University System News
USG NEWS:
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/More-Than-100-Colleges-Made/150357/
More Than 100 Colleges Made Pledges at the First White House Summit. Here’s How 6 Fared.
By Mary Bowerman, Max Lewontin, and Jared Misner
Some college leaders have dismissed the White House’s Summit on College Opportunity—the second installment of which takes place on Thursday—as a dog-and-pony show focused more on drawing attention than on stoking action. But all of the more than 100 institutions that scored invitations to the first summit, held in January, had to pledge to do something to expand college access for needy students. After the first summit, The Chronicle compiled a searchable list of those commitments. Now, as the White House prepares to release its own progress report, we checked in with six institutions to see how their pledges were faring. In some cases, they’ve had early success; in others, they’re still looking to get projects off the ground. Here’s a quick roundup: …Georgia State University
What it pledged: Georgia State said it would adopt an “Early Alert System for Financial Risk” that would use “predictive analytics and timely interventions to mitigate student attrition due to financial factors and give low-income students the maximum opportunity to succeed.” What it’s done: …What it’ll do next:
www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/breaking-news/2014-12-04/uga-students-seek-real-discussion-race-campus
UGA students seek real discussion on race on campus
By LEE SHEARER
More than 200 University of Georgia students gathered in a Miller Learning Center classroom Thursday night to talk about what they could do in the aftermath of the killings of young black men by police, and subsequent grand jury decisions not to charge officers with any crime. Their first goal would be to decide what to say about the situation in a letter to UGA and Athens leaders, said Jeremiah Lemons, president of UGA’s Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity chapter, which convened the meeting.
www.online.wsj.com
http://online.wsj.com/articles/protests-spread-across-country-day-after-eric-garner-grand-jury-decision-1417737644
Protests Spread Across Country Day After Eric Garner Grand-Jury Decision
Thousands of Demonstrators Gather in Lower Manhattan
By ADAM JANOS and THOMAS MACMILLAN
Protests rippled across the country Thursday, a day after a grand jury didn’t charge a New York City police officer in the death of a black man who allegedly was selling untaxed cigarettes last summer… A group of about 100 protesters gathered in downtown Atlanta near the Five Points MARTA train station to protest, according to the Associated Press. At Emory University, more than 300 people participated in a “die-in” demonstration. Schools where protests occurred included Agnes Scott College, Kennesaw State University and the Georgia Institute of Technology. Atlanta police say no arrests, injuries or damage have been reported after multiple demonstrations on Wednesday and Thursday.
www.statesboroherald.com
http://www.statesboroherald.com/section/1/article/64705/
Georgia Southern University police looking for ‘suspicious person’
From staff reports
The old Biology-Math-Physics area of the Georgia Southern University campus, just across Herty Drive from Hanner Fieldhouse, was locked down after university police received “what we felt was a credible threat” specific to that area, University Police Chief Mike Russell said Friday morning. The threat was received shortly after 8 a.m., and the university issued an Eagle Alert saying a “suspicious person” was in the area of the old biology building and urging students to use caution if they were in or near the connected buildings. During a brief news conference outside Hanner Fieldhouse, Russell explained to reporters why some police officers behind him appeared to be suiting up with specialized equipment.
