Chapman U’s Underwear Fountain Fiasco
Posted on December 17, 2008
Under News, The Daily Prereq | By Jessica Dye
Students strippin’ down to their skivvies and frolicking in public–what’s the harm in that? Well, if you’re an innocent fountain in the path of 1,500 Chapman University student’s Undie Run, there’s about $19,000 worth of harm, according to the Los Angeles Times. After sprinting sans pants from Memorial Hall to Plaza Park in Orange, CA, students did a little underwear dance on, around, and in a 71-year-old fountain in the middle of a historic traffic circle.
Apparently the fountain’s designers failed to plan for a nearly-nude undergrad onslaught, and city officials said Chapman University may be on the hook for the fountain damages. Hopefully, Chapman students will remember to pick a more structurally sound site for next year’s Undie Run.
Yale’s Endowment Shrinks
Posted on December 17, 2008
Under News, The Daily Prereq | By Nikki Martinez
Not to be be outdone by their Cambridge counterpart, Yale University estimated a loss of approximately 25% of their endowment. So instead of $22.9 billion, Yale now only has $17 billion. Despite the loss, however, they’re still the second-wealthiest university in the nation.
Thank goodness. That just saved me from more than a few restless nights.
Source: The Boston Globe
Grad School, Half Off!
Posted on December 16, 2008
Under Media, Reading List | By Ester Bloom
We joked earlier about laid-off or frustrated young job seekers taking refuge in grad school until the recession passes, as a sort of Duck and Cover strategy. Apparently St. John’s University in New York has the same idea — and it’s sweetening the deal by putting its degrees on sale:
The university announced the Alumni Assistance Program this month. It includes a 50-percent tuition discount on graduate programs for alumni who were laid off in the economic downturn of the past six months and who enroll in the spring or summer of 2009.
Sorry, future attorneys of America: law school isn’t covered. But now’s the time to get that degree in Sport Management you’ve always been dreaming of! More info is available here.
(Source: Chronicle of Higher Education)
Conservative Student Sues Liberal School
Posted on December 16, 2008
Under News, The Daily Prereq | By Jessica Gross
Sure, lots of college students and professors lean toward the liberal side of the political spectrum. Some conservative students respond by debating, while others sue.
William Felkner, a 45-year-old conservative, is suing the Rhode Island College School of Social Work for discriminating against him. This seems outlandish, but given his professors’ commentary — which favors progressive social agendas to the preclusion of open discourse — his response makes sense.
[Felkner] said Professor James Ryczek wrote to him on Oct. 15, 2004, saying he was proud of his bias and questioning Felkner’s ability to “fit with the profession.”
“I think the biases and predilections I hold toward how I see the world and how it should be are why I am a social worker. In the words of a colleague, I revel in my biases,” he wrote.
The point of education should be to explore new ideas, not impose myopic viewpoints on students. Even in traditionally liberal disciplines, like social work, there’s always the potential for improvement — and examining varied models can only help.
Gross Messages Successful in Promoting Hand Washing
Posted on December 16, 2008
Under News, The Daily Prereq | By Nikki Martinez
The University of Denver has had it up to here (hand is above head) with icky students not washing their hands after using the bathroom. They tried all kinds of passive-aggressive messages — the threat of illness , the fear of spreading germs — to no avail. But one clean campaign did stick: grossness. DU Researchers posted signs on dorm bathrooms that read “Poo on you, wash your hands” and the ever-popular, “You just peed, wash your hands.” And sure enough hand washing among females and males increased 26% and 8%, respectively.
Because we just couldn’t resist, some gross messages we would’ve posted after the jump.
Read more
Colleges Violate Free Speech
Posted on December 15, 2008
Under News, The Daily Prereq | By Mike Dang
College is supposed to be a place where people can freely express themselves, but a new report by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) says otherwise. According to the foundation’s 2009 report, nearly 75 percent of colleges and universities have policies that violate the First Amendment rights of its students and faculty members. The study surveyed US News’s 100 “Best National Universities” and 50 “Best Liberal Arts Colleges” as well as 207 additional public universities that make their policies publicly available and found that 67 percent of private schools and 77 percent of public schools have a least one policy that restricts freedom of speech. Now why would colleges do such a thing? One explanation points the finger at women and minorities. As discriminatory barriers to education fell, the number of women and minorities attending college increased.
