The Brookings Center announced the creation of the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform to address the uneven quality, cost and availability of health care in the U.S. on July 24. Dartmouth's Healthcare Center for Policy Research and Reform, along with a number of other institutions, will collaborate on the project. The Engelberg Center's primary goal is to develop and implement new health care policies to increase access, enhance the quality and lower the costs of health care in the U.S. and improve the development of new medicines. Elliot S. Fisher, head of the IHCPC and Primary Investigator of the Dartmouth Atlas Project will be in charge of the Engelberg's efforts at Dartmouth. The Dartmouth Atlas Project maintains detailed health care databases, which will be very helpful to the Engelberg Center. An exchange program for students and faculty will be a key element of the collaboration between Dartmouth and the Center.
According to the New York Times, a growing number of public universities in the U.S. have started charging more for certain degrees. The practice is a result of the high salaries professors demand in certain fields, the cost of specialized equipment and the refusal of many state legislatures to increase funding. Business degrees, which are currently very popular, now cost an additional $700 per semester, and some schools have also raised the price of journalism and engineering degrees. The move is highly unpopular, however, participating universities. Anecdotal evidence suggests that these additional costs discourage poor students from pursing more expensive majors. Students who do pay extra fees are less willing to take courses in other departments, to ensure that they get the most for their tuition money. Administrators worry that majors will become increasingly segregated and that students in more expensive fields will receive less well-rounded educations.
Parents flocked to Dartmouth this past weekend for the annual Sophomore Family Weekend. The three-day event featured many activities for students and their families, including tours of the library, faculty presentations, a reception on President Wright's lawn and a pancake paddle at Ledyard Canoe Club. The weekend also coincided with the town of Hanover's StreetFest on Saturday. Sophomore Family Weekend Co-organizer Elias Tapely '09, said the event was a success, in part because the weather was better than expected, though there were several sun-showers. There were also several fundraising events this weekend, including an art show held by Kappa Delta Epsilon sorority, which benefited WE-ACTx, a Haitian HIV clinic, the Interfraternity Council's Ice-Cream Social, which benefited Project Bangladesh and the Haitian Art Show.
