Quick Takes

As the House of Representatives prepares to vote this week on legislation that would carry out President Obama's plan to make all student loans out of the federal government's direct lending program, Democratic supporters of the idea got a boost Friday from an analysis released Friday evening by the Congressional Budget Office. The document shows that while an alternative proposal put forward by a group of student loan providers would cut about the same amount of money -- $87 billion over 10 years -- from federal mandatory spending as the plan put forward by Obama and House Democrats. But the lenders' alternative would increase annual discretionary spending by about $20 billion over that same period, while the administration's plan would boost annual spending by $7 billion, CBO said. That $13 billion difference is likely to be much discussed by Democrats during deliberations over the House bill this week.

A Cornell University student died Friday from H1N1-related complications, the university announced. Hundreds of Cornell students have H1N1, but most of them -- as it the case at many other campuses -- are experiencing mild cases. Warren Schor, the Cornell student, was 20. He is the third student nationally to die from H1N1 or related illnesses.

Morgan State University has set off an unusual debate by challenging the right of University of Maryland University College to start a doctoral program to train community college administrators, The Baltimore Sun reported. Morgan State is a historically black college and Maryland, like other states that once operated segregated higher education systems, has policies designed to block other state institutions from starting degrees programs near black colleges that would compete with their offerings. Such questions have in the past involved other colleges that are, like Morgan State, in the Baltimore area. The challenge to an online program is new, although the idea is similar in that Morgan State says that it shouldn't have competition for its program for community college administrators. The state's secretary of higher education will rule on Morgan State's complaint. Because state authorities have already given UMUC the right to offer the program to students outside the state, a ruling in Morgan State's favor would result in a state university being able to offer a program only to those outside its home state.

Colleges and universities in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (all three divisions) plan to add 174 teams over the next two years and cut 59, according to a survey by the Associated Press. An article on the survey noted that while some colleges cut teams for economic reasons, many add teams for economic reasons, seeing them as key to their enrollment or other strategies.

Wesley College, in Delaware, has been punished by the National College Athletic Association’s Division III Committee on Infractions for major financial aid violations in its football program. An NCAA report released last week revealed that, during the 2006-7 academic year, Wesley “awarded financial aid packages to freshman football student-athletes that were clearly distinguishable from the aid packages awarded generally to all incoming freshman aid recipients at the institution.” In particular, incoming freshman football players were made aware of a financial aid appeals process that was not widely known among other freshmen. The policy, though not published, was considered a “word of mouth” phenomenon that football coaches made sure to note to their prospects. Only 43 percent of all incoming students in 2006 appealed their financial aid packages and received more aid, while 59 percent of incoming freshman football players appealed their packages and received more aid. Division III of the NCAA does not allow its member institution to award athletic scholarships. Still, the committee noted that “there was no evidence to suggest that the football coaches were deliberately attempting to circumvent NCAA rules.” Wesley has been placed on probation for two years and its athletic and financial aid staff must attend an NCAA rules seminar.

Pyongyang University of Science and Technology will open this week as the first foreign-sponsored university in North Korea, AFP reported. The university is backed by a foundation in South Korea, which has spent more than $32 million on the project. Faculty members will be Koreans -- from North and South Korea, and ethnic Koreans who live elsewhere.