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Washington State Police Investigate Hate Crimes
Tweet Share on Facebook October 24, 2008 Comment (4)Police at Washington State University are investigating three assaults that some claim are hate crimes targeting gay students this past week, the Daily Evergreen reports. Investigators have not determined whether the attacks are related, but all three involve unprovoked attacks on members of the school's gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community. One of the victims was hospitalized and diagnosed with a collapsed lung.
In response, the school's Women's Transit service, which provides door-to-door transportation for women at night, has expanded its service to the GLBT community
The assaults occurred just a week after the community hosted National Coming Out Day, timing that many believe is not coincidental, while others have expressed discontent about how the university has handled the attacks. "There's a general feeling of a lack of support from the university administration and the university system in general," said one student. "On a personal level, I'm scared. There's been nothing coming out of the university, and that's not acceptable."
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Cost of Ike at Texas Colleges at Least $847 Million
Tweet Share on Facebook October 23, 2008 Comment (1)So far, the tally of costs from Hurricane Ike at Texas colleges is $847 million and could reach $1 billion, figures that include cleanup, repair, and recovery costs, the Chronicle of Higher Education reports. A large chunk of that figure can be attributed to damages at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, which suffered an estimated $710 million in damage and lost revenue.
The numbers come from an initial report from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and do not include figures from two-year colleges or campuses in the towns of Beaumont and Port Arthur. Also, campuses were not required to send in their estimates, and many did not, which will likely raise the statewide figure even higher once they do.
Other estimates include:
- Texas A&M University- Galveston: $52 million
- University of Houston's four campuses: $45 million
- Galveston College: $13.4million
- Houston Baptist University: $13 to $16 million
- Texas Southern University: $16 million
- Rice University: $3 million.
- Lamar University: $6 million
- Lamar State College in Orange: $6 to $10 million
- Lamar State College in Port Arthur: $1.4 million
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Boston to Better Enforce Tailgate Rules at Harvard-Yale Game
Tweet Share on Facebook October 23, 2008 Comment (4)The city of Boston is preparing to fully enforce tailgating restrictions at the Harvard-Yale game this year, hoping to make good on a promise issued after 2004's game that left several students hospitalized with alcohol poisoning, the Harvard Crimson reports. The move would bring the game closer to compliance with regulations at other Boston sports events.
Under the rules, tailgating can begin two hours before the game and must end at kickoff. Previously, partyers could continue to ignore that pesky football game until halftime. The rules also include a ban on U-Haul trucks, kegs, and other devices that "promote the rapid consumption of alcohol."
On the flip side, Harvard is loosening restrictions on where alcohol can be sold. Previously, alcohol could be bought only in designated, roped-off areas, while now, houses can serve wine and beer (but not from kegs).
The response has been unsurprisingly mixed. Some Yalies have called the change "tragic," while at least one Harvard football player thinks more people will be apt to watch the game. "It's a good policy. We get tons of people down by the stadium, but the old tailgate rules kept them from making it in the actual stadium," he said. "We've got the horse to the water, it's just drinking too much."
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Western Kentucky Locked Down After Reports of Shots Fired
Tweet Share on Facebook October 22, 2008 Comment (1)Western Kentucky University went into lockdown today as police investigated reports of armed gunmen on one satellite campus and shots fired on its main campus, the College Heights Herald reports. By 3:16 p.m., officials determined there was no threat and lifted the lockdown. Classes were also canceled for the rest of the day.
School officials say that they found no evidence of gunmen on campus and that no one was shot, although one person was injured in a fight that occurred near where shots were supposedly fired. Four people have been detained for questioning, and police would not confirm whether the report of shots fired and the fight were related.
Starting around 12:30 p.m., school officials sent a series of E-mails and text messages warning students of armed men on campus and advising them to seek shelter and stay indoors. One building on the school's South Campus was evacuated, while all Bowling Green schools, including high schools, middle schools, elementary schools, and community colleges, were locked down, as well.
