Welcome to the Wednesday, May 30th edition of the Weekly Dose of Higher Education for BreakDrink.com; I’m Shawn Brackett bringing you this week’s news.

“US Supreme Court to reconsider race-conscious admissions; several Asian-American groups urge court to reject”

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/05/30/asian-american-group-urges-supreme-court-bar-race-conscious-admissions

http://www.dol.gov/compliance/laws/comp-eeo.htm (Executive Order 11246)

Several Asian-American organizations have filed a brief with the United States Supreme Court arguing that race-conscious admissions policies unfairly discriminate against applicants of Asian descent.  The brief stems from a case at the University of Texas at Austin in which an applicant of Anglo descent was denied admission.  However, the issue of factoring in race or ethnic origin in higher education policies has undergone significant discussion since Executive Order 11246 (which was issued in 1965) required government institutions and agencies to take “affirmative action” to ensure equal opportunity.  The Asian-American organizations that filed the brief expressed concerns that applicants of Asian descent have to work much harder to gain admission to an institution than any other racial group.

“UN calls upon academic leaders to sign higher education sustainability declaration”

http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20120525093416419 (article)

http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/index.php?page=view&nr=341&type=12&menu=35 (declaration)

Ahead of the Rio Conference on Sustainable Development in June, the United Nations has called upon academic leaders to sign a declaration supporting sustainable practices in higher education.  The declaration includes pledges to teach sustainable practices to students, improve the energy and resource use of campuses, share information and research with other institutions and agencies, and support sustainability initiatives in the community.  Several institutions have indicated they have or will sign, including the State University of New York system, George Mason University, and Ebonyi State University in Nigeria.

That’s it for today! Have a good week and I’ll see you next week.

Gary and Julie discussed the recent NY Times article which looked at the high amount of student loan debt many students are taking on in order to earn a four year degree. We highlight a response from the President of Ohio Northern University, and the ROI from some popular colleges/universities.

NY Times article

Ohio Northern’s President Responds

Project on Student Debt

ROI of Colleges and Universities

During the Campus Tech Connection (#CTCX) Show No. 60, we starting to discuss how technology has impacted social justice on our college and university campus - and beyond. Social activism is an intentional action with the goal of bringing about social change. An activist is anyone who is fighting for change in society - such as a rally against tuition increase, fighting against international human rights abuses, or educating others about a social issue.  The question is - what happens when technology is interwoven into these actions for change? Is liking a Facebook page enough? How can a tweet really start a revolution? Are our students really engaged in activism by using their mobile device? Listen to the broadcast from Friday, May 25th as @BruceBMann, @Kathy_Petras & @JulieCLarsen share their ideas, thoughts, concerns and more about the topic of technology & social activism.

Image from Malcom Gladwell’s article Small Change in The New Yorker

Do YOU have thoughts, opinions, or questions on this topic? Join in the conversation FRIDAY (5/25) at 12 pm CST here:

• Streaming from Blog Talk Radio-BreakDrink
• Tweet your thoughts using the hashtag #CTCX
• Call or Skype during the show:  (646) 652-2342  or breakdrink
• Email: breakdrink@gmail.com
• Storify from the #CTCX No. 64 Show

Welcome to the Tuesday, May 22nd edition of the Weekly Dose of Higher Education for BreakDrink.com; I’m Shawn Brackett bringing you this week’s news.

“Unclear direction from Homeland Security may force institutional English language programs to cease admitting international students”

http://chronicle.com/article/US-May-Require-College/131932/

The US Department of Homeland Security has issued a bulletin requiring English language programs to prove accreditation or risk losing the ability to enroll international students.  Under the Accreditation Act of 2010, stand-alone English language programs, such as ELS Language Centers, and “combined programs,” such as those administered by colleges and universities, are responsible for proving accreditation.  Until now, institutions of higher education and professional organizations (including NAFSA) have interpreted this to mean regional accreditation would suffice.  Homeland Security has indicated this is no longer the case, but has not given additional guidance on how to proceed.  For more information from NAFSA on the issue, go their website: http://www.nafsa.org/resourcelibrary/default.aspx?id=32224.

“Québec National Assembly tables bill to suspend semester and impose strict rules on student demonstrations”

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/story/2012/05/17/quebec-student-protest.html

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/quebec-to-table-bill-aimed-at-cracking-down-on-student-protesters/article2435951/

Québec’s National Assembly (the provincial legislative body) has put forth Bill 78: a law restricting student demonstrations, introducing steep fines for both individuals and student groups, and suspending the current academic term.  Student protestors, including the presidents of several major student federations in the province, have criticized the bill as violating the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.  In addition, student federations have questioned the Premier’s unwillingness to meet in person for negotiations.  Continuing demonstrations have negatively impacted the economy and “social peace” of Montréal, leading to increasing tensions over funding higher education in the province.  For the text of Bill 78, go the National Assembly’s website: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/357492-quebec-education-special-law.html.