Related article:
www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/georgia-southern-building-locked-down-after-report/njMFp/
Georgia Southern building locked down after report of masked person
GOOD NEWS:
www.finance.yahoo.com
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/104-smartest-public-colleges-america-180555905.html
The 104 Smartest Public Colleges In America
By Jonathan Wai and Jenna Goudreau
From our recent list of the smartest colleges in America, we pulled out the top 100 public schools. These colleges offer brainpower and affordability, since the average annual cost of attending an in-state public school is $8,500, according to US News & World Report . Compare that to the average private school cost of $30,500 — a difference of $22,000 a year… Here are the smartest public colleges in America: 1) Georgia Institute of Technology: Average SAT 1385; 33) University of Georgia: Average SAT 1240; 94) Georgia College & State University: Average SAT 1140
www.bestcolleges.com
http://www.bestcolleges.com/features/greenest-universities/
THE GREENEST UNIVERSITIES IN AMERICA
The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) was established in 2005 to “help coordinate and strengthen campus sustainability efforts at regional and national levels, and to serve as the first North American professional association for those interested in advancing campus sustainability.” Today, the AASHE also recognizes colleges and universities that have achieved the greatest level of success with green initiatives on-campus and within in their surrounding communities. The association gauges these efforts using the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS), a voluntary system that allows different colleges and universities to report trends and track their sustainability efforts. Four different STARS ratings ― platinum, gold, silver, and bronze ― may be awarded to various establishments, companies, and organizations across the country…. Schools with Published Ratings: 1. Georgia Institute of Technology
RESEARCH:
www.gwinnettdailypost.com
http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/news/2014/dec/04/in-partnership-with-white-house-ggc-increases/?news
In partnership with White House, GGC increases STEM commitment
By Keith Farner
As part of a partnership between the White House and more than 140 college presidents announced on Thursday, Georgia Gwinnett College is stepping up its pledge to STEM education. The Lawrenceville school has committed to five primary goals for its graduates by 2020 in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. The Obama administration and college presidents such as GGC’s Stas Preczewski attended several events at the Reagan Building in Washington to discuss building networks between high schools, colleges and communities. GGC officials said the school would increase STEM enrollment by 25 percent, STEM retention by five percent and STEM graduates by 50 percent.
Related article:
www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local-education/georgia-colleges-participate-in-white-house-higher/njLcp/
Georgia colleges participate in White House higher education summit
www.forbes.com
http://www.forbes.com/sites/eliseackerman/2014/12/03/new-far-reaching-apple-patent-reveals-next-iphone-may-demonstrate-a-cats-ability-to-land-on-its-feet-er-edge/
New, Far-Reaching Apple Patent Reveals How Devices May Harmlessly Recover From Falls
Elise Ackerman
Cracked and broken screens are the bane of smartphone users. In addition to spawning a cottage industry of blog posts and screen-fixing services, the unfortunate tendency of glass to shatter on impact has inspired two Apple AAPL -0.42% employees to patent what they call “a protective mechanism for an electronic device.” The patent, which was awarded on Tuesday and first reported by AppleInsider, describes how an electronic device in free fall could change its position in mid-air to minimize the damage caused by impact. At least one group of researchers at the School of Interactive Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology is engaged in similar work, though the focus of their work is robots, not electronic devices such as iPhones. “As the field of robotics advances and robots become more dynamic, control algorithms for landing safely from a long, intended fall will become more necessary,” the researchers wrote in a recent paper titled “Orientation in Mid-air through configuration changes to Achieve a Rolling Landing for Reducing Impact after a Fall.”
www.wabe.drupal.publicbroadcasting.net
http://wabe.drupal.publicbroadcasting.net/post/georgia-techs-mars-hopefuls-looking-forward-nasa-launch
Georgia Tech’s Mars Hopefuls Looking Forward to NASA Launch
By MOLLY SAMUEL
NASA is planning to launch a new spacecraft tomorrow morning. It will be the first test flight for Orion, a vehicle that will eventually help humans get to Mars. That’s exciting for Georgia Tech aerospace engineering students, some of whom could be among the first to set foot on the red planet. Jimmy Williams, a senior at Tech, says he has a “crazy dream” to ride on Orion someday. “I would love to be Jimmy Williams, first man on Mars,” he says. “That would be a great honor.”
www.csmonitor.com
http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Pioneers/2014/1204/How-ocean-current-could-power-half-the-homes-in-Florida
How ocean current could power half the homes in Florida
By Bryan Cronan, Staff Writer
Wind and solar power are the poster children of renewable energy, but shifting from fossil fuels to renewable energy means tapping many sources of renewable energy. That’s why companies like Crowd Energy are looking to harness the power of the ocean’s currents… A study by the Georgia Institute of Technology into the energy production potential of ocean currents found that there are 5.1 gigawatts of untapped power off the coast of Florida alone. That’s equivalent to powering more than 3,800,000 homes for a year – more than half the households in the Sunshine State. The whole Gulf Stream could provide four times that amount of energy.