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3,000 Educators Sign Statement to Support William Ayers
Tweet Share on Facebook October 22, 2008 Comment (18)More than 3,000 educators have signed a statement in support of William Ayers, the University of Illinois-Chicago professor who has found himself under attack as a "washed-up terrorist" by the McCain campaign of late, the Brown Daily Herald reports.
The "friends and supporters of Bill Ayers" have circulated the statement online to combat the "character assassination and slander" of the Weather Underground founder. "I think he's doing a lot of positive, progressive, constructive work right now," said one Brown professor of Ayers's current work in education.
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Central Florida Student Arrested After Dorm Room Explosion
Tweet Share on Facebook October 22, 2008 CommentA University of Central Florida freshman who was arrested Monday after an explosion in his dorm room has been released on bond for $25,000, the Central Florida Future reports. Police initially reported the student had set up a meth lab in his room, although the student says he was using a hot plate to produce the prescription amphetamine Adderall. According to the police report, the student admitted he has a drug-abuse problem and was experimenting to "produce his own supply for his personal use."
The Sunday explosion prompted the university to evacuate the entire dorm.
The student faces two drug charges and one charge of arson and has been banned from student housing.
The scene from his room, as described in the Future:
Police observed shattered glass along the bathroom sink and floor of the bedroom, as well as boxes of red matches and scattered matches on the carpet. Also on the sink was an unknown red substance covered on the glass, and a hot plate with a humidifier connected via several tubes.
The report continued that police noticed several jars containing the substance found on the glass, as well as open bottles of prescription pills and razor blades on McKee's desk. McKee wasn't in the room when police arrived, but entered shortly thereafter.
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Food Fight at Florida A&M
Tweet Share on Facebook October 22, 2008 CommentA food fight that sent plates, cups, and silverware flying closed down one of Florida A&M's cafeterias Tuesday evening, the Famuan reports. The event, an annual tradition, was preplanned and advertised via text message. No one was arrested or hurt during the decidedly elementary-school-like incident.
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Nevada's Reno Campus May Cut Language and Agriculture Programs
Tweet Share on Facebook October 21, 2008 Comment (2)At the University of Nevada-Reno, officials might cut several small academic majors because of a severe budget shortfall, the Nevada Sagebrush reports. Programs that are on the brink include French, German, and two agriculture programs (The provost would not specify which two.)
The state of Nevada has been hit hard by the flailing economy, with gambling and tourism revenues down, and the school could see $62 million in cuts over the next two years. No official decisions have been made, and the provost says he hopes individual department heads and deans would make the decisions themselves.
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Bowling Green Launches Antipiracy Program
Tweet Share on Facebook October 21, 2008 CommentBowling Green State University has begun implementing an antifile-sharing campaign that suspends Internet service to students who are found illegally sharing copyrighted files over peer-to-peer networks, the BG News reports. As part of the DMCA Copyright Safeguard Program, the first strike is punished with a 24-hour ban from service, strike two is a two-week block, and strike three means a loss of service for the rest of the semester.
The program began October 10, and as of October 16, 191 computers were cited for violating the policy. According to the university's IT director, the school received 658 cease and desist notices from the Recording Industry Association of America, the second-highest number of notices in Ohio.
The school is still working out the kinks in the program, but some students told the BG News they have become unintended victims in the manhunt. World of Warcraft players have been tragically caught up in the antipiracy furor and say they have had their perfectly legal "updates and so forth" flagged for shutdown.
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MIT Students Demand More Say in University Decisions
Tweet Share on Facebook October 21, 2008 Comment (7)Around 70 Massachusetts Institute of Technology students staged a protest last week, demanding more say in the university decision-making process, the Tech reports. The Campaign for Students' hodgepodge of grievances include better housing and dining options, as well as more nerdy fare, such as a lack of protections and support for hackers, which they cite as evidence of "a blatant misunderstanding of the hacking tradition" at MIT.