Thursday, September 17, 2009 - 3:00am
Eighty-three percent of campuses in a sample being used to track the spread of H1N1 reported new cases of flu-like illnesses in the last week, according to the American College Health Association. The association is tracking 253 colleges and universities, and the percentage reporting new cases was up from 72 percent the prior week. At the colleges in the sample, 6,432 new cases were reported, 16 of them requiring hospitalization.
While campuses in the United States have not been suspending operations due to H1N1, the American University in Cairo announced Wednesday that it is suspending operations until October 3, at the request of the Egyptian government. The university has not had any H1N1 cases, but Egypt has suspended operations of its government-run universities and asked American University in Cairo to do so as well.
Thursday, September 17, 2009 - 3:00am
The Volleyball Rules Committee of the National Collegiate Athletic Association has recommended that players refrain from traditional handshakes before and after matches due to concerns about the spread of H1N1. Volleyball is one of the two sports in which players from opposing teams are required by the NCAA to shake hands; the other is wrestling. Not everyone, however, is convinced that the NCAA recommendation is helpful. Neil Fishman, director of health care, epidemiology and infection control at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, told USA Today, "I just think it's a bad decision and is not based on what we know about the science of the virus. There will be influenza in the community, and there will be no higher risk [of contracting the virus] walking down the street, riding a bus or going to a movie."
Thursday, September 17, 2009 - 3:00am
Families are saving an average of $2,676 for college annually, according to the results of a new survey by Sallie Mae and Gallup. The survey also found that -- as a percentage of income -- those with incomes under $50,000 save more than wealthier families. Only 29 percent of families are on track to meet their college savings goals, the survey found. Details of "How America Saves for Colleges 2009" are available here.
Thursday, September 17, 2009 - 3:00am
A Hofstra University student has recanted allegations that she was forced into a dormitory men's room stall, tied up and gang raped by five men, Newsday reported. The allegation led to the arrests of four men, one of them another Hofstra student, who were released from jail Wednesday night after their accuser told prosecutors that the sex had been consensual, which is what the men had said when they were first questioned. The reports of a gang rape on their campus had scared many Hofstra students, and unsettled the campus. A university spokeswoman said Wednesday night: "This week has been a very difficult one for our entire community, and we will need time to heal and understand the events of the last few days."
Thursday, September 17, 2009 - 3:00am
University foundations in Mississippi are protesting a state plan that would involve some oversight of the fund-raising organizations, The Jackson Clarion-Ledger reported. A legislative audit called for increased oversight, but the foundations say that they would lose too much autonomy, endangering donor privacy, which could in turn endanger donations.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009 - 3:00am
What's a pig? A student with H1N1. A pig in a blanket? That's a sick student staying home in bed. And the farm is the pig's parents' home. These definitions are part of an unusual H1N1 glossary produced at Johns Hopkins University to promote discussion of H1N1 and to have a chuckle as well. Some of the other definitions:
- Sleeze: to sneeze properly (into one’s sleeve) when a tissue isn’t handy.
- Boar War: An all-out on-campus effort to prevent the spread of H1N1.
- Bacon: What a pig experiencing an H1N1 fever feels like, i.e., fried. (Usage: Doctor: “Pig, how are you feeling today?” Pig: “Like bacon, doc.”)
- Hog tide: Alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009 - 3:00am
Hundreds of faculty members and others at University of California campuses say that they will not be in class next Thursday to protest the way the system is handling budget cuts, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. A turning point for many professors was the university's announcement that they could not take any of their furlough days on days that they have teaching assignments. Faculty leaders said that some of them should have come on such days to make it clear that severe budget cuts have an impact on teaching.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009 - 3:00am
Fewer students are participating in study abroad programs and many colleges are cutting their budgets for study abroad because of the economic downturn, according to a survey conducted by the Forum on Education Abroad. The association surveyed its nearly 400 members, and 165 of them responded. About two-thirds said the economy had negatively affected their programs, with 59 percent reporting a decrease in the number of students enrolling (about half reporting declines of 10 percent or less) and 60 percent reporting that their institutions had cut their budgets. Most of the cuts came in operating budget support and staff travel. But the impact was clearly uneven, as 39 percent of respondents reported increased study abroad enrollments.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009 - 3:00am
Barry Stern, former director of the Hillwood Museum at Long Island University, has been charged with stealing nine Egyptian artifacts from the collection and selling them through an auction house, Newsday reported. Stern's lawyer said he would not comment until his client surrenders to authorities today. Authorities say that Stern told Christie's, which sold eight of the artifacts, that he obtained them from his parents.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009 - 3:00am
The White House did the unsurprising Tuesday: threw its weight behind House of Representatives legislation that would carry out several of President Obama's key higher education priorities. The Statement of Administration Policy issued by the Office of Management and Budget formally endorsed H.R. 3221, which would essentially end the lender-based guaranteed student loan program and use tens of billions of dollars in savings to increase funds for Pell Grants, a new community college initiative and other programs. The House could begin debating the legislation today. Education Secretary Arne Duncan had already backed the legislation when it was passed by the House Education and Labor Committee in July, and administration officials worked closely with House Democrats in crafting it. The White House statement takes issue with a few aspects of the measure, suggesting that it does not inject enough money into the Pell Grant Program and urging members of Congress to "strengthen accountability and transparency for institutions voluntarily choosing to participate in the College Access and Completion Innovation Fund," which would provide $3 billion to encourage states to invest in programs that improve college going and graduation. While some lenders still hold out hope that the Senate will challenge the administration's push for 100 percent direct lending, many observers believe that ship has sailed. The biggest fights going forward are likely to be over the college access fund -- whether the money flows through competitions or in block grants, whether it flows to state agencies or institutions, and whether private colleges can qualify for funds without sacrificing their independence.
