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Study Says Hazing in College Is Still Common
Tweet Share on Facebook March 12, 2008 Comment (7)Despite being illegal almost everywhere, hazing still happens—and a lot, the Associated Press reports. Trying to prove what most of us already know, two professors from the University of Maine collected information from 11,482 students at 53 institutions. They determined that more than half of students in campus organizations are hazed.
The survey recorded various types of hazing such as public humiliation, exposure to the elements, copious alcohol consumption, and watching or engaging in sex acts.
Other stats:
- 74% of varsity athletes were hazed
- 73% of fraternity and sorority members
- 64% in club sports
- 56% in performing arts organizations
- 28% in academic clubs
- 20% in honor societies
Also:
- 25% of hazed students think the group's coach or adviser knew.
- 47% of respondents had already been hazed in high school.
- 90% who reported participating in behavior that is defined as hazing didn't believe they had been hazed.
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MIT Offers More Aid for Middle Class
Tweet Share on Facebook March 11, 2008 Comment (1)The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has followed the Ivy League "alms race" and eliminated tuition for families who make less than $75,000 a year, the Tech reports. Students and families in the same income range will also be expected to contribute significantly less than before: $2,850, down from $5,250 last year.
This expansion will affect around 30 percent of the student population and will increase the financial aid budget by $7 million, now totaling $74 million.
The university also announced that, for families with incomes less than $100,000, home equity will no longer be factored in for financial aid packages.
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'Red Wolves' Named New Arkansas State Mascot
Tweet Share on Facebook March 11, 2008 Comment (2)After months of deliberation, Arkansas State University has named the "Red Wolves" as their new mascot name, the Herald reports. Its former nickname, the "Indians," was shown the door after the NCAA banned American Indian imagery and names from use.
A school committee opted for the specificity of the "Red Wolves" moniker over regular ol' "Wolves" because of its uniqueness: No other four-year university uses it as a nickname. Plus, "the red wolf is a noble species that once inhabited (Arkansas)," said the school's chancellor, who also mentioned the beast's viciousness and aggressiveness. ASU will begin using its new mascot at the beginning of the 2008-09 school year.
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Tony Blair to Teach Class at Yale
Tweet Share on Facebook March 10, 2008 CommentFormer British Prime Minister Tony Blair will teach a Yale University seminar next year, focusing on faith and globalization, the Yale Daily News writes. The course will be run through the School of Management and the Divinity School and coincides with the launch of a foundation aimed at fostering interfaith dialogue.
And Paper Trail's prediction for Blair's time at Yale? A tenure marked by unprecedented popularity and success will be derailed by his unswerving loyalty to some increasingly unpopular American studies professor, leading his students to turn on him. Just a hunch.
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Prank at Arizona State Costs City $10,000
Tweet Share on Facebook March 10, 2008 CommentA 2006 prank near Arizona State University —presumably by University of Arizona students before a rivalry football game—has cost the city of Tempe $10,000 in repairs, the State Press reports. The city—in an effort to protect ancient American Indian artifacts and petroglyphs at the site—has spent more than a year trying to remove a large, red, spray-painted "A" from the side of a nearby butte. Police were unable to identify the vandals who tagged the butte, but they did find empty beer bottles at the time. A resident, who maybe has not been around college students in a long while, expressed dismay over the damage: "I couldn't believe someone would do something so immature."
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Maryland Investigates Possible Hazing Incident
Tweet Share on Facebook March 10, 2008 CommentAfter putting one fraternity on probation for hazing last month, the University of Maryland is investigating another hazing incident, the Diamondback reports. A Baltimore radio station reported on images of people dressed in Delta Tau Delta shirts participating in hazing, and since then, the university and the fraternity's national chapter have joined forces to look into the alleged incident. The Maryland chapter of the frat, which the national office says is cooperating fully with the university's investigation, has received a "cease and desist" letter from the national office, placing the local chapter under probation and barring it from hosting any social events.
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Oklahoma on Alert After Receiving 'Odd' Flier
Tweet Share on Facebook March 10, 2008 Comment (1)A threatening flier posted around the University of Oklahoma has caught the attention of school officials, who are now "taking proper measures" in response, the Oklahoma Daily reports. The "odd" flier is titled "The day the university stood still" and reads:
"On April 21, 2008, all operations at OU Norman will cease. As of this date, the free university known as Happy Nihilist University will begin. Anyone who wants to learn at HNU, will. And all at no charge. Knowledge is power? It will be. OUPD cannot stop us. Mr. [OU President David] Boren is impotent. He will fail. The media can say whatever they like. They too will fail.
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Thousands Mourn UNC Shooting Victim
Tweet Share on Facebook March 7, 2008 CommentMore than 5,000 people gathered to hear the University of North Carolina chancellor commemorate Eve Carson, the school's student body president, who was shot and killed Wednesday, the Daily Tar Heel reports. "This university needs an enormous group hug," he said. "It's OK to cry." Later in the evening, up to 3,000 assembled for a candlelight vigil.
UNC's board of trustees has pledged $25,000 as a reward for information in the case, while state flags on campus have been flown at half-staff since Thursday. Counselors from UNC and Duke have been provided for grieving students. Police still have no suspects and believe the shooting was a random attack.
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Brown Med Students Feel Mistreated
Tweet Share on Facebook March 7, 2008 CommentMedical school students at Brown University are feeling especially abused, according to a med school survey. Nearly 25 percent of Brown students report some form of mistreatment during their time in school, compared with the national average of 12 percent, the Brown Daily Herald reports.
The numbers prompted Brown med school officials to invite fourth-year students to participate in a focus group to discuss the type of mistreatment or determine that students are maybe "too sensitized and politically correct." Partially because of scheduling conflicts, few attended the event.
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Trail Mix: Penn State Impeachment and Texas A&M Mascot Debate
Tweet Share on Facebook March 7, 2008 Comment (1)* The Interfraternity Council at Penn State University has impeached its president, the Daily Collegian reports. No one can tell us why.
* The people at Texas A&M really care about their mascot. So much that there is a raging debate about what breed of dog Reveille VIII should be. Mutt or American collie? Diverse or "traditional?" And what's so wrong with a guy in a big dog suit?
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