Quick Takes
Cal State Faculty Accepts Furloughs
Faced with no good options, a union representing California State University faculty members decided to accept a furlough plan that will reduce compensation by about 10 percent, union leaders announced Friday. The California Faculty Association also questioned Chancellor Charles B. Reed’s leadership, voting “no confidence” in him by a margin of 80 percent. The union represents tenure-track faculty as well as lecturers, who would be most likely to lose jobs if furloughs hadn’t been approved. While the vote indicates some tenured and tenure track faculty essentially voted to preserve other people’s jobs, the measure passed by a significant but not overwhelming margin of 54 percent. The union had criticized Reed for not guaranteeing the furloughs would save jobs, although Reed told Inside Higher Ed he estimated 6,000 positions would be saved if the 23,000 union-represented faculty and other employees took furloughs. The association is affiliated with the National Education Association and the American Association of University Professors, as well as Service Employees International Union.
Court Won't Order Enforcement of 'Solomon Amendment'
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Friday refused to force the Defense Department to enforce the "Solomon Amendment" and try to cut off the flow of federal funds to the University of California at Santa Cruz. The amendment blocks funds from going to institutions that do not provide campus access to military recruiters, and the court ruled in a suit brought by Young America's Foundation. That group complained that students opposed to military recruiters had organized protests several times that prevented people from seeing military recruiters at Santa Cruz. The court, however, found that the Pentagon reasonably determined that the university wasn't responsible for the protests and was in fact trying to comply with the law. As a result, the court found the Young America's Foundation lacked standing to bring the suit.
Sallie Mae's Lobbying Expenses
Sallie Mae spent $3.4 million on lobbying during 2008, according to a new analysis released by the Center for Responsive Politics. The study also examined Sallie Mae's contributions to federal campaigns, and found that while the loan giant is bipartisan in giving, it seems to pay attention to which way the political winds are blowing. Donations leaned Republican during the Bush years, but during the 2008 campaigns, 47 percent of Sallie Mae donations went to Democrats. So far in the 2010 election cycle, 66 percent of donations have gone to Democrats.
Students, Gender, Games and the Rest of College
A new study of undergraduates at Michigan State University offers some insights into the gender gap on how students use their time. The study, published in the journal Sex Roles, found that males played computer games significantly more than females: 225 more hours per year, on average, in college. Female students spent more time on everything else. The study found that found that female undergraduates spent about 16 hours per week on average on jobs, homework and other activities than did male undergraduates.
Texas Tech Profs Oppose Hiring of Alberto Gonzales
When Texas Tech University first announced that Alberto Gonzales, attorney general under President George W. Bush, has been hired to teach political science, faculty reaction was quiet, while some students and alumni objected, citing the role Gonzales played in authorizing what many see as torture and unconstitutional actions by U.S. authorities. Now the faculty is getting involved, or at least some of it is. More than 40 faculty members have signed a statement opposing the hire, The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported. But it looks like the faculty protest will not have an impact. Chancellor Kent Hance told the newspaper he had no intention of withdrawing the offer, saying of the faculty petition: "That’s their freedom of speech and I applaud that, but you don’t go around making decisions based on faculty positions."
Colorado State Board Releases Recording of Closed Meeting
Colorado State University's board has settled lawsuits by media entities challenging a closed door meeting at which a new chancellor was selected by releasing a recording of much of the meeting. As The Fort Collins Coloradoan noted, not all of the recordings are of statements board members wanted to be heard. One accused state lawmakers of "un-Christian attitudes" for wanting more of a role for the public in selecting a chancellor. Another board member said that Larry Penley, the former chancellor, ran an "ego-driven administration."
NCAA Punishes U. of New Hampshire Hockey Team
The University of New Hampshire’s men’s ice hockey team has been placed on a two-year probation by the National Collegiate Athletic Association for major recruiting violations. The Division I Committee on Infractions announced last week that one of the team’s two associate head coaches -- it would not clarify which one -- sent 923 impermissible e-mail messages to 30 prospects who were in their freshman and sophomore years in high school. The Concord Monitor reports that the associate head coach had been using Scoutware, an automated recruiting software program that allows coaches to send messages to many prospects at once. The associate head coach told the committee that he “misunderstood the relevant recruiting rule” and entered data into Scoutware “according to the prospective student-athletes’ expected enrollment at the university, rather than their high school graduation.” In addition to the probation, the team will reduce its number of off-campus recruiters by one and will not allow any of the 30 prospects in question to sign a National Letter of Intent with the university. Dick Umile, head men’s hockey coach, said the team had accepted the penalties, telling the Monitor, "We realized we made a mistake.”
Another Dean of Academic Engagement
Last week we reported on the creation of a new position -- "dean of engaged learning" -- at Robert Morris University, and noted that many experts had never heard of such a position previously. At least one other university has made a similar move, however. Fairfield University this month announced that Elizabeth Boquet, professor of English and associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Fairfield, has been tapped to serve as the first dean of academic engagement.