www.pbs.org
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/next-online-experiments-higher-ed-focus-flexibility-campus-students/
Next online experiments in higher ed focus on flexibility
BY CARL STRAUMSHEIM, INSIDE HIGHER ED
Some of the country’s most rigorous research universities have a new obsession: flexibility. As the institutions contemplate a more modular future, experiments with blended learning may provide an early glimpse at their plans. Through strategic visions and partnerships, institutions such as Duke and Harvard Universities and the Georgia and Massachusetts Institutes of Technology are laying the groundwork for curriculums that will be delivered through a combination of face-to-face instruction, blended courses and distance education. A common goal is to offer students “flexibility” — a word several administrators used to summarize their institutions’ aspirations… MIT’s plans are part of “everybody’s thought processes,” said Nelson C. Baker, dean of professional education at Georgia Tech, who joked that MIT may have peeked at his institution’s own strategic plan. “The most exciting thing in the last couple of years is the changing landscape … of how research universities are talking about pedagogy and learning as a fundamental core tenet of the university,” Baker said. “If technology, if distance, if online had some role to change that conversation, home run.”
www.bizjournals.com
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/print-edition/2014/12/05/can-automation-bring-apparel-making-back-to-u-s.html?page=all
Can automation bring apparel making back to U.S.?
Urvaksh Karkaria
Staff Writer- Atlanta Business Chronicle
An Atlanta startup is using advanced manufacturing technologies to help bring apparel manufacturing back to the United States. SoftWear Automation Inc. has developed robotic sewing technologies to automate apparel manufacturing… SoftWear is leveraging a renaissance in advanced manufacturing in the United States, where technology is making large-scale production competitive in high-cost labor markets… Launched three years ago, SoftWear recently raised a $3 million investment from Atlanta-based CTW Venture Partners. SoftWear is part of a Georgia Tech consortium that received a $2 million grant from The Walmart Foundation in August. It also received $1.25 million from DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) and the Georgia Research Alliance.
www.courier-journal.com
http://www.courier-journal.com/story/tech/science/environment/2014/12/03/kentucky-highway-department-problem-street-trees/19835853/
Ky. highway department blocks shade trees
James Bruggers
The city’s tree advocates and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet are colliding head-on over rules for safer and easier-to-maintain state roadways. As Metro Louisville, neighborhood and nonprofit organizations plant thousands of trees to fight a documented problem of urban heat, the cabinet’s highway department is working to prevent new shade trees along streets it maintains, such as Brownsboro Road. Two years ago, research by Brian Stone Jr. at Georgia Institute of Technology found that the difference between urban and rural temperatures in the Louisville area was growing at one of the fastest rates in the country. He is now studying how to reduce urban heat in Louisville.
www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/local/meeting-today-for-memorial-drive-plans/njK5s/
Meeting today for Memorial Drive plans
By Elizabeth Montgomery – For the AJC
A design team from the Georgia Tech school of city and regional planning has drawn master plans to re-design the Memorial Drive corridor. The team met with neighborhood residents, community organizations, stakeholders and businesses to develop a comprehensive plan to shape future development along the heavily traveled route. The plan will direct the city of Atlanta, MARTA, the Georgia Department of Transportation, beltline and the Atlanta Regional Commission on future projects in the corridor. The community may review the final draft of the re-design 6 – 7:30 p.m. today at the Old Council Chambers at City Hall, 55 Trinity Ave. There will also be an opportunity to discuss the draft plan with members of the design team after its conclusion.
STATE NEEDS/ISSUES:
www.reporternewspapers.net
http://www.reporternewspapers.net/2014/12/04/uga-expert-predicts-georgias-economy-will-strong-2015/
Expert predicts Georgia’s economy will be strong in 2015
Posted by Joe Earle
Expect a strong Georgia economy in 2015, according to the director of the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia. “The economy looks to be in very good shape,” Dr. Jeffrey Humphreys told members of the Buckhead Business Association on Dec. 4. Humphreys, who directs a UGA center that researches economic, demographic and social issues related to the state’s growth, said the state’s economy appears to have rebounded from the recent recession. “We’re going to have an above average year for the first time in a long time,” Humphreys said. “Perhaps the old normal is the new normal.”
