguished professor and chair of the Department of Jazz Studies, Jacobs School of Music \n-Thomas Gieryn, Rudy Professor of Sociology, College of Arts and Sciences \n•Matthew Jarson, undergraduate and chief of staff to the Indiana University Student Association \n-Peter Kaczmarczyk, Wells Library and president of CWA Local 4730 \n•George Kuh, Chancellor’s Professor, School of Education \n-Isabel Piedmont, French and Italian, College of Arts and Sciences \n•Lisa Pratt, professor, Department of Geological Sciences, College of Arts \nand Sciences \n•Amy Reynolds, associate professor and associate dean for research and graduate studies, School of Journalism \n•David Vollrath, professor of management, School of Business and Economics, IU South Bend \n•Carolyn Walters, executive associate dean, IU Libraries\n(Source of names: IU press release)\nCate said the committee has not yet met, but will soon do so as the search process begins.
(04/30/07 4:00am)
SEATTLE – There were a few surprises for the University of Washington’s class of 1957 when they opened a time capsule sealed 50 years ago.\nAmong audiotapes and copies of the yearbook and school newspaper were 1980s-era porn, a condom and some dirty underwear.\nAlumni opened the capsule earlier this week in preparation for a public unveiling Saturday during a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the university’s communications program. The capsule had been placed in an interior wall of the then-new Communications Building in 1957.\nThe capsule is being replaced by another created by a student-faculty team.\n“The good news is that all the things that were in there are still there,” said Jerry Baldasty, chairman of the Department of Communication. “The interesting news is that some other things were added.”\nThere aren’t any suspects in the case. But it was located outside the offices of The Daily – the campus newspaper – and it’s assumed someone from the paper was responsible for the revisionism, said communication alumni and development manager Victoria Sprang.\nThe new capsule will be filled with digital media with a focus on “communication from a global perspective,” said Coma Te, a senior among six students who created the new capsule.
(04/27/07 4:00am)
NEW YORK – A nonprofit organization is asking universities to help eliminate or at least alter the ways magazines rank colleges.\nA letter citing problems with the ranking systems was sent to 16 liberal arts college presidents by the Education Conservancy, an Oregon-based nonprofit organization. Eleven of the college presidents have already signed the letter, and once 12 have signed it, it will be sent to numerous universities.\nThe executive director of the Education Conservancy, Lloyd Thacker, said current college ranking systems influence students, parents and especially colleges in a negative way. He calls it “rank steering – driving under the influence.”\n“The ranking systems degrade the service to education by overestimating the importance of a college’s rank and underestimating the role that the student plays in making education happen,” Thacker said.\nNew York University spokesman John Beckman said NYU knows high school students look at the rankings, “but we hope students interested in NYU won’t buy into” them.\nThacker and a small group of college presidents wrote the letter, which asks university presidents and their institutions to adopt a new approach to college ranking systems – different from the way reviews are conducted by companies like the U.S. News & World Report and the Princeton Review.\nThe letter said rankings lead to false ideas about colleges and that they say nothing, or very little, about whether students are learning at the school.\n“We believe these rankings are misleading and do not serve well the interests of prospective students in finding a college or university that is well-suited to their education beyond high school,” the letter says.\nThacker said colleges have begun giving more merit aid and less need-based aid, partially because of rank steering. \nAnn Marcus, director of the Steinhardt Institute for Higher Education Policy, has held a number of forums and discussions about competitive admissions and access to higher education.\n“One of the negative things that colleges do is try to keep increasing the applications to a college, sometimes among students who don’t have a good chance of getting accepted,” Marcus said.\nShe said they do this by sending letters to prospective students, trying to get them to apply and making them think they can get in.\n“Everybody is trying to approach education like it’s a product,” he said. “Education is way too complex and diverse for it to be ranked in any kind of ordinal system.”\nThacker said he is going to hold several meetings with college presidents to find alternatives to the current ranking system.
