University System News
2014 GENERAL ASSEMBLY SESSION NEWS:
www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/campus-carry-in-georgia-suffers-blow/nczTD/
‘Campus carry’ in Georgia suffers blow
BY AARON GOULD SHEININ AND KRISTINA TORRES – THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
A push to allow guns on Georgia’s college campuses all but stopped in its tracks Thursday after the Legislature’s lawyers marked a key measure as likely unconstitutional. The unexpected opinion delayed at least until Monday a sweeping gun bill expected to be filed in the House, with gun rights advocates still eager to use their majority in the General Assembly to burnish Georgia’s reputation as one of the friendliest states to gun owners. They are likely to still press for allowing guns in previously forbidden places, such as church sanctuaries. The setback for the legislation involves a compromise proposed for the bill that would have allowed university presidents a say on whether to “opt in” and allow guns on their individual campuses.
www.members.jacksonville.com
http://members.jacksonville.com/news/georgia/2014-01-23/story/campus-carry-provision-removed-georgia-house-bill-would-relax-gun
Campus carry provision removed from Georgia House bill that would relax gun restrictions
By Walter C. Jones
ATLANTA | Legislation that would have relaxed some gun restrictions is being rewritten without the controversial provisions allowing Georgians 21 years and older with concealed-weapons permits to carry guns on college campuses. Rep. Alan Powell, chairman of the House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee, told reporters Thursday the campus-carry provision was the major sticking point in a bill that deals with multiple aspects of Georgia’s gun laws.
www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/general-assembly/2014-01-23/gun-bill-be-re-introduced-without-campus-carry
Gun bill to be re-introduced without campus-carry
By WALTER C. JONES MORRIS NEWS SERVICE
ATLANTA – Legislation that would have relaxed some gun restrictions is being rewritten without the controversial provisions allowing Georgians 21 years and older with concealed-weapons permits to exercise that right on college campuses. Rep. Alan Powell, chairman of the House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee, told reporters Thursday the campus-carry provision was the major sticking point in a bill that deals with multiple aspects of Georgia’s gun laws. Versions of it passed the House and Senate last year, but it ultimately stalled in the final moments of the 2013 legislative session over negotiations about the differences.
www.gpb.org
http://www.gpb.org/news/2014/01/23/georgia-gun-rights-bill-will-be-re-introduced-without-campus-carry-1
Georgia Gun Rights Bill Will Be Re-introduced Without Campus Carry
ATLANTA — A provision that would have allowed students to carry weapons on public college campuses will be dropped from a revised gun bill. The provision would have opened the door for students age 21 and older with permits to carry firearms on college property. The measure has been strongly opposed by the university system and the state board of regents.
www.times-georgian.com
http://www.times-georgian.com/news/article_3df4d046-849d-11e3-9984-001a4bcf6878.html
Campus carry likely out: Lawmakers craft new gun bill
Winston Jones/Times-Georgian
A Carrollton state House member is among a group of Georgia legislators crafting a new gun carry bill, but the final product will likely not include a provision for college campus carry. “We’ve been working overtime to draft one of the strongest Second Amendment, pro-gun bills that has been introduced in many years,” Rep. Dustin Hightower, R-Carrollton, told the Times-Georgian Thursday. “It’s a reworking of House Bill 512 from last year.”
www.wabe.org
http://wabe.org/post/gov-deal-state-health-benefit-plan-could-have-more-provider-options-2015
Gov. Deal: State Health Benefit Plan Could Have More Provider Options in 2015
By MICHELLE WIRTH
Since Georgia moved to a new health benefit plan for state employees on Jan. 1, many teachers and other state employees have complained. One of their main concerns is the fact that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia is the only provider for the plan. But Gov. Nathan Deal says that could soon change.
USG NEWS:
www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/ap/ap/georgia/gru-to-add-augusta-to-signs-installed-on-campus/nczL3/
GRU to add ‘Augusta’ to signs installed on campus
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Officials at Georgia Regents University say they’ll revise entrance signs that were recently installed on campus to include the word “Augusta” in them.