Editorials/Columns/Opinions
www.insidehighered.com
https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/higher-ed-beta/mooc-research-learning-curves
MOOC Research Learning Curves
By Marshall Thomas
MOOCs are at an interesting phase in their evolution. With MOOC mania subsiding somewhat, the field is coalescing around aspirational goals to make MOOCs more engaging, interactive, personalized, and sustainable. Some thought leaders are calling it MOOC 2.0. Just as MOOC 1.0 research stimulated a healthy debate about the market for free online courses, MOOC 2.0 is motivating a debate about best practices in teaching and learning at a massive scale. Studies on retention rates and the unique MOOC audience of lifelong learners reshaped our thinking, and now we have a bit more data to go on when it comes to bringing teaching back to the fore in higher ed (yes, ed stands for education)!
Education News
www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/georgias-technical-college-system-approves-new-lea/njLsd/#95713688.3562435.735572
Georgia’s technical college system approves new leader
By Janel Davis – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The board of the state’s technical college system officially approved its next system leader on Thursday, replacing outgoing Commissioner Ron Jackson, who plans to retire Jan. 31.
Gretchen Corbin takes over as the new chief of the Technical College System of Georgia on Jan. 12. Gov. Nathan Deal appointed her to the position — pending board approval — as part of a contingent of state government leadership changes announced last month after his re-election. Corbin, who currently leads the state’s Department of Community Affairs and has worked previously as a deputy commissioner in the Department of Economic Development, will be the fourth leader of the tech college system, which serves more than 141,000 students in 23 colleges. Jackson, 67, has led the system since 2006. His retirement was largely influenced by a heart attack and subsequent heart surgery 13 weeks ago. …Also retiring from the system is longtime spokesman Mike Light, who leaves at the end of the year.
www.jbhe.com
Rising Black Student Graduation Rates at Flagship State Universities
Rising Black Student Graduation Rates at Flagship State Universities
Much of the editorial in JBHE deals with the progress of Black students at the nation’s highest-ranked colleges and universities. But it is always important to keep in mind that large state-operated universities enroll as much as 75 percent of all African-Americans who are participating in higher education in this country. Tens of thousands of Black students are enrolled at the nation’s flagship state universities, generally the premier public institutions in a given state. Every year since JBHE has tracked graduation rates for Black students, the University of Virginia has had the highest graduation rate for African Americans among the flagship institutions. A decade ago in 2004, the University of Virginia has a Black student graduation rate of 86 percent. The next closest was the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. But its Black student graduation rate was 17 percentage points lower. No other flagship state university had a Black student graduation that was above 69 percent.
www.jbhe.com
Tracking U.S. College Students Who Study Abroad in Sub-Saharan Africa
Tracking U.S. College Students Who Study Abroad in Sub-Saharan Africa
According to data from the Institute of International Education, more than 289,000 American students studied at foreign institutions of higher education during the 2012-13 academic year. This was up 2.1 percent from a year earlier. A majority of Americans studying abroad attended universities in Europe. Of all U.S. students studying abroad, 13,411, or 4.6 percent, attended universities in sub-Saharan Africa. The number of American students studying in sub-Saharan Africa increased by 4.3 percent from the previous year. Sub-Saharan Africa sends 2.3 times as many students to American universities as America sends to sub-Saharan African universities.
www.diverseeducation.com
http://diverseeducation.com/article/68251/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=326cd6c343d743ddabf4db53d9935db9&elqCampaignId=415
Students Nationwide Hold ‘Die Ins’ for Justice
by Autumn A. Arnett
College campuses have, for decades, been hotbeds for activism and social change. With the recent non-indictments of police officers in the deaths of Michael Brown (Ferguson, Mo.) and Eric Garner (New York), the entire nation has been overwhelmed with emotion and outrage—and students are no exception. On campuses from New York to Texas to Miami to St. Louis, students this week joined other protestors to stage “die ins” on campus to demonstrate for the lives that have been lost.
www.jbhe.com
Florida A&M University Announces Fundraising Success
Florida A&M University, the historically Black educational institution in Tallahassee, has reported major gains in its fundraising efforts. Since June of this year, the university has received more than $3 million in cash donations, nearly triple the amount from a year ago. In addition, the university has received nearly $4 million in pledges during the period.
