Higher Education Quick Takes

Student journalists might not be as funny as they think. The latest mea culpa, from the University of Missouri at Columbia's campus newspaper editor, centers around the retitling of The Maneater's April Fool's edition as The Carpeteater.

In a lengthy statement released Friday, Editor Abby Spudich explains that she "truly did not know that 'carpet eater' is a derogatory term used for a lesbian." She also apologized for other April Fool's jokes that fell on deaf ears, including a series of vulgar references to women. The paper won't publish an April Fool's edition next year, Spudich wrote. "Our April Fool’s issue serves as a cautionary warning about the consequences of ignorance," she writes, "but I hope the actions we will take in the near future will serve as an example of how to take steps forward to promote an inclusive campus for all."

If only there had been a cautionary tale available a couple weeks ago. It's been a tough month for America's student press, as an April Fool's edition at Boston University that made light of rape led to an editor's resignation.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has issued guidelines to help countries promote open access to research findings. While the guidelines are not binding on member nations, they suggest that countries take a consistent and broad approach to assuring free access to research findings. The report with the guidelines also rejects the idea that because partial access is available or even full access to some work in some countries, that these issues have been resolved. "There is a problem of accessibility to scientific information everywhere," the report says. "Levels of open access vary by discipline, and some disciplines lag behind considerably, making the effort to achieve open access even more urgent. Access problems are accentuated in developing, emerging and transition countries. There are some schemes to alleviate access problems in the poorest countries but although these provide access, they do not provide open access: they are not permanent, they provide access only to a proportion of the literature, and they do not make the literature open to all but only to specific institutions."

The Florida Atlantic University chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine angered many at the institution by placing fake eviction notices (complete with a county seal, but also a notice that they were not real) on several hundred dormitory rooms. Several student groups said that it was unfair to use people's room doors as a political platform without the permission of those who live there. The student group did not respond to questions, but has told local reporters that the eviction notices were designed to draw attention to the way Israel treats Palestinians. Pro-Israel groups meanwhile said that the student group was distorting Israeli policy.

Charles L. Brown, senior vice president for student affairs at the university, issued a statement that said that "the distribution of printed material on university property is subject to FAU policy and regulation. These policies require that printed material be distributed only at reasonable times and places and in reasonable manners. These policies are designed to ensure that the manner in which material is distributed is consistent with the educational mission of the University, its uninterrupted orderly operation, the safety of the university community, and the protection of university property and that of its students, faculty and staff. The recent mock eviction postings did not comply with the policies of University Housing and Residential Life or the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership concerning the distribution of printed material, and therefore the postings were removed."

Although negotiated rule-making on teacher preparation programs isn't yet complete, the Education Department plans to announce another round soon on distance education fraud. Department officials said at negotiations Thursday that plans for more rule-making are underway, and higher education lobbyists said it will focus on financial aid fraud rings. The rings  use "straw students" who enroll with no intention of attending classes, usually in online courses at open-access institutions. They then apply for federal aid and split the proceeds. The fraud rings have become a growing problem as online education has boomed, but some worry that a crackdown could endanger legitimate students' access to federal aid.