Quick Takes
Bills Favoring Guns on Campus Advance in 2 States
Legislation to permit those registered to carry concealed weapons to carry them on college campuses is advancing in Missouri and Texas. In Texas, the House Public Safety Committee has now approved a measure that appears to have the support of a majority in the House of Representatives, The Houston Chronicle reported. In Missouri, the House of Representatives voted Thursday to lift a ban on carrying concealed weapons on campuses, KOMU News reported. In both states, legislators favoring concealed weapons on campus say that students would be safer if they could respond to a threat. But in both states, some legislators and most campus safety experts say that guns pose unique dangers on campuses, where students are not necessarily mature and may be tempted to use firearms while drunk. In the words of Missouri Rep. Chris Kelly: "College boys love things that go boom. What we don't need is beer and college boys and firearms."
U.S. Cancels Auction for Parent Loans
What if the federal government held an auction and nobody came? That's essentially what happened this month, and the U.S. Education Department announced Thursday in a message to student loan providers that it was canceling its Congressionally mandated plan for state-by-state competitive bidding processes for the right to make federal student loans for parents. The auction, which was enacted as part of budget reconciliation legislation in 2007, was set to take place next week. But as the law was written, the auctions were to be held only in those states that received at least two requests from lenders -- and not a single state received two such requests, Daniel T. Madzelan, a senior department official, said in an e-mail message Thursday. Most states received no requests at all, he said. The auction idea had become increasingly fraught because of the economic downturn and with the Obama administration contemplating much broader changes in the federal student loan programs. Democratic leaders in Congress introduced legislation late last month that would have postponed the auction for a year -- which may not be necessary given the department's announcement Thursday.
Clark U. Calls Off Finkelstein Lecture
Clark University has called off a lecture by Norman Finkelstein, saying that it would conflict with and possibly detract from a conference about the Holocaust on campus, The Boston Globe reported. John Bassett, the university's president, said in a letter to the campus paper that he canceled Finkelstein's talk due to "unfortunate scheduling" near a conference sponsored by the university's Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. Clark is known for its programs in Holocaust studies. Finkelstein, an outspoken critic of Israel, is known for writing about the Holocaust that focuses on Israeli use of the history of the Holocaust to justify its actions. Finkelstein was invited to Clark by a group called Clark University Students for Palestinian Rights. The statement from Bassett said: "It is possible that our understanding of the Middle East conflicts would be enriched by conversations with Professor Finkelstein. It is my judgment, however, that having Professor Finkelstein speak on the same evening as our planned conference would only invite controversy and not dialogue or understanding."
Maryland Will Keep Graduation Prayer
C.D. Mote Jr., president of the University of Maryland at College Park, has decided that the institution will keep a two-minute prayer at graduation ceremonies. The Baltimore Sun reported that the University Senate -- which has student, faculty and staff members -- voted this week to recommend that the university end the prayer, saying that it was not inclusive. But Mote, in a statement, said that "for many people, a prayer of gratitude and a moment of reflection are an important part of our commencement tradition."
U. of Colorado Will Fight Churchill Reinstatement
The University of Colorado will "vigorously challenge" any move to reinstate Ward Churchill to his job teaching ethnic studies at the Boulder campus, a spokesman told The Daily Camera. While the announcement was not a surprise, it was the first formal indication of how the university will respond to last week's verdict by a state jury that Churchill was fired inappropriately for his political views. The university has maintained that he was fired for repeated instances of scholarly misconduct. The judge in the case has the discretion to order Churchill reinstated or to instead order other compensation, such as a cash payment, but Churchill has said repeatedly that he wants his job back. Churchill's lawyers have suggested that he could simply return to campus and start teaching again, but the university spokesman called that a "spurious" premise and noted that the findings of misconduct were not discredited by the verdict. "The notion he can just settle back into his teaching duties is questionable," the spokesman said. A lawyer for Churchill called the university's position "offensive," adding that "a jury of their peers has convicted them of being constitutional violators."
Report Finds Few Options for 'Distressed' Private Loan Borrowers
Borrowers with private student loans who get into financial distress get relatively little help from their lenders and appear to be receiving little aid from the federal government because they are deemed "too small to help," the National Consumer Law Center said in a report issued Thursday. The center's Student Loan Borrower Assistance Program surveyed the practices of providers of private student loans, finding few options to help financially distressed borrowers out of trouble, and offers recommendations aimed at improving the lot of such borrowers.
Hawkeye CC Ends Jobs of All Part-Time Faculty
Hawkeye Community College has announced plans to eliminate the jobs of all 33 part-time faculty members as well as the positions of 10 full-time faculty members, The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reported. College officials said that the decision was based on expectations of limited state funds for the next year.
