Most students who receive a bad grade move on. Brian Marquis sued. The 51-year-old University of Massachusetts at Amherst student filed a lawsuit against the college after receiving a C in a course called Problems in Social Thought, according to the Boston Globe. Marquis claims that the university infringed upon his civil and contractual rights, as well as deliberately caused him emotional distress. The teaching assistant for the class, Jeremy Cushing, graded students on a curve, therefore, Marquis's numerical 84 became a C at the TA's discretion. District Court Judge Michael A. Ponsor dismissed the suit. Marquis is thinking of appealing to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
In the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings, many colleges focused on updating their emergency response programs. But a new online survey by crisis-management firm SimpsonScarborough recently revealed that while many have attempted to update their current systems, very few would be prepared for real emergencies, as the Chronicle of Higher Education reported. Even when the colleges of the respondents of the 546 people surveyed had plans for situations like terrorism, more likely crises often took a back seat. Fewer than half of the respondents' schools had crisis plans for a suicide or strike, and fewer than one in four had plans for a situation that might harm an institution's reputation, such as a hazing scandal. 68 percent had a response planned for an on-campus shooting.
Harvard students, represented by the Undergraduate Council, cast a vote on Wednesday that flies in the face of a recent administrative policy change that bans school-funded parties, according to The Harvard Crimson. In light of faculty reports of alcohol abuse on campus, administrators felt the need to terminate funds flowing from the university's party grant program. The decision was met with great disapproval from the student body. Sophomore Katherine Y. Tan told The Crimson that she felt the choice was "based on the gut reaction of faculty who are out of touch." While university officials acknowledge that this change will not stop all underage drinking, they felt that they could not condone parties where such illegal and potentially harmful activity was likely to occur. Judith H. Kidd, associate dean of the college, responded to complaints by stressing the fact that there was no change in the school's party rules. Private parties are still allowed as long as they fall within Harvard's criteria.