University spokesman, David Brond, told the Augusta Chronicle (http://bit.ly/1aPcs8Z ) that officials made the decision following backlash from community members who were upset that the school diverted from its plan to include the city’s name in its signage.
www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2014-01-23/ung-moves-spring-commencement-back-campusess
UNG moves spring commencement back to campuses
By STAFF REPORTS
In response to student requests, the University of North Georgia is changing the venue for its spring 2014 commencement ceremonies to the university’s Dahlonega and Gainesville campuses. The venue has been a subject of discussion because the university does not have facilities with sufficient capacity on any of its four campuses, including one in Oconee County, to host the large ceremonies and maintain the practice of issuing eight guest tickets per graduate.
www.cbsatlanta.com
http://www.cbsatlanta.com/story/24523990/local-colleges-and-universities-focusing-on-reducing-sexual-assaults-on-campus
Local colleges and universities focusing on reducing sexual assaults on campus
By Bernard Watson
ATLANTA (CBS ATLANTA) – Sexual assaults on college and university campuses are a major problem. “I don’t think a lot of young females that are my age right now are aware of the dangers until they experience it,” said Synphany Williams, a student at Atlanta Metropolitan College. According to a new report from the White House Council on Women and Girls, one in five college students are sexually assaulted but only 12 percent report it. According to the most recent statistics from the Georgia Tech Police Department, there were two reported rapes in 2013, up from one the year before. At The University of Georgia, there were eight reported rapes in 2012 and five in 2011. At Emory University, the numbers are more stark. There were 12 reported rapes in 2011, and 24 in 2012.
www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/uga-president-delivers-first-state-of-university-a/nczNw/
UGA president delivers first state of university address
BY JANEL DAVIS – THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
ATHENS — The state of the University of Georgia is good, but there’s still lots of work to do and money needed to do it. That was the message delivered Thursday by President Jere Morehead in his first state of the university address since taking the helm of the state’s flagship institution last July. He highlighted UGA accomplishments over the past year while reinforcing strategies to move forward. Morehead, a former UGA professor who rose to provost before being tapped as president, has announced a new fundraising campaign, and Thursday detailed a focused effort to stretch the university’s funding dollars.
www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/uga/2014-01-23/morehead-keep-uga-affordable
Morehead: Keep UGA affordable
By LEE SHEARER
The University of Georgia gets high marks as an educational investment for students, but UGA can do better, said the university’s new president in a speech Thursday. UGA was No. 10 in Kiplinger’s Best Values in Public Colleges ranking this year, behind just nine universities such as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Florida, the University of California Los Angeles, the University of Michigan, and the University of Maryland, said Jere Morehead, delivering the annual “State of the University” address required of UGA presidents. “But we can, and should, also ask what separates UGA from the other schools ahead of us,” said Morehead in a relatively brief speech compared to previous years – about 45 minutes.
Related article:
www.redandblack.com
http://www.redandblack.com/uganews/administration/morehead-sets-out-goals-decisions-for-uga/article_6de2374a-8488-11e3-ae5b-001a4bcf6878.html
Morehead sets out goals, decisions for UGA
www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/local-education/atlanta-students-gather-for-ethics-workshop/nczTF/
Atlanta students gather for ethics workshop
BY MARK NIESSE – THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
Metro Atlanta students and educators were gathering Friday at Georgia Tech for a workshop on ethics and leadership. The event, hosted by the West Point Society of Atlanta, included breakout sessions teaching participants how to identify and respond to challenging situations in their daily lives. Featuring retired Army Maj. Gen. Ronald Johnson as its keynote speaker, the conference emphasized ethics as a key to strong leadership for the future of the nation.
