-
Sam’s Club for College Kids
Tweet Share on Facebook July 22, 2008 Comment (2)For kids who aren't marketed to enough, Sam's Club now offers membership targeted at college students, Reuters reports. The promotion includes a $15 gift certificate and a free second card to add a friend or roommate, so you can both buy a semester's worth of Easy-Mac and red and blue plastic cups in bulk.
-
Three Penn State Bars Face Scrutiny
Tweet Share on Facebook July 21, 2008 CommentThree Penn State bars owned by one company have come under scrutiny as "nuisance bars" after the state liquor board earlier this month voted against renewing the company's liquor license while a number of incidents requiring police presence continue to harry the establishments, the Daily Collegian reports.
The bars have come to the attention of the State College Borough council recently. Council members mostly agreed that problems exist but said that the company should be given a chance to clean up its act. "All I know is that it is kind of a nuisance for the State College Police because they spend a lot of time on calls to it," said one council member. "I think there is a case for pulling the license, even though I hate to see it happen to them." The attorney for the company that owns the bars did not respond to the Collegian's call for comment in time for the story.
Just this weekend (in the middle of the summer, no less), four people were charged with offenses ranging from underage drinking, disorderly conduct, and harassment to various combinations of the three at one of the bars in question. That bar, Lulu's, according to the Collegian, also has faced several liquor code violations before and was the site of a fatal stabbing in 2006, when it was known as Club Love.
-
Harvard Upgrades ID Cards
Tweet Share on Facebook July 18, 2008 Comment (12)Less than a year after a student was caught hacking into the Harvard's ID system last year, the university has unveiled a new ID card system that uses Smartcard technology, the Harvard Crimson reports.
With only ID numbers and $200 card reader bought off eBay, the hacker, a Harvard undergrad, had duplicated the ID cards of high-ranking officials, including university President Drew Faust, allowing him special access to campus facilities.
The change updates a 15-year-old system and brings Harvard up to speed with Princeton, Yale, and MIT.
-
Fewer Ohio Students Caught Drinking
Tweet Share on Facebook July 18, 2008 CommentThe number of alcohol-related offenses at Ohio University this past school year has been reduced by more than half since three years ago, dropping from 1,597 in to 764, the Post reports. Since the 2005-06 school year, the school has enacted more antidrinking initiatives, such as steeper academic sanctions, a $100 fine, and intensified interventions.
A school survey also shows that the number of drinks per week decreased by two last year and the incidence of drinking at least three times a week dropped by 12 percent.
The number of marijuana-related infractions has seen more fluctuation however, starting at 261 in 2005-06, then rising to 328, and receding to 218 for 2008.
-
Robber at Louisiana State Steals Textbooks
Tweet Share on Facebook July 18, 2008 Comment (1)Proving once again that textbook prices are out of control, a Louisiana State University student was robbed of her books Tuesday, the Daily Reveille reports. The best part? The thief left the victim's phone, camera, and Coach purse behind.
-
UC Discusses Radical Change to Admissions
Tweet Share on Facebook July 17, 2008 Comment (14)Admissions to the University of California could see a major overhaul for the freshman class of 2012, a change meant to open up the university to low-income, minority, rural, and inner-city students, the Daily Californian reports.
The proposal, discussed in length at the UC regents meeting yesterday, would lower grade-point average minimums, emphasize class rankings, drop the requirement for SAT subject tests, and guarantee admissions for the top 9 percent of senior classes, as opposed to the 4 percent currently in use.
"This represents the biggest change in [UC's] eligibility policy since there has been an eligibility policy," said Mark Rashid, the UC-Davis engineering professor who chaired the faculty committee that developed the proposal.
The plan would also relax college-prep course and test score standards and reduce UC's guaranteed admissions target, giving flexibility to find students who have not met the junior-year eligibility requirements but can show they are on the right track. "The purpose [of the proposal] is to provide a broader swath of students the opportunity to make the case that they're qualified for the UC," Rashid said.
The plan would most likely not affect the system's elite campuses, such as Berkeley and Los Angeles, but less selective colleges could "see a substantial shift in the makeup of their freshman classes," according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Several regents remain skeptical, and new UC President Mark Yudof, attending his first regents meeting yesterday, has asked for more time to review the changes. Said a UC regent: "This is too important to rush through and too important to delay."
-
Big Ten Spends $1.39 Billion Plus on Sports Facilities Since 2000
Tweet Share on Facebook July 17, 2008 Comment (28)It is news to no one that universities spend a whole lot of money on athletics, and the Minnesota Daily reports that more than $1.39 billion has been spent on the construction, renovation, or expansion of sports facilities at the 11 Big Ten universities since 2000. At the University of Minnesota, the amount spent in this "facilities arms race" is $315 million—or 22.6 percent of the conference total.
-
Maryland May Cut Late-Night Study Service
Tweet Share on Facebook July 17, 2008 CommentStudents at the University of Maryland have banded together to stop the school from shutting down its late-night study service, the Diamondback reports. The proposal to shutter the program is a response to the rising cost of academic journal subscriptions, which have contributed to a "resource crisis."
With the help of Facebook, outraged students have bombarded the university with E-mails, prompting officials to arrange a meeting today to discuss the potential change.
-
Northeastern Suspends Ties to New Jersey Medical University
Tweet Share on Facebook July 16, 2008 Comment (4)Northeastern University has halted an internship program with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and removed four students from the school after two of the Northeastern students were allegedly coerced into dressing as Ku Klux Klan members in an apparent hazing incident at UMDNJ's emergency medical technician program, the Northeastern News reports.
The incident, which officials say occurred July 6, was captured on a grainy cellphone photo depicting two people wearing white sheets, one clenching a cross made from wood and tape. Someone in an emergency medical services uniform is also shown adjusting a sheet.
The students were part of an EMT certificate program at UMDNJ, and the three university paramedics involved in the incident have been fired. At least one of those men was an instructor to the students, the Star-Ledger reports.
-
Kansas Wins Lawsuit Against Retailer
Tweet Share on Facebook July 16, 2008 CommentThe University of Kansas has won its lawsuit against a local T-shirt retailer, Joe-College.com, which will have to pay $127,337 to the school and stop selling 50 T-shirt styles because of trademark infringement, the University Daily Kansan reports.
The university sued the company for selling unlicensed goods and had originally asked the federal jury for a $500,000 judgment. Kansas's victory is even less complete since Joe-College will still be allowed to sell the controversial "Muck Fizzou" shirts.
advertisement