(04/25/07 4:00am)
AMES, Iowa – The Story County, Iowa, Tobacco Task Force released results of a recent survey that indicate a large number of Iowa State University students would frequent Ames, Iowa, bars more often if they were smoke-free. \n“I think that this survey is pretty indicative of the student body as a whole,” said Jeff Lewis, public relations director of the group Students for Smoke-Free Bars. “This shows that students want this to happen – that we’re fed up with smoke.” \nThe survey polled approximately 2,000 students, and the results show more than two-thirds of those polled would go to their favorite bar more often if it was smoke-free. \n“We don’t want this to look like we’re attacking smokers – we’re not. But only a small percent of students I’ve talked to want to keep the smoke. The rest wanted to have it be smoke-free,” said Clark Richardson, president of Students for Smoke-Free Bars, student liaison of the task force and senior in agricultural business. \nThe only bars that are smoke free are Es Tas, 120 Welch Ave., and Brewer’s, 2704 Stange Road. All other Ames bars allow smoking at any time or have a certain hour after which smokers can smoke. \n“The next thing to do is to hold discussions about this. This isn’t an us-against-them kind of thing, but an issue that concerns everybody that goes to the bars,” Lewis said. \nRichardson is hoping for action at a city or state level because of communication problems at the individual level. \n“It’s been difficult for me to talk to the bar owners – I haven’t gotten in touch with them since last semester. That’s why I think we should have local control; have the community discuss and enact an ordinance about this issue,” he said. \nLewis said he would also like community action because of a high likelihood that the bars will do nothing otherwise. \n“I think they’ll wait to change until the public tells them to. I think they think that having all the smokers leaving at the same time, while all the other bars accept smokers, would be bad for business,” he said. \nFrom the information Richardson has gathered, it’s not that the bars don’t want to change. \n“From the bar owners that I’ve talked to, they say that they want to take action about this. They’re waiting until they’re imposed to do it, so that all the bars go smoke free at the same time, so no real money is lost,” he said.
(04/25/07 4:00am)
BLACKSBURG, Va. – Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine announced that he intends to form an eight-person panel to review Virginia Tech’s handling of last Monday’s shootings. \nAfter announcing the panel Tuesday, Kaine appointed retired Superintendent of Virginia State Police Lt. Colonel Gerald Massengill to lead the independent committee review board on Wednesday. \nAlso named to the board was former Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, as well as several specialists in the fields of higher education, violent behavior and medicine. \nDespite the independent investigation into how the university responded to the shootings, Kaine expressed support for Virginia Tech President Charles Steger. \n“Charlie has been acting as a very, very good president,” Kaine said on Tuesday. “... This kind of event could happen anywhere on any campus, and there has been an innocence taken away from the students. But the positive values, and academic tradition of this university will help the community stay strong, and keep this university attracting students.” \nKaine also addressed the student body’s questioning of some of the decisions made by the university. \n“The students are acting appropriately to the situation,” Kaine said Tuesday. “But I know the strong sense of community spirit won’t let these questions divide this student body.” \nKaine applauded the unity shown by students, especially in the face of the media firestorm that ensued. \n“I saw all these reporters asking divisive questions, and the students stayed strong,” Kaine said Tuesday. “They didn’t place blame. They weren’t going to let anything divide them.” \nAlso named to the review were Carroll Ann Ellis, Diane Strickland, Marcus Martin, Roger Depue, Gordon Davies and Aradhana Sood. \nEllis is Director of the Fairfax County Police Department’s Victim Services Division. \nStrickland served as a Virginia circuit judge for 15 years and recently co-chaired a two-year study about involuntary institutionalization. \nMartin is the Assistant Dean at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. \nDepue is the founder of the Academy Groups, Inc., which conducts research and training on violent behavior. \nDavies was the former Director of the State Council of Higher Education for 20 years before his retirement in 1997. \nSood is the Chairwoman of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Virginia Commonwealth University. \nIn addition, Kaine said TriData Corporation will provide research and staff for the review panel. \nNo timetable or location has been set for the review.
(04/24/07 4:00am)
AUSTIN, Texas – While April 20 was just another Friday to most people, about 50 student organizations across the nation acapitalized on the marijuana “holiday” to push the alcohol-marijuana equalization movement.\nSafer Alternatives for Enjoyable Recreation, or SAFER, and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws highlighted national laws and university policies that the group claims drive students to use alcohol instead of marijuana, said Mason Tvert, executive director of SAFER.\nThe organization said alcohol is far more destructive than marijuana and that harsher punishment for illegal marijuana usage causes a higher consumption of alcohol.\n“We are not anti-alcohol, but simply pro-choice,” Tvert said. “But we would like more people to go with the safer choice.”\nA 2002 report by New Scientist magazine claimed that one glass of wine is more likely to impair driving than a single joint. Additionally, the combination of alcohol and marijuana may cause someone to drive less recklessly than if he were only under the influence of alcohol, according to the report.\nAnother report by Columbia University’s Health Services said it is impossible to overdose on marijuana, while consuming large amounts of alcohol in a short amount of time can easily lead to fatal alcohol poisoning.\nIn light of such studies, the University of Texas’ Student Government passed a resolution to equate university-imposed penalties for the use and possession of marijuana with those for the use and possession of alcohol on campus.\nThe harsher punishment for marijuana usage doesn’t force students to turn to alcohol, said Nicole Kreisberg, a Latin American studies and Texas Interdisciplinary Plan sophomore.\n“Illegal marijuana usage and under-aged drinking is partly due to its mysterious nature,” Kreisberg said. “Once college kids turn 21, the mysterious nature loses its appeal and they tend to be more responsible with alcohol.”