GOOD NEWS:
www.gpb.org
http://www.gpb.org/blogs/passion-for-learning/2014/01/23/georgia-tech-accepting-more-applications-for-its-cheap-master’
Georgia Tech Accepting More Applications for Its Cheap Master’s Degree Program
By Rosemary Jean-Louis
You’re in luck if you are really interested in applying for Georgia Tech’s unbelievably cheap online master’s degree program in Computer Science. The university is accepting more applications for additional sessions.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2014/01/23/udacity-redesign-embraces-founders-pivot#ixzz2rJvrneqv
Udacity Redesign Embraces Founder’s ‘Pivot’
The massive open online course provider Udacity unveiled a redesigned website on Wednesday, highlighting the company’s recent focus on corporate training. In an accompanying blog post, the founder Sebastian Thrun also announced the start of two new courses, developed in partnership with Cloudera and Salesforce, that “address the widening job skills gap in the U.S. and around the world.” Udacity has displayed a growing interest in corporate training, such as its inexpensive master’s degree in computer science created with the Georgia Institute of Technology, after experimenting with online courses in remedial education last year.
RESEARCH:
www.yottafire.com
http://yottafire.com/2014/01/researchers-use-lithium-ease-pain-caused-anti-cancer-drug/
Researchers use lithium to ease pain caused by anti-cancer drug
by PressRelease
Taxol, generically called paclitaxel, is a widely used drug in chemotherapy treatments. Taxol is used to treat cancer in the lungs, ovaries and breast, but it can also cause severe neuropathic pain and sensory dysfunction. University of Georgia researchers found that lithium reduces the unwanted pain accompanying the use of Taxol. “Neuropathic pain caused by the chemotherapy drug Taxol is a clinical challenger both to the doctor and the patient with the cancer, because currently there is no effective treatment for this type of pain,” said Han-Rong Weng, an assistant professor of pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences in the UGA College of Pharmacy.
www.athens.patch.com
http://athens.patch.com/groups/university-of-georgia/p/uga-researchers-focus-on-role-of-extra-thymus-glands
UGA Researchers Focus on Role of Extra Thymus Glands
The geneticists want to determine whether having cervical thymi is a good or bad thing.
Posted by Rebecca McCarthy
By James Hataway
The thymus gland is a critical component of the human immune system that is responsible for the development of T-lymphocytes, or T-cells, which help organize and lead the body’s fighting forces against harmful organisms like bacteria and viruses. The main body of the thymus lies beneath the breastbone in the upper chest. But scientists were surprised several years ago when two teams of researchers discovered that both mice and humans have extra thymus-like glands distributed throughout their necks. Now, researchers at the University of Georgia have published findings in Nature Communications that reveal where these extra glands come from and help explain what roles the extra thymuses may play in the complex network of the body’s natural defense systems.
www.oconeeenterprise.com
http://www.oconeeenterprise.com/articles/2014/01/24/news/doc52e01b9a34e3a331739297.txt
Ag research critical to boosting production (4th article down)
by Blake Giles
Scott Angle views Georgia as nothing less than the breadbasket of the world. As dean of the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, his is a qualified opinion. Of course, it will take more than Georgia farmers to feed the world, but agriculture in this state will be a critical part of the picture. Agriculture was front and center Tuesday at the dedication of the J. Phil Campbell Research Center, now a facility owned and operated by the UGA Ag School. Previously it was operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture before funding was cut.
www.mashable.com
http://mashable.com/2014/01/23/snapchat-security-hack-30-minutes/
Hacker Breaks Snapchat’s New Security Feature in 30 Minutes
By Kurt Wagner
Another hacker has publicly bested Snapchat’s security features. A blog post published Wednesday shows how developer Steven Hickson was able to bypass Snapchat’s most recent security feature, which attempts to protect the service against bot accounts. The feature was included in Snapchat’s most recent app update, and requires new users to identify pictures that contain the company’s ghost logo out of a collection of images… Hickson, whose LinkedIn profile identifies him as a graduate research assistant at Georgia Tech focused on computer vision and robotics, broadcasted his methods on his blog Wednesday. Basically, Hickson took an image of Snapchat’s logo, then built a program that can identify certain points on the logo and match them to the images in the test.
www.usatodayeducate.com
http://www.usatodayeducate.com/staging/index.php/pulse/research-reveals-words-that-win-in-kickstarter-funding
Research reveals words that win in Kickstarter funding
By Haley Goldberg
Are cats the secret to crowdfunding success?