And, lastly,

“US State Department issues new directive potentially disrupting campus Confucius Institutes”

http://chronicle.com/article/State-Department-Directive/131934/

The US Department of State issued a new directive on May 17th indicating instructors affiliated with Confucius Institutes on J-1 visas who are teaching at elementary or secondary schools are violating the terms of their visas and must leave the country by June.  The Confucius Institutes are part of China’s diplomatic and cultural outreach program, being found on nearly 60 campuses in the US.  Decried by some as propaganda machines, the Institutes are also heralded for increasing cultural understanding among nations.  Faculty and staff at affected institutions are “considering [their] options” and seeking clarification from the the Department.

That’s it for today! Have a good week and I’ll see you next week.

#TeamCUAD is the worst when it comes to updating this website. We know it. We admit it. However, it’s now summer time in the land of College Union & Activities as so we have some time to refocus our efforts. In our last episode “End of Year Recognition”, we talked about our new logo and our new Twitter account:

Twitter account: @CUADpodcast

So with that, here are the missing links to our podcasts #11-#16:

#11 - ACUI Conference Preview

We spoke with Ed Cabellon, the host director of the ACUI Conference in Boston. 

#12 - #TeamCUAD goes to ACUI (Live podcast from the Battle of the Regions event at ACUI in Boston)

We had such a great time with this one! Caught so many folks who helped make the conference happen, talked with ACUI staff, and really enjoyed ourselves! 

#13 - ACUI wrapup

#14 - Big Ideas in Higher Education Preview

Spoke with Coordinators of the Big Ideas in Higher Education (@BigIdeasEDU).

#15 - End of Year Recognition 

No special guests this week - brought back our segments (Word of the Week, Crazy Questions, etc). Talked about different types of End of Year Recognition events. 

Welcome, listeners; I’m Shawn Brackett.  Beginning today, the Daily Dose of Higher Education will transition to a summertime schedule as the Weekly Dose.  You can count on us for the week’s news in higher education through the summer; we will return to the Daily Dose in September.  In this week’s news,

“Politecnico di Milano to offer graduate coursework only in English starting 2014”

http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20120509174302914

Politecnico di Milano (Milan Polytechnic), an Italian institution of 37,000 students, has announced its intention to offer all coursework toward the Master of Science (M.Sc.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in English beginning in the 2014 academic year.  The Rector and other administrators see this move as a critical step toward an internationalized institution with a  common language to share research and in which to teach; the Ph.D. students association supports this move.  However, nearly 300 faculty members have signed a petition calling the English-only approach “un-Italian” and “unconstitutional,” fearing a “linguistic dictatorship.”

“Federal judge weighs in on debate over ‘fair use’ in higher education”

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/05/14/court-rejects-many-publishers-arguments-e-reserves

A federal judge ruled on Friday in favor of Georgia State University regarding its use of various electronic materials for teaching and established a new “fair use” standard allowing 10% of a work to be distributed without violation.  Several academic presses had filed suit alleging the university had violated the legal doctrine of “fair use” through its provision of electronic materials for class discussions and the availability of electronic reserves accessible to a variety of students.  Judge Evans ordered the publishers to come back with proposed remedies for the five works out of ninety-nine that were found in violation of “fair use.”

And, to end our Weekly Dose on a high note,

“Custodian and student of 12 years graduates from Columbia University”

http://news.yahoo.com/ivy-league-school-janitor-graduates-honors-182936684.html

Gac Filipaj graduated from Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts in Classics.  Gac is a full-time custodian at Columbia who began work in 1992 after leaving war-torn Yugoslavia (now Montenegro).  He described the importance of his degree as following the “spirit in which I was educated in my family—not to look for fame and fortune, but to have a simple, honest, honorable life.”

That’s it for today! Have a good week and I’ll see you on the 21st.

Welcome to the Friday, May 11th edition of the Daily Dose of Higher Education for Breakdrink.com; I’m Shawn Brackett bringing you today’s news.

“Alberta court rules U of Calgary violated students’ right of free expression”

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/calgary/infringed+freedom+speech+disciplining+Facebook+commenters+rules+court/6592844/story.html

The Alberta Court of Appeal (the province’s highest court) has sided with University of Calgary students in their lawsuit alleging the institution violated their charter right to free expression.  The Charter of Rights and Freedoms is a part of the Canadian Constitution and provides for a range of rights including the right to free expression.  At issue is the students’ use of Facebook to criticize a professor’s teaching qualifications and classroom conduct.  This lawsuit centers around the appropriate application of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to postsecondary campuses—some institutions have interpreted previous rulings to mean that they are exempt.