www.komuk.com
http://www.komu.com/news/new-app-lets-users-send-photos-to-the-future/
New app lets users send photos to the future
by Sara Maslar-Donar, KOMU 8 Reporter
COLUMBIA – Imagine an infant is taking her first steps and her dad wants to take a video and surprise her with it on her 16th birthday when it pops up on her phone. That’s exactly what a new app called Incubate is all about. The app allows users to send photos and videos up to 25 years into the future without the recipient knowing who sent it until it’s ready to be open. …Douty said founder Michael McCluney decided to create the app after a story his friend told him about trying to put his crying newborn triplets to sleep. He said McCluney’s friend wanted to be able to show his children that crazy night 25 years down the road. …Users can open the app and select either text, voice, picture, or video. Then, they create the moment and select a friend on their contact list. The user can pick an exact time and date up to 25 years into the future for the friend to finally be able to open it. …Douty said the Incubate team is trying different marketing techniques at three colleges around the country to try to get a young college base: The University of Missouri, UCLA, and the University of Georgia.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/In-a-Move-Toward-Open-Access/150311/
In a Move Toward Open Access, ‘Nature’ Allows Widespread Article Sharing
By Paul Basken
Nature, one of the world’s most-cited scientific publications, took a step toward open access on Tuesday by granting its subscribers and journalists wide authority to let outside readers view its articles at no cost. Under the new policy, subscribers to 49 journals published by the Nature Publishing Group and collected on Nature’s website can create and share links to full-text versions of all of that content. About 100 media outlets also can include free links in news reports that reference articles in the group’s journals.
www.ccnewsnow.com
http://www.ccnewsnow.com/5-ways-community-colleges-are-fixing-higher-education/?utm_campaign=120414ccnewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=76ace1d5d60f4566be651ec726e4fffd&elqCampaignId=463
5 ways community colleges are fixing higher education
(CNN) — There’s no doubt that it’s a tough time for families pondering the value of a college degree. On the one hand, there’s pitched debate over rising tuition costs and student debt. On the other, labor forecasts predict that by 2018, nearly two-thirds of American jobs will require a postsecondary certificate or degree. Enter community colleges. They provide technical programs for emerging careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics that are comparable to — if not better than — some of their four-year counterparts, at a fraction of the cost. Often, they’re the launchpad to baccalaureate programs for people without the time, money or academic skills to jump into a four-year program straight out of high school. And as part of the American Association of Community Colleges’ 21st Century Initiative, they’re updating their missions and nimbly shifting to serve the economy of the future. Here are some of the ways they’re facing problems that weigh down all of higher education — and succeeding.
www.ccnewsnow.com
http://www.ccnewsnow.com/as-economy-improves-fewer-seek-community-college-degrees/?utm_campaign=120414ccnewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=76ace1d5d60f4566be651ec726e4fffd&elqCampaignId=463
As economy improves, fewer seek community college degrees
As the demand for skilled labor increases, one might think the demand for educating skilled laborers would follow suit. However, that’s not the case at Ohio’s community colleges. Enrollment has dropped 18.5 percent in the past five years — more than 38,000 students — and 5.4 percent between fall 2013 and fall 2014 alone, according to the Ohio Board of Regents preliminary enrollment estimates. Enrollment at community colleges tends to follow economic ups and downs more than enrollment at larger universities, said Mary McCue, spokeswoman for Terra State Community College. That college’s enrollment declined 26 percent in the past five years — a loss of about 900 students — and 11 percent between fall 2013 and fall 2014 alone. …But community colleges typically enroll more students when the economy is down because people are interested in training that will help their job prospects. Colleges have expected a decline as the economy improves, said Jeff Robinson, spokesman for the Ohio Board of Regents.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/Doctoral-Degrees-Increased/150421/
Doctoral Degrees Increased Last Year, but Career Opportunities Remained Bleak
By Audrey Williams June
The number of earned doctorates awarded by American universities increased 3.5 percent in 2013, to 52,760, according to data from the National Science Foundation. However, the snapshot of new Ph.D.’s, which comes from an annual report on doctoral-degree attainment known as the “Survey of Earned Doctorates,” highlights a bleak part of post-Ph.D. life. For new doctoral recipients, starting a postgraduate career is still an uphill struggle and appears to be getting tougher.
www.insidehighered.com
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/12/05/u-california-president-calls-greater-efforts-defend-graduate-education
Defending Graduate Education
By Colleen Flaherty
WASHINGTON – Janet Napolitano has held many titles: governor of Arizona, secretary of homeland security, and now president of the massive University of California system. But there’s one role she just can’t step out of – that of a lawyer. She used what she called her litigation skills here Thursday during the Council of Graduate Schools’ annual meeting, to “make the case” for graduate school education. More administrators need to do the same, she said, imploring those in attendance to move beyond the comfort of the “echo chamber” and the “coalition of the willing” to a wider audience of policy makers and the general public.
