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Porn Film Screens at Maryland Anyway
Tweet Share on Facebook April 16, 2009 Comment (7)Another "while I was out" update: The porn film that some Maryland state senators tried to ban at the University of Maryland screened anyway, with students, university administrators, and media members in attendance, the Diamondback reports. The first 30 minutes of the more than two-hour Pirates II: Stagnetti's Revenge was shown early last week, even as some members of the state legislature added an amendment to the state budget that would have restricted funding to public institutions that showed hard-core pornographic material on campus.
The film screened on April 6, and by April 8, the proposed amendment was defeated by lawmakers. It might not, however, be a complete win for those free-speech-defending students: Lawmakers have required that all public universities submit written reports on their policies of showing pornographic material on campus.
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TCU Cancels Plans for Gay-Themed Housing
Tweet Share on Facebook April 15, 2009 Comment (10)Texas Christian University has canceled its plans to build more themed housing, which included housing for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students and their supporters, the Dallas Morning News reports.
The decision was made just a week after news of the gay-themed housing went national, courtesy of debates that raged on blogs and media sites. However, Chancellor Victor Boschini Jr. insists the decision was made not because of the controversy over the gay-themed dorm community but over worries that "living learning" communities overall could create separatism on campus.
"The biggest complaint we got from people was not about any single group but about having these groups in general," said Boschini. "Their theory was, it's splitting students up instead of uniting them." The plan included eight apartment blocks with themes that included patriotism, Christianity, and marine biology.
TCU already has five themed housing units—honors, leadership, environmental issues, health and wellness, and language and international issues—and is hardly leading the way. Texas A&M, Georgetown, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Colorado-Boulder are among the many schools with separate housing options.
Critics of TCU's decision say that students chose the themes themselves and that there has not been any student outcry against the living learning communities. "I had not heard much, if any, complaint from the majority of the student body," said one student. "So whoever it was that changed TCU's mind must be more important than its students."
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Georgia Suspends Fixed-Tuition Program
Tweet Share on Facebook April 15, 2009 Comment (2)The Georgia Board of Regents voted unanimously to suspend the program that locked in tuition rates at public colleges for four years, the Atlanta Journal - Constitution reports. The 2006 "Fixed for Four" policy will still apply for students who matriculated under the plan but will be discontinued starting this fall for incoming students.
Other changes include a 25 percent tuition increase for University of Georgia and Georgia Tech students. At the other state schools, students will be charged a la carte for credits above the 12 allotted. In the past, students paid tuition for 12 hours of classes but could take additional credits free. Georgia Tech and UGA students will pay a flat fee based on 15 credits and can take more with no extra charge.
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Florida Lifts Ban on E-Mail Forwarding
Tweet Share on Facebook April 15, 2009 Comment (99)The University of Florida will lift its ban on students forwarding their university E-mail to outside accounts, a practice it prohibited in 2005, the Independent Florida Alligator reports. Previously, the amount of spam made E-mail forwarding cumbersome for both the university's system and outside providers, but improvements in filtering on both ends will allow the university to offer the service to students now.
The university's spam filtering efforts will cost it around $300,000.
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Former President Bush, Rice Meet at SMU
Tweet Share on Facebook April 15, 2009 Comment (9)Former President George W. Bush and around 20 members of his administration, including Condoleezza Rice, met at Southern Methodist University yesterday for an "informal strategy session" for the policy institute at Bush's presidential library at SMU, the Daily Campus reports. It was the first of many planning meetings, a spokesman said. According to the Dallas Morning News :
One person who attended the private session said it was clear that the Bushes favor an approach that would fuse academic research with real-world case studies.
Bush foundation officials, who will fund and operate the policy institute, have said they will focus on four core principles: democratic freedom, opportunity, responsibility and compassion.
Foundation officials say they hope to launch preliminary programs this year. They are in the early stages of a $300 million fundraising campaign to raise money for the library complex, which is set to open in 2013.
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College News Roundup: April 6–14
Tweet Share on Facebook April 15, 2009 CommentSo I've been gone for more than a week, unable to blog because of sheer exhaustion. Meanwhile, college news kept being made. A quick summary:
The University of Miami offered refuge to displaced students from the University of L'Aquila in Italy after its campus was "practically destroyed" by last week's 6.3 magnitude earthquake, reports the Chronicle of Higher Education .
Ohio State has restored postings on its Facebook page after an initial ban prompted by a post criticizing President E. Gordon Gee's work on the board of an energy company, the Inside Higher Ed writes.
Because of a typo on the front page, 18,500 copies of Brigham Young University's student newspaper were removed and reprinted. Under a photo of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' General Conference, the caption read "Quorum of Twelve Apostates" instead of "Apostles," reports the Chronicle of Higher Education . The Daily Universe's editorial manager describes it as "the worst possible mistake" it could have made.
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Maryland Cancels Porn Film Screening
Tweet Share on Facebook April 3, 2009 Comment (12)The University of Maryland put the kibosh on a porn film screening this weekend after state legislators threatened to pull tens of millions in funding if the film was shown, reports the Diamondback, the student newspaper. The film, titled Pirates II: Stagnetti's Revenge is billed as the most expensive porn film ever made and is a take-off on the Disney Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy.
State senators quickly drafted an amendment to the state budget that would have denied funding to any Maryland college or university that offered hardcore pornography for public viewing. "I don't believe in censorship, but at the same time, I don't think that film was appropriate in a state building on a state campus," Senate President Mike Miller said. "Yes, the amendment was overkill, but at the same time, it would have passed because it forced legislators to either vote for hardcore pornography or university funding."
The film, which was not going to cost the university any money to screen, was to be presented along with a talk from Planned Parenthood on safe sex practices. A number of other universities, including UCLA, Northwestern, and Carnegie Mellon, have shown the same film. It was often accompanied by some sort of educational presentation, like a panel discussing the role of the adult entertainment industry.
Critics of the decision were particularly dismayed by the state intervention in matter. "The proposed amendment was a direct affront to freedom of speech," said state Sen. Jamie Raskin, who opposed the amendment. "The Supreme Court has been clear that student groups enjoy First Amendment rights. It's not the movie I would have chosen for myself or my kids, but that's the beauty of the First Amendment: People who want to see it can go, and those who don't want to don't have to."
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Oklahoma May Require Financial Literacy
Tweet Share on Facebook April 3, 2009 Comment (3)The University of Oklahoma Board of Regents is discussing the possibility of adding a financial literacy requirement for college freshman, the Oklahoma Daily reports. The course, which would be similar to the school's informational alcohol abuse program, would focus on skills like handling a credit card account and understanding interest rates on loans. "We need to help them understand," said one school official. "They're vulnerable. They don't understand loans."
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Brown Transfer Applications Up 40 Percent
Tweet Share on Facebook April 3, 2009 Comment (2)Brown University has seen a 40 percent increase in transfer student applications over last year, with more than 1,400 requests received, the Brown Daily Herald reports. This year was the first that transfer applicants could apply online, to which admissions officials partially attribute the spike. "We'd like to think (the rise) is due to the popularity of Brown," the admissions director said.
Officials also expect to increase transfer enrollment to 80 in the fall and 40 in the spring.
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Appalachian State Cuts 200 Classes
Tweet Share on Facebook April 3, 2009 CommentAppalachian State University is cutting 200 classes from its roster in the fall, potentially making courses required for graduation harder to come by, the Appalachian reports. Appalachian State is preparing for an 8 percent reduction in funding and will probably not be able to fill 34 vacant positions.
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