Last week Wachovia froze approximately $9.3 billion of funds invested by nearly 1,000 colleges and universities held by the short-term education investment fund, Commonfund, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported Monday. All institutions, including Dartmouth, were originally limited access to only 10 percent of their assets in the fund, according to The Chronicle, which caused a problem for institutions that were relying on assets in the fund for immediate cash expenses and payments. Colleges and universities presently have access to approximately 34 percent of their funds, According to The Daily Pennsylvanian. Representatives from Moody's Investment Services told the Chronicle that all institutions with assets in Commonfund will have access to approximately 57 percent of their funds by the end of the year.
First-generation and low-income students who would most benefit from special educational experiences such as writing senior "capstone" projects are least likely to participate in these projects, according to a recent study by the Association of American Colleges and Universities. Black and Hispanic students gain the most advantages from such programs, the study found, as these students are less likely to enter college with high-level academic experience. According to the report "High-Impact Educational Practices: What Are They, Who Has Access To Them, and Why They Matter", student participation in learning communities and other similar educational programs is linked to faculty emphasis. George Kuh, author of the study, said in the report that while educational opportunities such as study-abroad programs and internships have been noted as highly effective, students who self-identify as low-income, minority or first in their family to attend college are not likely to participate in these programs.
At Georgetown University, an outbreak of a severe illness known as a norovirus developed last week, Inside Higher Ed reported Monday. Symptoms of the virus include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea and have affected close to 200 students and faculty members at the university. Because students on undergraduate campuses are constantly in close quarters and noroviruses are extremely contagious, multiple public events at Georgetown have been cancelled, including a football game against Colgate University. Representatives from other institutions told Inside Higher Ed that the outbreak of this norovirus has inspired them to step up their sanitation procedures in order to prevent further spread of disease. Georgetown officials are encouraging any person who feels symptoms of the norovirus to avoid contact with other students, according to Inside Higher Ed.
