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Backpack Full of Sand Causes Bomb Scare at Florida
Tweet Share on Facebook October 20, 2009 CommentA parking garage at the University of Florida was shut down for six hours Monday while police investigated a suspicious unattended backpack.
It turned out that the bag was full of sand and had been inadvertently left behind by JanSport, a company that makes backpacks, the Independent Florida Alligator reports. JanSport participated in the school's homecoming parade on Friday and used the sand-filled backpack as a tire stop to keep its multicolored 1967 Volkswagen van in place, the report says.
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Florida, Harvard Tops Among Twitterers
Tweet Share on Facebook October 19, 2009 Comment (1)The University of Florida, Harvard University, and George Washington University are all leading higher education and research institutions. But the three powerhouse schools can add a new notch to their belts: top tweeters.
Universitiesandcolleges.org released the findings of its September survey that examined accounts affiliated with university administrations at the top 100 colleges in the U.S.News & World Report 2010 Best Colleges rankings, and Harvard has the most followers (18,955) among those schools considered, the Associated Press reports (hat tip, Chicago Tribune). Florida had the most administration-affiliated accounts (24) on Twitter, and George Washington averaged the most tweets per day (57.7).
The study did not consider Twitter accounts for unofficial student groups, personal pages, or sports team fan pages, the report says.
Filippo Menczer, a professor of informatics and computing at Indiana University, says many students would rather see information posted on social networking websites like Facebook or Twitter than on an official school website.
"It tells you a lot about where students spend their time," Menczer tells the AP. "So, we have to be there, too."
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Wireless Routers Banned in Dorm Rooms at Kent State
Tweet Share on Facebook October 19, 2009 Comment (2)A student at Kent State University discovered the school's policy on wireless routers the hard way—he had his Internet shut off. The incident has pushed Kent State's rules for wireless use in dorm rooms into the spotlight, the Daily Kent Stater reports.
The Kent State student, identified in the report only as Andrew, wanted to make it easier to use his laptop in his room by going wireless, which would help him avoid using the only-so-long cables that the university provides for Internet access in dormitories. Instead, Andrew found out about Kent State's antirouter policy, which states that wireless network routers are prohibited in dormitories and, if "problematic router activity" is spotted in a dorm room, the school will shut down that room's Internet port, the report says.
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Olmert Heckled at University of Chicago
Tweet Share on Facebook October 19, 2009 Comment (9)Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert came to the University of Chicago on Thursday to deliver what was to be a 20-minute speech as part of the King Abdullah II Leadership Lecture Series, which is funded by the Jordanian leader. Instead, the speech took more than hour as protesters did their best to interrupt Olmert, the Chicago Maroon reports.
Olmert spoke about a two-state plan for peace in the Middle East, the Maroon reports, but his words were often disrupted by outbursts from the crowd. There were "dozens" of protesters inside the auditorium and more than 100 outside, the report says. Many belonged to University of Chicago student groups such as the Muslim Student Association and Students for Justice in Palestine. Some came from the University of Illinois-Chicago and Northwestern University.
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Louisville Basketball Players Arrested
Tweet Share on Facebook October 15, 2009 Comment (3)University of Kansas athletics last month made national news because of an on-campus altercation involving football and basketball players. Now, University of Louisville basketball, which is already dealing with its own off-court troubles, has to handle the fallout from an altercation involving two of its key players.
Star sophomore center Terrence Jennings and senior captain Jerry Smith were arrested and charged with resisting arrest after an incident last weekend at a University of Louisville alumni homecoming party in Jeffersonville, Ind., the Louisville Cardinal reports. According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, Jennings pushed a police officer and was tased. Jennings and Smith are scheduled to appear in court for arraignment Monday.
With practice set to start Friday, this is not the kind of news Louisville wants to deal with, especially after all the off-season buzz surrounding head coach Rick Pitino. Neither player will miss any game time, reports ESPN.com.
"Anytime you defy a police officer, it's serious," Pitino tells ESPN.com. "They will be punished and are being punished right now."
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Morehouse Institutes Attire Policy
Tweet Share on Facebook October 15, 2009 Comment (19)You won't see sagging pants, headgear, or women's clothing anymore at Morehouse College. The all-men's college has instituted an "appropriate attire policy" for students, the Maroon Tiger reports. There are 11 guidelines for appropriate dress that will be distributed through campuswide E-mail and on the school's website, as well as in the student handbook.
Morehouse President Michael Franklin's conceptualization of the modern "Renaissance Man" is the basis of the new dress code, the report says. Franklin wants students to be "well-dressed" men of Morehouse.
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UCLA Student Charged With Attempted Murder in Stabbing
Tweet Share on Facebook October 14, 2009 Comment (5)Damon Thompson has been charged with attempted murder in the stabbing of a fellow UCLA student in a chemistry lab last Thursday. Thompson pleaded not guilty, and his bail was set at $3 million after a judge determined Thompson—a Belize native— was a risk to leave the country, UCLA's Daily Bruin reports.
The victim, whose family chose not to release her name, is in critical but improving condition at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, according to the Los Angeles Times. The district attorney says the attack was premeditated.
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No More Bags at University of Michigan Football Games
Tweet Share on Facebook October 14, 2009 Comment (2)Don't bring a bag of any kind to future University of Michigan football home games: You won't be able to bring it inside anymore.
Michigan's Department of Public Safety has ruled that no bags—purses, backpacks, camera bags, fanny packs—will be allowed at Michigan Stadium, the Michigan Daily reports. If entrants have to carry medical-related objects into the stadium, they must be carried in a clear plastic bag no larger than the gallon size and presented with a medical note, the report says.
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SUNY School Granted NAIA Status
Tweet Share on Facebook October 14, 2009 CommentSyracuse University and Le Moyne College aren't the only athletics programs in town anymore. SUNY—Environmental Science and Forestry is the newest member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, the Daily Orange reports.
The environmentally focused college already fields sports teams: men's and women's cross country, men's golf, and men's and women's soccer. To qualify for NCAA Division III, the school would have had to add seven teams. But the report says the NCAA wasn't accepting Division III applications anyway. The school's athletics budget is $65,000, the largest it has ever been, and the school is trying to attract more student-athletes with its NAIA membership.
"I'm excited for it. I think it will help get a lot of good players here," a SUNY-ESF women's soccer player says.
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Bladderball Coming Back to Yale?
Tweet Share on Facebook October 9, 2009 Comment (14)It's been 27 years since the legendary game of bladderball was played on Yale University's campus. But rumors around the New Haven, Conn., campus are swirling—bladderball may be back tomorrow, despite a campuswide ban.
The Yale Daily News reports that the chatter around campus has Yale wondering if this is the year the game will be revived. Yale's football team plays Dartmouth this weekend, which traditionally was the weekend that bladderball took place. Fliers appeared around campus on Tuesday night saying that the game would take place at 4 p.m. tomorrow, and viral E-mails have also been sent out.