(04/24/07 4:00am)
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Brandon M. Terry, a 2005 Harvard University graduate, wants to fill the gaps he sees in minority professional networks – and he has gone online to do it.\nTerry recently co-founded GetConnects, a company that works to link minority students at top universities with businesses that do not have strong minority recruitment programs or an already-strong presence at on-campus job fairs.\nTerry said registration with the GetConnects’ online database is free for students, but businesses are asked to pay for access. Terry said his company will help to fill in holes in minority professional networks.\n“The vast majority of people in the U.S. get their jobs through a preexisting network,” Terry said. “One of the problems is that the U.S. is a deeply segregated society and that minority groups have some of the most shallow social networks of people in the U.S.”\n“We saw that minority networks didn’t overlap with the recruiting networks,” said Sean M. Mendy, co-founder of GetConnects and a 2005 Cornell University graduate. “I saw friends of mine that had business degrees who were working really menial jobs and thought it was a waste of talent.”\nWilliam Wright-Swadel, director of Harvard’s Office of Career Services, said he thought GetConnects could help students develop all-important networks, but that minority students should feel comfortable utilizing all kinds of professional connections, minority or otherwise.\n“What I don’t want is students thinking that ‘I’m an African-American female and the only people at Harvard who are willing to help me are other African-American female alumni,’” Wright-Swadel said, emphasizing that Harvard’s professional network and resources are open to all students.\nGetConnects currently has 700 students in its database and is negotiating contracts with its first businesses. Terry declined to name the businesses so as not to jeopardize their contracts, but listed the Coca-Cola company as an example of a business in which students might be interested.\nSenior Julia K. Mario said she signed up for GetConnects because, after participating in a minority job fair and several minority recruitment dinners, she was “dissatisfied with the on-campus recruiting at Harvard.”\n“It seemed as though investment banking and consulting were the bulk of what was available,” Mario said. “I thought that GetConnects was a great opportunity to look at other jobs.”\nAt the moment, the founders are relying on word of mouth and advertising on Facebook to attract users. They plan to make on-campus visits in the fall semester. GetConnects draws its students from the Ivy League as well as colleges like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Howard University and Spelman College.\nTerry said GetConnects provides access to minority students that many businesses could not get on their own.\n“When you lack that visibility, that network, it becomes very difficult to just show up at a career fair with some fliers and convince people that you’re the place to be,” he said.
(04/23/07 4:00am)
GREENCASTLE, Ind. – DePauw University President Robert Bottoms has decided to step down next year after more than two decades leading the liberal arts college.\nBottoms announced his decision Thursday as DePauw’s board of trustees began its spring meeting. Bottoms will assume a new position of chancellor after being the school’s president since 1986, longer than any other person in its 170-year history.\n“I have great love for this college and its people, but after 21 years in this position, I feel the time is right to make this move,” Bottoms said. “Being a college president is a very rewarding, yet personally demanding,w job.”\nDePauw’s endowment grew during his time as president from $83 million to nearly $522 million, with about $190 million spent on new or renovated buildings and other campus projects, the school said. The largest contribution was $128 million in 1998 from the estate of Indianapolis couple Philip and Ruth Holton.\nWhen Bottoms leaves the president’s office after the 2007-08 school year, he will oversee the Prindle Institute for Ethics.\n“He leaves the university immeasurably stronger than when he came and in a position to attract an outstanding successor,” said James B. Stewart, chairman of DePauw’s trustees.\nBottoms and the 2,200-student private college in western Indiana drew attention last month when he ordered the Delta Zeta sorority to leave the school following the mass eviction of members and allegations that only attractive, popular women were asked to remain.\nA committee of trustees will lead the search for Bottoms’ successor, the school said.