The success of a Kickstarter crowdfunding project may depend not so much on what you’re asking for but in how you ask. Georgia Institute of Technology researchers discovered that the specific words used in a Kickstarter pitch can predict whether a crowdfunding project will succeed or fail to reach their funding goal… “These kind of discrepancies made me think, ‘OK, what’s going on? Is there any effect of anything influencing a project being successfully funded or not?’” computer science researcher and doctoral candidate Tanushree Mitra says. “That was the main motivation as to why I chose to do the study.”
STATE NEEDS/ISSUES:
www.accessnorthga.com
http://www.accessnorthga.com/detail.php?n=270265
Ga.’s unemployment rate declines to 7.4 percent in Dec.
By Staff
ATLANTA – The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased to 7.4 percent in December, down two-tenths of a percentage point from a revised 7.6 percent in November. The rate was 8.7 percent in December a year ago. “The rate dropped primarily because 4,020 more Georgians were employed in December, mostly due to seasonal hiring in retail trade, transportation and warehousing,” said State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler. “And, I’m particularly pleased that we had some 90,000 more jobs this December than last, which is the best December job growth in eight years.”
ww2.cfo.com
http://ww2.cfo.com/cash-flow/2014/01/still-recession-cash-flow-says/
We’re Still in a Recession, Cash Flow Says
But relative to the 2007-2009 recession, the current capex-poor downturn is puny, a cash-flow review shows.
David M. Katz
The standard criteria used to gauge the length of recessions, the ones used by the National Bureau of Economic Research, include GDP, employment and income. Viewed according to the NBER’s measurements, our most recent recession — at 18 months, the longest in post-World War II history — ended in June 2009. Yet if you look at the economy through the lens of the cash flow of corporate America, we’re still stuck in a recession. Over the 12-month period ending in September 2013, revenues, the lifeblood of corporate cash flow, dropped a median of more than 9 percent, according to a recently released Georgia Tech Financial Analysis Lab quarterly review of cash flow trends. (The review looks at 2,979 non-financial, public U.S. companies with a current market cap of at least $50 million.)
Editorials/Columns/Opinions
www.chronicle.augusta.com
http://chronicle.augusta.com/opinion/editorials/2014-01-23/encouraging-sign?v=1390522841
An encouraging sign
But GRU’s treatment of Augusta is about more than letters on a wall
By Augusta Chronicle Editorial Staff
Georgia Regents University’s sudden decision this week to add the name “Augusta” to the new signs at the entrances to the former Augusta State University campus is certainly a welcome turnabout. Augustans, you’ll recall, strenuously objected to the Georgia Regents name that was foisted on the community last year – with a “Save the A” campaign to get “Augusta” into the name of the school, which had been merged with the former Medical College of Georgia. …That wasn’t the case when signs were changed recently to say merely “Georgia Regents University.” Azziz and Co. reneged and, after the handshake deal, gave the community the back of the hand. The public backlash was so fierce that it led GRU to change its mind this week and add the name “Augusta” to the signs.
www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/weblogs/get-schooled/2014/jan/23/education-budget-increase-down-payment-austerity-c/
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
State education budget: Increase is down payment. Austerity cuts will remain.
The Georgia Budget & Policy Institute issued a new report on the proposed fiscal year 2015 k-12 education budget.