“St. Mary’s College opens pub to promote responsible drinking”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/st-marys-college-opens-its-own-pub/2012/05/11/gIQALS3OIU_story.html

In what might be seen as the beginning of a shift in mindset, St. Mary’s College has opened a pub on-campus.  Since the increase in minimum drinking age to 21-years-old in the 1980s by most states, many campus pubs have closed down for lack of business and/or fear of third parties perceiving such establishments as promoting alcohol consumption.  The institution sees the pub as a critical piece to its alcohol education and risk management strategy by reducing the likelihood of students drinking to excess or drinking and driving back to campus.

That’s it for today! Have a good night and I’ll see you on Monday.

Welcome to the Thursday, May 10th edition of the Daily Dose of Higher Education for Breakdrink.com; I’m Shawn Brackett bringing you today’s news.

“University of California System to Propose Raising Tuition for Fall 2012 by 6%”

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/05/09/MN421OF6QV.DTL

Experiencing what its vice-president for budget calls the “worst funding crisis” in state history, the University of California System is considering asking for a 6% increase in base tuition this fall term.  The state of California has a $9.2 billion deficit which may grow to $10.2 billion by the end of the fiscal year due to falling revenue from corporate taxes.  UC administrators and students agree that the system is under an historic threat to is public mission—for the first time ever, students contributed more to the UC budget than the state this academic year.  There will be a measure on the California ballot this November requesting a tax increase.  If passed, that measure would provide relief to the strained state budget.

“England to Enact New Quality Controls Based, In Part, on Unscheduled Investigations”

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/05/10/funding-council-british-universities-considers-quality-control-system

The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE; “hef-key”) has proposed a change to how government measures and ensures quality at colleges and universities.  Under the white paper put forth recently, HEFCE would collaborate with the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) and Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) to investigate institutions which have clusters of complaints by students, significantly lower scores on the National Student Survey, or higher rates of unaccredited teaching staff.  Currently, QAA reviews institutions every six years; this white paper suggest extending that timeline.

That’s it for today! Have a good night and I’ll see you tomorrow.

Hello everyone, and welcome to the May 9th edition of the Daily Dose for Breakdrink.com!

After Outcry Over Raises, Cal State Trustees Take Another Look at Policy on Presidents’ Pay

A potential revised policy from the California State University System Board of Trustees states future presidents of Cal State campuses will earn no more in base salary than their predecessors, unless the individual institution can raise non-public funds for increasing their pay. The policy goes to the full board for approval later today. The policy would allow institutions to be transparent and accountable to taxpayers, while still giving institutions a way to remain competitive when hiring new leadership.

University of California Tuition Hike: Officials Mull Six Percent Increase

In other California news, the University of California system is potentially looking at a 6% tuition increase. In addition to the increase, if voters do not pass Governor Jerry Brown’s tax plan in November, the institutions would also need to consider a mid year tuition increase in the range of double digits - or make drastic cuts to campus programs and staffing.

Loyola Bottled Water Ban: Chicago University Adds Refill Stations, Bans Bottle Sales

Students at Loyola University in Chicago made a bold move on behalf of sustainability. A majority of students voted last week to phase out the sale of disposable water bottles on campus in 2013. The university currently gives incoming students reusable bottles, and has installed 35 bottle refill stations on campus.

Buzz Bissinger, Friday Night Lights Author, Calls for a Ban on College Football

Buzz Bissinger, author of Friday Night Lights, has called for a ban on college football. This call has come from recent news of many tuition increases across the country coupled with scrutinizing the fees college students are paying. The article includes a list of the institutions where students are charged the most for college athletics, with Rutgers University topping the list, spending $9 million that comes directly from students.

Soccer Coach Steals 150 Copies of Student Newspaper at Central Connecticut State

Continuing with the sports theme, Shaun Green, head coach of the men’s soccer team at Central Connecticut State University, stole and trashed around 150 copies of the student newspaper. Coach Green was caught on camera grabbing newspapers from three student center racks, with an assistant coach by his side. According to the student newspaper’s coverage of the incident, Coach Green did not like the article published about his soccer team, which they say was similar to the press release issued - stating the soccer team had been disqualified from the next year’s post-season due to NCAA academic sanctions. Coach Green has apologized to campus security, but not to the newspaper staff.

Naomi Schaefer Riley, Chronicle of Higher Education Blogger, Fired for Calling Black Studies ‘Claptrap’

The Chronicle of Higher Education recently dismissed one of their bloggers, Naomi Schaefer Riley, after a blog post she wrote deriding black studies as an academic discipline. Riley looked at the titles of dissertations, and called them “left-wing victimization claptrap.” After questions whether Riley had actually read the dissertations, she stated she had no interest in reading the dissertations, that they were too narrowly focused to be widely read or have much academic value. After initially supporting Ms. Schaefer Riley, the Chronicle ultimately decided that her blog did not meet the editorial standards of the Chronicle, and dismissed her.

Thanks everyone! That’s it for today’s Daily Dose for Breakdrink.com!