Related article:
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/How-to-Make-the-Case-for/150419/
How to Make the Case for Graduate Education
www.insidehighered.com
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/12/05/second-higher-ed-summit-obama-administration-mixes-praise-and-accountability
Good Cop, Bad Cop From White House
By Michael Stratford
WASHINGTON — The second White House college summit held Thursday was bigger and focused on a broader range of institutions than the inaugural January event. And it also, in part, more vividly illustrated what seems to be an ongoing tension of the Obama administration’s higher agenda: how to promote the value and importance of colleges while also seeking to hold institutions more accountable, especially for their tuition prices.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/the-talk-and-pledges-at-the-white-house-summit-on-college-opportunity/90629
The Talk—and Pledges—at the White House Summit on College Opportunity
by Kelly Field
Washington — Hundreds of college leaders are now heading home, still giddy from Thursday’s White House Summit on College Opportunity. Now comes the hard part: Making good on their varied promises to enroll more low-income students and help them graduate. More than 300 college presidents, foundation heads, and nonprofit executives attended the summit, which was twice as large as the inaugural event, held in January. They shared ideas, they heard from experts, and a lucky few got shoutouts from President Obama. Like the last time, they came armed with steps they intend to take—their “commitments,” in summitspeak—to expand college access and completion. The more than 600 pledges center on building collaborations among colleges and between school districts and colleges, investing in high-school counselors, and increasing the number of college graduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—the STEM fields.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/At-the-White-House-Summit-3/150417/
At the White House Summit, 3 Things That Worked—and 2 That Didn’t
By Max Lewontin
Washington
With an increased focus on the barriers that keep many students from enrolling in or graduating from college, the second White House Summit on College Opportunity invited a broader range of college leaders, precollege educators, and organizations to the table. After the first such event, in January, the White House faced criticism from educators—particularly at community colleges and minority-serving institutions—who argued that the invitation-only summit had done little to address issues of college access for nontraditional, first-generation, and low-income students. Thursday’s event was, in some ways, a response to those concerns. Did the White House succeed in making its second summit more diverse and distinct? The Chronicle asked three attendees what worked and what could be improved next time around.
www.diverseeducation.com
http://diverseeducation.com/article/68256/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=326cd6c343d743ddabf4db53d9935db9&elqCampaignId=415
For-Profit College Accused of Using Strippers to Lure Students
by Associated Press
MIAMI ―A for-profit Florida college used exotic dancers as admissions officers, falsified documents and coached students to lie on financial forms as it fraudulently obtained millions of dollars in federal money, according to a federal lawsuit filed in Miami. On at least one of its seven campuses, FastTrain College “purposely hired attractive women and sometimes exotic dancers and encouraged them to dress provocatively while they recruited young men in neighborhoods to attend FastTrain,” according to an ongoing civil lawsuit. The Florida attorney general and the U.S. attorney in Miami announced Wednesday that they were joining the lawsuit against the now-defunct FastTrain and former owner Alejandro Amor, 56.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/Why-It-s-Dangerous-to/150361/
Why It’s Dangerous to Discuss Campus Rape Only at Its Most Extreme
By Robin Wilson
The gang-rape story that rocked the University of Virginia last month is more shocking and gruesome than any case even longtime observers of campus sexual assault have ever encountered. But what makes the story so urgent also makes it problematic. Experts disagree on whether public attention for such a violent attack—in this case, through a prominent article in Rolling Stone—helps or harms other assault victims. Does it draw valuable attention to assault on campuses, or does it derail colleges from responding to and helping to prevent more-typical cases of sexual misconduct?