Concerned that these changes would cause tension and that students who finally had full educational access would arrive at institutions only to be hurt and offended by other students, college administrators enacted speech codes.
An example of one of these speech codes is Penn State’s requirement that students agree that they “will not engage in any behaviors that compromise or demean the dignity of individuals or groups,” including any “taunting,” “ridiculing,” or “insulting.” Ever been to a Penn State football game? There’s all kinds of amendments being broken there.
(Source: Chronicle of Higher Ed)
NYU Students Given the Option to Eat Chinese Take-Out While Sober
Posted on December 15, 2008
Under News, The Daily Prereq | By Zack Barangan
For NYU students tired of the 12 convenient dining locations and general healthy eating habits, Phillippe Express an NY Chinese food chain is offering a meal plan of its own. For $1995, the approximate price of a semester-long meal plan, students can enjoy Phillippe Express’ many gourmet options.
In a possibly related note, stoners in Greenwich Village are reportedly crying tears of joy. Or maybe just grinning and saying “awesome” a lot.
(Source: Eater)
Colleges Beg for a Bail Out
Posted on December 12, 2008
Under News, The Daily Prereq | By Mike Dang
Now that the auto industry is close to a deal, maybe it’s time to bail out higher education. According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, a professor of economics at Skidmore College spoke at a House Appropriations Committee hearing to plead for student aid money, since, you know, no one can afford college. The argument? More money means more students can afford to go to college. More students going to college means less people competing for jobs and more people learning skills they’ll need to get jobs later.
David R. Obey, a Wisconsin Democrat and the committee’s chairman decided to play devil’s advocate and asked if colleges were just using the recession as an excuse to get more money. Fair enough, but seriously, do we really need a reason to give students who can’t afford to go to college a leg up?
Facebook: Not for Amateurs
Posted on December 12, 2008
Under News, The Daily Prereq | By Jessica Gross
Dartmouth professor Reiko Ohnuma must think Facebook is some sort of online private diary. She announced, via status messages and wall posts, that she was researching for her lecture the night before using Wikipedia. In a post to a friend who was helping her with this “research,” she put it better than any parodist could:
yeah, but i feel like such a fraud…do you think dartmouth parents would be upset about paying $40,000 a year for their children to go here if they knew that certain professors were looking up stuff on Wikipedia and asking for advice from their Facebook friends on the night before the lecture?
Why, yes, I do think they’d be upset!
Some commentators on IvyGate’s post, though, felt differently:
Read more
FCC Blames Game for College Dropouts
Posted on December 12, 2008
Under News, The Daily Prereq | By Jessica Dye
File this one under “Grown-ups Just Don’t Understand”: In a recent speech, Federal Communications Commission chief Deborah Taylor Tate claimed multiplayer online games like World of Warcraft is one of the top causes of college dropouts. Say what?!
According to CNET’s Negative Approach blog:
“With the explosion of educational resources available online, one might think parents would be 100% pleased with the internet’s role in their children’s lives. But surveys show just the opposite: a late 2006 survey that showed 59% of parents think the internet has been a totally positive influence in their children’s lives–down from67% in 2004. You might find it alarming that one of the top reasons for college drop-outs in the U.S. is online gaming addiction– such as World of Warcraft–which is played by 11 million individuals worldwide.”
Not to get all “critical analysis” on Commissioner Tate’s statements, but we can’t find any proof that this is the case, at all. In fact, most sources say there is no simple explanation for why some students fail to complete their degrees, although some of the REAL top factors include financial and academic pressures, social and personal issues, and a lack of administrative or emotional support. But hey, all that stuff sounds boring. Let’s blame the Internet instead!
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