Higher Education Quick Takes

Quick Takes

New College Success Group in Arizona
August 22, 2014

The Arizona College Scholarship Foundation has merged with the Arizona College Access Network to form a new group that will serve as a "statewide voice for college access and success," according to a written statement. The group will add supports to an existing network of 200 college access programs across the state, which provide standards, training and tools aimed at helping more students graduate from college. The scholarship foundation has a particular focus on first-generation college students who are members of minority groups.

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NCAA places Cheyney U. on Probation, Vacates Wins
August 22, 2014

The National Collegiate Athletic Association has placed Cheyney University of Pennsylvania on probation for five years after it allowed more than 100 athletes to compete without first being certified as amateurs by the NCAA's eligibility center. 

From 2007 to 2011, 109 uncertified athletes competed and received financial aid, the NCAA said in a conference call Thursday. During that same time frame, a men's basketball player was allowed to compete while not enrolled in the required number of credit hours and three other players competed despite not having met transfer requirements. Two football players were also permitted to compete after they were deemed "academic non-qualifiers" by the NCAA.

"A former compliance director failed to monitor when she neglected to follow proper procedures in student-athletes’ eligibility certification," the NCAA stated. "The failure resulted in violations of initial, transfer and continuing eligibility certification; financial aid; and extra benefits involving numerous student-athletes in all of the university sports."

In addition to the probation, Cheyney University will lose its NCAA Division II voting privileges for two years, must attend a rules seminar every year for the next five years, and will have all wins in which the ineligible athletes participated from 2007 to 2011 vacated. 

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Firemen Injured in Campus 'Ice Bucket Challenge' Gone Wrong
August 22, 2014

Several firefighters were injured, two very seriously, when the fire truck bucket they were riding in got too close to a power line after they had doused the Campbellsville University marching band in ice water as part of a charity event, The Courier-Journal of Louisville, Ky., reported. The local fire department unit was helping the university's band participate in the "ice bucket challenge" craze that has dominated social media in recent weeks, and two firefighters were shocked when the ladder carrying the bucket passed near a power line. One of the firefighters is in critical condition, and a vigil is to be held on the campus today.

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2 Enrollment Management Firms Merge
August 22, 2014

RuffaloCody, which works with 1,000 colleges on their enrollment management and fund-raising strategies, announced Thursday that it is purchasing Noel-Levitz, which consults with colleges on admissions and marketing strategies. Terms of the deal were not released.

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Audio: Humanities vs. STEM / Trustee Activism
August 22, 2014

The new edition of "This Week," Inside Higher Ed's free weekly news podcast, is out this morning. Carol Schneider of the Association of American Colleges and Universities and Robert Townsend of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences discuss the academy's new analysis of the extent of course taking in the humanities and scientific fields. And the former Yale University President Benno Schmidt and Henry Reichman of the American Association of University Professors join Inside Higher Ed's Scott Jaschik and the moderator Casey Green to debate a new report urging trustees to push a more aggressive reform agenda on campuses.

Stream or download the program here.

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U. of Mary Washington Paper No Longer Called 'The Bullet'
August 22, 2014

The student newspaper at the University of Mary Washington is changing its name from The Bullet to The Blue and Gray Press. Fredericksburg.com reported that a statement from the newspaper said: "The editorial board felt that the paper’s name, which alludes to ammunition for an artillery weapon, propagated violence and did not honor our school’s history in a sensitive manner."

 

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Northern Illinois U. Network Security Filter Catches Too Much
August 22, 2014

Northern Illinois University is defending a new network security policy that warns students when they attempt to access certain websites. Although the policy is meant to protect students from malicious attacks or block obscene content, some students reported social media and Wikipedia also got caught in the filter. Speaking to the The Huffington Post, a university spokesman said the policy is a "work in progress."

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Major League Baseball Team Challenges Creighton's Logo Use
August 22, 2014

Creighton University's baseball team is pretty good -- a 32-17 record last year -- but it is unlikely to be confused with a major league team. That isn't stopping the Toronto Blue Jays from challenging the university's attempt to trademark its year-old sports logo, The Star of Toronto reported. The major league team has disputed Creighton's application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for its new logo (left), which the Toronto franchise believes is too close to its own.

 

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Academic Minute: The Subconscious City
August 22, 2014

In today's Academic Minute, Justin Hollander, an associate professor of urban and environmental policy and planning at Tufts University, discusses the intersection between cognitive science and the design of cities. Learn more about the Academic Minute here.

 

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Bank Lobby Hits Back at Campus Debit Card Warnings
August 21, 2014

A group that represents consumer banks is pushing back against warnings by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that undisclosed arrangements between banks and colleges to market financial products may pose a risk to consumers.

The CFPB has, in recent months, warned financial institutions as well as colleges that their failure to disclose such agreements “may pose potential consumer protection risks.”

The amount of consumer risk is one factor that can trigger more scrutiny of an institution by the bureau. While colleges and universities aren’t subject to the bureau’s oversight, many financial institutions are.

The Consumer Bankers Association said Wednesday in a letter to CFPB Director Richard Cordray that it took exception to the bureau’s “vague allegations” and the “implicit threat of supervisory action” against its members that do not voluntarily disclose the agreements.

“It is unclear how posting proprietary contracts online would benefit consumers,” wrote Richard Hunt, the group’s president and CEO. “We agree students need clear information to make intelligent choices that will benefit their college experience, but if the CFPB has any evidence the failure to post agreements harms consumers, it has not revealed it.”

Congress in 2009 required credit card providers that have affiliations with colleges and universities to disclose the terms of those arrangements. But no such requirement exists for other financial products, such as university-branded debit cards, that are marketed on campuses.

Consumer advocates, the Government Accountability Office, and some Democratic lawmakers, have all called for the public disclosure of such agreements. The U.S. Department of Education is currently weighing new regulations that may mandate disclosure.

The National Association of College and University Business Officers has also recommended that colleges publicly disclose the terms of agreements they have with debit card providers.

“Companies that treat their customers fairly should have nothing to fear from public scrutiny,” CFPB spokeswoman Moira Vahey said Wednesday in response to the bank group’s letter. “Students and families should be able to easily review these agreements so they can understand the products before they sign up.”

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