Recently, the U.S. Senate came close to passing legislation, as part of a renewed Higher Education Act, which would force campuses across the nation to install anti-piracy software in their networks. Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) announced this amendment about two weeks ago and, after intense pressure from administrators all over the country, pulled the legislation from the floor at the last minute. The bill would require the Recording Industry Association of America and the Motion Picture Association of America to give lists each year of the 25 colleges with the highest number of copyright infringement. These institutions would then have to decide to use software like CopySense from Audible Magic and cGRID:Integrity from RedLambda or give up federal student aid packages. Campus computer systems' experts note that such programs are costly, tricky to implement and only can boast a modest success rate in curbing student-to-student file sharing. Colleges currently are protected from the entertainment industry's copyright laws with "safe harbor" designation; and, although the industry's leaders have noted that they do not plan to prosecute students or pursue legal action against colleges for copyright infringement, a loss of this special designation would prove disastrous for academic institutions. The issue is further complicated by the fact that the entertainment industry composes one of the most powerful lobbies in Washington -- one that the education lobbies cannot hope to compete with for Congressional influence.
In Motto Magazine's first annual list of the "10 Best College Mottos," Dartmouth's "Vox Clamantis in Deserto" which means "the voice of one crying in the wilderness" ranked number seven. Cornell University's motto, "I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study," came in first place. Usually translated as "a voice crying in the wilderness," Dartmouth's motto was elected by Eleazar Wheelock and is fitting given the College's famed independent spirit and location in the Northeastern wilderness. Other colleges which made the cut include Brown University, Wellesley College, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, Seton Hall University, Carnegie-Mellon University, Clark Atlanta University and Brigham Young University.
Steve Marchand announced Wednesday plans to kick off his 10 County "Real change, Right Now" statewide campaign tour for New Hampshire U.S. Senate. The tour will begin in Grafton County with Dartmouth as its first stop. Marchand said he will participate in a meet and greet with the College Democrats in the 1930 Room of the Rockefeller Center, appearing later that night at Kendall at Hanover. Other stops on Marchand's tour include Berlin and Lancaster. While campaigning, Marchand plans to bring out his message of grassroots activism.