Here is an excerpt: The $7.95 billion budget proposal for public education in the state’s 2015 fiscal year makes a down payment to eliminate the austerity cut in state funding for schools. Most districts should be able to restore the school calendar to the 180-day standard next year. However, most of the ongoing austerity cut will continue in the 2015 fiscal year.
www.times-herald.com
http://www.times-herald.com/opinion/20140124-Friday-Editorial
Increased State Educational Funding Must Be A Priority
During his State of the State speech last week, Gov. Nathan Deal promised to increase educational funding in a big way. Deal’s plan calls for increases in K-12 education, as well as expanding the HOPE grant for technical college students. Let’s hope he stands by that pledge and the General Assembly passes the necessary funding. For far too long, the state has chipped and hacked away at the education budget. Businesses look to several factors when deciding where to locate. Chief among those are taxes and a skilled workforce. That’s why it’s heartening to see one component of Deal’s plan is to create the “Zell Miller HOPE Grant” for students attending technical schools.
www.politics.blog.ajc.com
http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2014/01/24/legislative-tip-sheet-gun-bill-what-gun-bill/
Political Insider with Jim Galloway
Legislative tip sheet: Gun bill? What gun bill?
Both the House and Senate will gavel in at 9 a.m. today, the better to boogie out by noon for the weekend. The Senate is expected to pass out S.B. 297, which clears up some minor issues related to campaign disclosure rules for local government officials. The House will take up the mid-year budget – which makes spending adjustments for the current fiscal year.
But the big question of the day is what happens next with the gun bill, now that S.B. 101, which had made it all the way to a conference committee last year, has been abandoned.
www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/opinion/guns-in-churches-violate-worship-itself/ncx6N/
Guns in churches violate worship itself
BY DAVID BARTLETT
A recent Atlanta Journal-Constitution headline read, “Voters: jobs yes, guns no.” The accompanying article reported on a statewide poll that found that 72 percent of Georgians oppose changing current law to allow people to carry guns into churches, synagogues and mosques; and 78 percent oppose allowing students to carry guns on college campuses in our state. The issue of gun safety requires the attention of all of us. But for people of faith, it demands that we address the particular question of carrying guns into religious spaces.
www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/opinion/lawful-citizens-can-protect-themselves/nczFb/
Lawful citizens can protect themselves
BY JERRY HENRY
Citizens should never be disarmed in any location where crimes occur — which includes, but is not limited to, churches and colleges. Churches are private property. Georgia should treat churches as private property. The state does not inject itself into the equation of whether Starbuck’s or any other private business allows firearms in their businesses.
www.politics.blog.ajc.com
http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2014/01/23/nathan-deal-is-having-second-thoughts-about-new-health-insurance-plan/
Political Insider with Jim Galloway
Nathan Deal is having second thoughts about new health insurance plan
By Greg Bluestein
Gov. Nathan Deal is trying to soothe the unrest over his administration’s controversial decision to go with a single insurer to manage health care for 650,000 public employees and their families. Deal brushed aside the push by state Superintendent John Barge, one of his GOP challengers, for an investigation into how Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia was awarded the lucrative contract. He called it a hollow “political shot” in an interview Thursday. But what he said next was more important:
www.savannahnow.com
http://savannahnow.com/accent/2014-01-23/vox-populi-state-teachers-and-other-state-employees-need-get-their-heads-out-sand?utm_source=Morris%20Digital%20Works&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlinesfromSavannahnow.com#.UuJ3nyj0Ce8
Vox Populi: ‘State teachers and other state employees need to get their heads out of the sand.’
…“State teachers and other state employees need to get their heads out of the sand. They are not the only ones whose retirement plans have changed drastically. Nor are they the only ones who have been furloughed and haven’t had a raise in years. They still have one the best retirement plans anywhere.”
www.theatlantic.com
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/01/why-are-american-colleges-obsessed-with-leadership/283253/
Why Are American Colleges Obsessed With ‘Leadership’?
What’s wrong with being a follower? Or a lone wolf?
TARA ISABELLA BURTON
Earlier this month, more than 700,000 students submitted the Common Application for college admissions. They sent along academic transcripts and SAT scores, along with attestations of athletic or artistic success and—largely uniform—bodies of evidence speaking to more nebulously-defined characteristics: qualities like—to quote the Harvard admissions website—“maturity, character, leadership, self-confidence, warmth of personality, sense of humor, energy, concern for others and grace under pressure.” Why are American colleges so interested in leadership? On the Harvard admissions website quoted above, leadership is listed third: just after two more self-evident qualities. So too the Yale website, which quotes former Yale president Kingman Brewster’s assessment that “We have to make the hunchy judgment as to whether or not with Yale’s help the candidate is likely to be a leader in whatever he [or she] ends up doing.”
