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The Dartmouth
July 9, 2025 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Daily Debriefing

An increasing number of liberal arts colleges are opting out of participation in the annual U.S. News and World Report college rankings. While U.S. News maintains that its rankings offer valuable statistics and information about colleges and universities, critics say that the magazine influences schools to value success in rankings when they ought to focus on quality of education. Colleges such as Williams, Swarthmore and other members of the Annapolis Group, an consortium of 121 liberal arts colleges, announced their decision to cut off associations with the magazine's service during their annual meeting on Tuesday. A majority of the 80 attending presidents agreed to stop participating in the U.S. News rankings. The decision is part of a larger movement against these rankings, as several college presidents have recently encouraged other institutions to refrain from participating in the peer review process, on which U.S. News relies for its assessment.

On Wednesday, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions approved legislation that if passed, would give $17.3 billion in financial aid to needy college students. The bipartisan agreement seeks to modify the original 1965 Higher Education Act, which expanded resources for colleges to award federal need-based grants. Significant backlash remains among opposing officials, some of whom believe that the bill would detract from federal funds that could go toward reducing the deficit. Although the decision to renew the Higher Education Act was a victory for supporters of government-sponsored education programs, discontented senators warn that there will be more resistance to the actual enactment of the legislation, including tougher measures against schools' efforts to decrease college tuition. The $17.3 billion allocation will be the most significant of the bill's proposed changes. Furthermore, the legislation features "income-based repayment," which adjusts loan payment requirements based on students' individual incomes.

Eric Hasse '80, an artist who has continued to create eccentric artwork while fighting early-onset Parkinson's disease, will close his Hanover gallery at the end of June. Hasse's gallery, which has showcased his original art over the past nine months, features a range of works--from digital manipulations of his own ink drawings to images of corks rolling across the surface of a scanner. Hasse's innovative artwork began when he experimented with a flatbed scanner and a computer. While Hasse's mobility was restricted by the disease, he remained committed to his artistic passion.