(04/23/07 4:00am)
PHOENIX – The Arizona Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to consider the legality of a case in which former University of Arizona students sued the Arizona board of regents for increasing tuition nearly 40 percent in 2003. \nIn November, an appellate court decided the students are generally entitled to sue the board of regents over the decision to raise tuition. It did not say whether tuition was raised too much.\nThe regents challenged that outcome and appealed to the Arizona Supreme Court, which will decide whether the regents can be sued over tuition hikes.\nBoth plaintiffs and defendants applaud the step, saying they hope the court will rule in their favor.\n“Now it looks like it’s finally going to get decided,” said John Kromko, a former UA student and state legislator, who was among those who initiated the suit. “I think this is a vital state matter that really needs to be decided by the Supreme Court.”\nKromko and three other former students claim the regents violated the Arizona Constitution, which states that the “university and all other state educational institutions shall be as nearly free as possible.”\nWhen tuition was raised by 39.1 percent in the 2003-04 school year, the money was not used just to improve education directly, Kromko said, but also for scholarships, research and building construction.\nIn his experience tuition increases seldom have direct effects on higher standards in classroom equipment or better-qualified teachers, Kromko said.\n“It’s right to give scholarships but it’s not right for university students to pay for those,” he said. “The regents and the universities have not taken any steps to ensure that tuition is as low as possible.”\nBut the regents say they are the ones to decide what tuition money can be used for. \nPart of that capacity is to ensure that enough financial aid is available to students who can’t afford higher tuition rates, said Nancy Tribbensee, the general council for the Arizona University System and a staff member of the Arizona board of regents.\n“We’re pleased that the Supreme Court has accepted review of Kromko,” she said. “This gives them the opportunity to reaffirm the regents’ constitutional authority to set tuition rates.”\nIf the Supreme Court decides it is lawful to sue the regents, the initial case has to be reconsidered by the trial court. \nThe challenge then for both parties would be to prove what exactly “as free as possible” means and what would be an unreasonably high tuition hike that could be claimed unconstitutional.\nIf the Supreme Court decides the regents cannot be sued over that matter, the case will be dead.
(04/23/07 4:00am)
ALBANY, N.Y. – New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday enlisted the support of his counterparts in Illinois and other states to help investigate what he considers kickbacks in the $85 billion student loan industry.\nAttorneys general and their representatives from more than 40 states participated in the conference call, said Angelita Plemmer of the National Association of Attorneys General.\n“They discussed the importance of cooperation in the ongoing investigation and the need to coordinate,” she said.\nThe law enforcement officials brainstormed on strategies for investigating the agreements in which lenders have provided cash, gifts, trips, tuition payments, stock options and more to become a “preferred lender” at a college even if the lender doesn’t have the best rate or terms for students.\n“We’ve been on this a few weeks now pretty much nonstop,” said Cara Smith, spokeswoman for Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan. “We are very supportive of states across the country looking at their own universities.”\nFor Cuomo, the conference call was part of his effort to expand the probe nationally. He is scheduled to testify before a congressional committee next week.\n“This is a widening, national scandal and we need to address it as such,” Cuomo said.\nOn Tuesday, the University of Texas System told its 15 campuses to stop posting preferred lender lists for students seeking loans and asked financial aid offices to report any benefits they’ve accepted from lending firms.\nAnd in California, Attorney General Jerry Brown demanded that two finance companies turn over details of their business deals with state colleges and universities.\nBrown said Tuesday that he sent letters to San Francisco-based Education Finance Partners Inc. and San Diego-based Student Loan Xpress to determine if the lenders made unlawful payments to the institutions.\nRepresentatives of Education Finance Partners and Student Loan Xpress did not return telephone calls seeking comment. CIT Group Inc., which acquired Student Loan Xpress in 2005, suspended the subsidiary’s top three executives last week because of Cuomo’s investigation.\nCuomo’s office is investigating the financial relationship between at least 100 colleges and 13 lenders. Three more lenders agreed to change their business practices and paid a combined $6.5 million to end probes of their activities.\nCuomo announced a $2.5 million settlement with Education Finance Partners on Monday. SLM Corp., commonly referred to as Sallie Mae, and Citigroup Inc.’s Citibank previously settled for $2 million each.\n– Associated Press Writer Paul Elias in San Francisco contributed to this report.