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2014/01/24/essay-calling-common-application-focus-only-some-parts-application#ixzz2rK3fAImS
Restore the Purpose of the Common Application
By Jim Wolfston
According to Dick Moll, co-founder of the Common Application, “The unavoidable standardization of the Common Application, not to mention the online debacle for students trying to use it this year, causes serious questions regarding its service to both the candidate and the college … I sense that the Common App’s time is up.” The Common App organization obviously doesn’t agree.
www.blogs.edweek.org
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/state_edwatch/2014/01/alabama_state_board_makes_changes_to_common_core_-_or_does_it.html?cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS3
Alabama State Board Makes Changes to Common Core. Or Does It?
By Andrew Ujifusa
The Alabama State Board of Education has approved changes to the Common Core State Standards. The state board voted 5-2 to alter the standards on Jan. 17, according to a statement released by the state education department. First, one announced “change” wasn’t actually a change at all, but rather a deletion of a suggested reading list accompanying the English/language arts standards that has been controversial for some time. Florida and Georgia are two states that have tossed aside this list of reading exemplars (Appendix B to the ELA standards) after some pushback about some of the books on the list. So what are the other supposed revisions to the standards?
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/Screening-Freshmen-Will-Help/144167/
Screening Freshmen Will Help Curtail Drinking, Study Finds
By Taylor Harvey
Freshman drinking has proved a tough issue for college administrators to tackle. Despite prevention and education programs, students and campuses still suffer the consequences of alcohol abuse. But a new study by medical and public-health researchers may help steer prevention efforts.
www.blogs.edweek.org
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2014/01/will_marijuana_legalization_ef.html?cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS3
Legalizing Marijuana: Will the Education Department Change its Anti-Drug Policy?
By Michele McNeil
Next week is National Drug Facts Week, and this U.S. Department of Education blog post notes that nearly one-quarter of all 12th graders have reported using marijuana in the past month. Here are some other facts on marijuana: More teens view using marijuana as not very risky. More states are legalizing and/or decriminalizing marijuana use. And more Americans are in favor of doing so. Even President Obama has debated the merits of legalizing the drug, although his official position is that he’s opposed. Given all of this, a loyal Politics K-12 reader (also known as Michael Petrilli of Fordham fame) posed a very good question: What affect is all of this national discussion having on the messaging or actual policy from the anti-drug offices within the U.S. Department of Education?
Education News
www.diverseeducation.com
http://diverseeducation.com/article/60316/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=06530dd14cb14bf99c9ed0b4c62c87e7&elqCampaignId=173
Which Way Forward? President Obama and Higher Education
by Brian C. Mitchell
On Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama met with more than 140 education officials from public and private colleges and universities, corporations, foundations and nonprofit groups to talk about college opportunity. Organized by White House economic adviser Gene B. Sperling, the event drew pledges from the group for new and additional initiatives that reinforced President Obama’s agenda to use college access as a way to improve economic mobility for Americans. Mr. Obama noted that this would be a “year of action,” asserting, “I’m going to be working with Congress where I can to accomplish this, but I’m also going to act on my own if Congress is deadlocked.”
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/Public-University-Group-Offers/144141/
Public-University Group Offers Alternative to Obama’s College-Rating Plan
By Kelly Field
Washington
Rather than rate colleges, the Obama administration should hold them accountable through expanded disclosures and tightened standards for receiving federal student aid, the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities argues in a response to the president’s college-affordability plan. In a letter sent on Wednesday to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, M. Peter McPherson, the association’s president, writes that public colleges support Mr. Obama’s “call for transparency and accountability” but fear that a ratings system “would be extremely difficult to structure in a way that will accomplish the president’s goals.”
