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Quick Takes: Saint Louis U. Wins Right to Tax Break, Shootings Prompt Hearing, Arrest for Va. Tech Comment, Student Detained With (Empty) Ammunition Belt, No Agreement on Grants, U. of Hawaii Lifts Gag Order, Report on Rankings, Foreign Fans of Summers

  • The Missouri Supreme Court has ruled that Saint Louis University, a Jesuit institution, is entitled to government supported tax breaks for financing facilities, the Associated Press reported. The university is run primarily by a lay board of directors so the institution’s religious mission does not disqualify the university, the court ruled, 6 to 1. A ruling by California’s Supreme Court in March allowed religious institutions there to qualify for bonds to be issued on their behalf.
  • Leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor announced Wednesday that the panel would hold a hearing a week from today on “college campus safety.” Few details were released, but the panel’s chairman, Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), said it was prompted, of course, by the mass shootings at Virginia Tech. “It is difficult to make sense of a tragedy like this or to know what to do to prevent one, and unanswered questions about this week’s events will undoubtedly persist for a long time,” Miller said. “But we must start now to learn what we can do to prevent things like this from happening in the future and what we can do to help communities cope with such unimaginable horror and sadness. That is the purpose of this hearing — to allow Congress to learn what it can do to help Virginia Tech and all other colleges and universities across the country prevent and recover from tragedies like this.”
  • A University of Colorado at Boulder student was arrested based on comments he made in a class in which he appeared to express sympathy with the gunman who killed 32 people Monday at Virginia Tech, the Associated Press reported. Max Karson, the student, was charged with interfering with staff, faculty members or students of an educational institution. His father said that the comments may have been misunderstood and that — regardless — his son had a right to free speech.
  • Lewis & Clark College officials detained a student wearing an ammunition belt Wednesday, and were on the verge of locking down the campus, but did not do so because the student wasn’t carrying ammunition or weapons.
  • Federal negotiators considering possible changes in rules governing two new student grant programs failed to reach agreement at the end of their third negotiating session Wednesday, meaning that Education Secretary Margaret Spellings can essentially propose any changes she wants to the Academic Competitiveness Grant and National Science and Mathematics Access to Retaining Talent Grant Programs. The negotiators had been considering a wide set of proposed regulatory changes, including toughening the high school requirements for the competitiveness grants and making them available to students in certificate programs, but the members of the panel — including college and high school officials, Education Department officials, and student representatives — failed to reach the full “consensus” necessary for approval of the package of changes.
  • The University of Hawaii at Manoa has lifted a gag order it imposed on a professor the institution says was bullying students, but whose supporters say is being punished unfairly for his controversial views, The Star Bulletin reported.
  • A new report from the Institute for Higher Education Policy examines the increasingly global debate over college and university rankings, comparing those in the United States (both the rankings and debates) with those elsewhere.
  • He may be controversial in the United States, but Lawrence H. Summers, the ousted president of Harvard University, is a huge hit whenever he lectures in Asia, reported The New York Times.

Scott Jaschik

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Comments

Mental Health Check-ups

The government focus should be on how to stimulate public awareness of mental health check-ups. They should be more common than routine physicals. Only then will prevention be possible.

William Sumner Scott, J.D.

Judicial Equality Foundation, Inc.

wss@jefound.org

William Sumner Scott, J.D., at 8:45 am EDT on April 19, 2007

Free speech for you, free speech for me

Wow — a student arrested at U. of Co. for speaking his mind. And I thought that we were supposed to be teaching them how to be independent thinkers. Silly me! Where’s Horowitz when you need him?

Hoosier Prof, at 8:46 am EDT on April 19, 2007

College Rankings and Larry Summers

Just because the college rankings are a hit overseas doesn’t make them accurate or more descriptive of any college. It only means that more people are receiving incomplete pictures of colleges.

Regina Mooney, at 10:15 am EDT on April 19, 2007

Shootings & Gov’t response

What the Federal government should be looking at are the FERPA and HIPPA regulations which prevent professionals from sharing information that possibly could save the lives of innocent folks. Everyone is so afraid of running afoul of these regulations that they tend to share no information — even in situations that they could do so.

Jim, VP for Student Development, at 10:15 am EDT on April 19, 2007

rankings

The popularity of rankings definitely doesn’t make them accurate- but take a look at this report. It actually addresses how inaccurate the rankings are and puts forth a set of guidelines, developed by a national committee over the course of six years, that is intended to be the beginning of making rankings transparent, accountable, andconsistent with university goals and quality indicators. It seems like the first time someone is recognizing how flawed the rankings systems are and proposing some sort of solution.

Eva, at 11:05 am EDT on April 19, 2007

Just because it’s free...

People also need to learn that just because you can doesn’t mean you should.

kh, at 11:20 am EDT on April 19, 2007

Free Speech vs. Good Judgement

The experience of this student at the U of Colorado is a good learning experience. This is a case study in why one should not yell “FIRE!” in a crowded theatre.

Allegedly, he chose to say to his classroom that he understands the VA Tech killer, because sometimes the flouescent lights and stress make him feel like killing people.

How could this student not understand that this type of a statement would cause some panic?

Geoff, at 1:26 pm EDT on April 19, 2007

University of Colorado’s censorship

Geoff, To me, your argument doesn’t make sense. The (falsely yelling) “Fire in a crowded theater” exception to the general rule of free expression stems from the fact that the audience for the cry would be unable to reflect upon whether or not there really was a fire, and there would be a “clear and present danger” of injury. (This is sort of akin to a farmer suing you for spooking his livestock by scaring them.)

On the other hand, when someone explains their views about current events in a lighted classroom, the audience won’t instinctively and immediately injure themselves. Instead, this student expressed his thoughts on a matter of public concern, and students could reflect upon it, and were neither obligated nor caused to act. Therefore, the actions of the school are likely unconstitutional, and certainly shameful. Likely charges will eventually be dismissed, but this student will be branded for life based on the mere fact that he calmly expressed his views on a matter of public concern. If the facts are as they are presented here, the is one of the most egregious acts of censorship I have seen in a long time.

Unless you are arguing that it everyone knows that expressing a political viewpoint inspires an immediate violent reaction on the part of people, your argument is problematic. Instead, you are just arguing for censorship.

Whether a remark is made is good judgment is a matter for the speaker to decide.

Larry, at 4:02 pm EDT on April 19, 2007

So who decides?

Kh and Geoff: Apparently, we all agree that this was poor judgement. So what? The question is whether or not this is an arrestable offence. As Larry points out, the courts have already defined the difference for us, expressly so that you, me, or the local cops DON’T get to decide. In the meantime, what ever happened to just pulling the kid aside and telling him to use better judgement? Talk about passing the buck! Don’t like what a student says? Call the cops!!

Hoosier Prof, at 5:56 pm EDT on April 19, 2007

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