The rates at which college students engage in binge drinking and drunk driving and die in alcohol-related incidents are all on the rise, according to data being released today in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. Researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reported that drinking-related accidental deaths among 18- to 24-year-old students have been edging up -- from 1,440 in 1998 to 1,825 in 2005. Further, they found that the proportion of students who reported recent binge drinking increased from 42 percent to 45 percent, and that the proportion who admitted to drinking and driving in the past year increased from 26.5 percent to 29 percent.
Higher Education Quick Takes
Quick Takes
Monday, June 15, 2009 - 3:00am
Several student groups have issued a statement to jointly back the open access movement in which scholarly research is shared online and free. Some journals and researchers are moving to this model on their own, and others have been forced to do so by federal requirements. Some in Congress, with backing from publishers, are trying to end those requirements. The student statement argues for open access as the best way to share knowledge. "Scholarly knowledge is part of the common wealth of humanity," says the statement. "Unfortunately, not everyone has access to the scholarly literature, despite advances in communications technology. The high cost of academic journals restricts access to knowledge; in some fields, prices can reach $20,000 for a single journal subscription or $30 for an individual article. Despite these high prices, authors of scholarly articles are not paid for their work. The profits from these publications go solely to the publishers of the journals. A vast amount of research is funded from public sources – yet taxpayers are locked out by the cost of access." The statement was endorsed by the American Medical Student Association, Student PIRGs, Students for Free Culture, Universities Allied for Essential Medicines, the California Institute of Technology Graduate Student Council and the Trinity University Association of Student Representatives.
Monday, June 15, 2009 - 3:00am
The Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges on Thursday declared a state of financial emergency, citing cuts in state funding. The move makes it easier for the community colleges in the state to terminate tenure-track or tenured faculty members. A spokeswoman for the state board noted that no college has indicated that it will use that authority at this time. The Washington State branch of the American Federation of Teachers issued a statement denouncing the board's action as one that is not needed. Sandra Schroeder, AFT Washington president, said in the statement: “The financial emergency declaration is an unnecessary blunt object that will allow college presidents an easy way to resolve their bad management decisions on the backs of faculty and will impact the students’ success in achieving their degrees.”
Friday, June 12, 2009 - 3:00am
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas is receiving a $100 million gift from former Texas Gov. Bill Clements, The Dallas Morning News reported. Not only is the gift a large one for this period of economic uncertainty, but there are no restrictions on the use of the gift -- and gifts of that size rarely come without any stipulations.
Friday, June 12, 2009 - 3:00am
Martha Minow was on Thursday named the next dean of Harvard University's law school -- one of the most prominent positions in legal education nationally. Minow, who has taught at the law school since 1981, is known for a wide range of intellectual interests and for leading the efforts to reform the law school's curriculum in recent years. The curricular reforms -- radical for the tradition-bound institution -- involve having students spend significant amounts of time solving legal problems by simulation and through mock litigation, rather than by focusing entirely on interpreting legal doctrines and appellate opinions. Minow succeeds Elena Kagan, who left the dean's position when she was nominated by President Obama to serve as solicitor general of the United States.
Friday, June 12, 2009 - 3:00am
David Ashley, president of the University of Nevada at Las Vegas for three years, may not reach four, The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. Ashley rushed back from a trip to Singapore -- a trip the system chancellor didn't want him to make -- to deal with demands that he resign. He has been criticized for his "lax" management style, for not being sufficiently engaged on campus, and over clashes between his wife and some employees, the newspaper reported.
Thursday, June 11, 2009 - 3:00am
For more than a year, Lambuth University has been experiencing severe financial problems, leading to turnover of key officials, a series of budget cuts, and late payrolls. The university is now in talks with Tennessee officials about becoming a public institution, The Jackson Sun reported. An appropriations bill before the Tennessee General Assembly would direct the Tennessee Higher Education Commission to study the feasibility of the state obtaining the facilities, property and assets of Lambuth. Among the issues a takeover would have to address: Lambuth is currently affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
Thursday, June 11, 2009 - 3:00am
The University of Idaho is investigating apparent discrepancies in the way the director of its veterinary teaching center denied the existence of research that was found by the Associated Press to exist. The Idaho Statesman reported that Marie Bulgin, director of the center and a past president of the Idaho Wool Growers Association, told a legislative committee and a federal court that there was no research showing the transmission of a bacteria that causes pneumonia from domestic sheep to wild bighorns, but the research center apparently had conducted unpublished research documenting such transmission. Bulgin told the AP that she didn't know about the research in question.
Thursday, June 11, 2009 - 3:00am
In a move that is projected to save the institution nearly $60,000 annually, the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse is planning to eliminate its men’s tennis and baseball teams. The proposed cuts are part of a $400,000 trimming of the university’s operating budget. Before these teams can be eliminated, the university must get the approval of the members and leadership of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, a nine-institution group within Division III of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Joe Gow, La Crosse's president, called the move “one of the most difficult decisions [he has] ever had to make.” Nevertheless, he argued, “Our current financial constraints force us to confront the reality that in the future we will not be able to sustain our current range of sports programs.”
Thursday, June 11, 2009 - 3:00am
A coalition of science organizations has issued a call for reform of visa procedures that have made it difficult -- unnecessarily so, in the view of these groups -- for foreign students and scholars to get into the United States for study, research and teaching. The statement notes increasing concerns about delays growing, and praises recent steps by the Obama administration to deal with the problems. Going forward, the statement calls for a series of additional steps, including:
- Streamlining the visa process for short-term visitors in science and technology.
- Reducing the "repetitive processing" of visa applications by "well known researchers and scholars who regularly visit the United States."
- Creating protocols "to make treatment of applicants more consistent."
- Reconsidering the technologies that place subject areas on an alert list for special reviews of those seeking to work in those areas in the United States.
- Renegotiating visa reciprocity agreements with other countries.
"Our nation needs a visa system that supports international exchange and cooperation," says the statement. "We are confident that it is possible to have a system that protects national security, and yet is still timely and transparent, provides for thorough reviews of applicants, and welcomes the finest talent. Scientific exchange and security are not mutually exclusive; to the contrary, they complement each other, and each is vital to the other."
Among the groups that organized the statement: the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Association of American Universities and NAFSA: Association of International Educators.