www.aj.com
http://www.ajc.com/news/ap/top-news/obama-targets-college-sexual-assault-epidemic/ncxW5/
Obama targets college sexual assault epidemic
By NEDRA PICKLER
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama shone a light Wednesday on a college sexual assault epidemic that is often shrouded in secrecy, with victims fearing stigma, police poorly trained to investigate and universities reluctant to disclose the violence. A White House report highlights a stunning prevalence of rape on college campuses, with 1 in 5 female students assaulted while only 1 in 8 student victims report it. …Obama gave the task force, comprised of administration officials, 90 days to come up with recommendations for colleges to prevent and respond to the crime, increase public awareness of each school’s track record and enhance coordination among federal agencies to hold schools accountable if they don’t confront the problem.
Related articles:
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/Obama-Promises-Governmentwide/144147/
Obama Promises Governmentwide Scrutiny of Campus Rape
www.swampland.time.com
Obama Takes Aim at College Sexual Assaults
New task force to look at campus crimes
www.post-gazette.com
http://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2014/01/23/Obama-targets-campus-rapes/stories/201401230229
Obama targets campus rapes
www.diverseeducation.com
http://diverseeducation.com/article/60320/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=06530dd14cb14bf99c9ed0b4c62c87e7&elqCampaignId=173
Harvard, MIT: Despite Low Completion Rates, MOOCs Work
by Jon Marcus, The Hechinger Report
Long-anticipated research into massive open online courses taught by MIT and Harvard finds that, while very few participants complete these classes, many others take advantage of “substantial” amounts of the content. The findings, released by the MIT-Harvard MOOC collaboration called edX, jibe with a University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education study that concluded only 4 percent of people who register for MOOCs actually finish them. In the case of the 17 edX courses analyzed by MIT and Harvard, the proportion of completers was an only slightly better 5 percent.
www.clarionledger.com
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20140122/NEWS010504/301220028/Lawmakers-eye-cost-remedial-college-courses?nclick_check=1
Lawmakers eye cost of remedial college courses
Written by Jimmie E. Gates
Mississippi is spending more than $35 million a year on remedial courses for students who aren’t ready for college, and lawmakers are looking for solutions. The state Department of Education is seeking at least $5.5 million more for a literacy program for the coming year, state Superintendent Carey Wright said Tuesday to the House Appropriations Committee. “We can’t afford to continue to remediate,” Wright said. “It’s costly for parents, and it’s costly for students.”
www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/new-mexico-students-still-struggle-college
New Mexico students still struggle in college
Albuquerque Journal
Just over half of the graduates from New Mexico high schools need to take remedial coursework – particularly in math and English – upon entering state colleges or universities, according to a new report compiled by the Legislative Finance Committee. That demand for those courses, for which students receive no college credit but must take to qualify for enrollment in college-level classes, cost New Mexico about $22 million in 2013.
www.albanyherald.com
http://www.albanyherald.com/news/2014/jan/23/emory-blue-cross-and-blue-shield-for-aco/
Emory, Blue Cross and Blue Shield for ACO
Collaborations becoming more popular in Georgia
By Andy Miller
ATLANTA — A partnership of health care heavyweights was created Wednesday as Emory Healthcare and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia announced a collaboration to improve quality and contain costs. The two entities will form an “accountable care organization” that will seek to enhance the care experienced by patients in the Atlanta region. …Blue Cross, the largest insurer in the state, and Emory Healthcare, with the highest revenue of any Georgia health system, will market the ACO to employers, not Medicare patients, officials said Wednesday.
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Yale Students Tangle With University Over Website
By ARIEL KAMINER
The idea did not seem controversial at first: Peter Xu and Harry Yu, twin brothers who are seniors at Yale University, set out to build a better, more user-friendly version of the university’s online course catalog. But as Mark Zuckerberg found when he decided to build a better version of Harvard’s undergraduate student directory, these things can take on a life of their own. Yale shut down the brothers’ website last week, helping to turn a local campus issue into something of a civil rights cause. Now, after a few days of controversy, a similar tool is up and running, and it appears to be Yale that has gotten a schooling.