Secretary of State Hillary Clinton signed orders last week to reverse a Bush administration decision to prevent two foreign Muslim intellectuals from applying for U.S. visas, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported. Adam Habib, a political commentator from South Africa and critic of the Iraq War, was denied a visa in 2007 for having "engaged in terrorist activities," but was never informed of the specific charges against him, The Chronicle reported. Tariq Ramadan, an Islamic scholar from Europe, was denied visas in 2004 and 2006, potentially because of his donations to two charities with links to the radical Palestinian organization Hamas, according to The Chronicle. The American Civil Liberties Union and American Association of University Professors both advocated for the bans to be overturned.
A group of Berkeley, Calif. residents filed a lawsuit against 37 University of California, Berkeley fraternities Tuesday, alleging that the fraternities have made their neighborhood on the southern edge of UC Berkeley's campus a "miserable" place to live, the Contra Costa Times reported. The lawsuit, which was filed against over 70 groups and property owners in Alameda County Superior Court, asserts that attempts by University and fraternity organizations to curb underage drinking, loud parties, littering and pellet gun attacks have been ineffective, according to the Contra Costa Times. Attorneys for the fraternities told the Contra Costa Times that the organizations were committed to preventing these incidents, but that it is unfair to blame organizations for the behavior of individuals. A judge denied the residents' request for a temporary restraining order on Tuesday, the Contra Costa Times reported.
A federal appeals court granted the University of Southern California the right to use a logo depicting an intertwined "S" and "C" shared by both University of Southern California and the University of South Carolina on Tuesday, Inside Higher Ed reported. The conflict arose when the University of South Carolina tried to register its logo, prompting the University of Southern California to challenge the new logo as too close to the University of Southern California's already-registered design, according to court documents. The ruling will not force the University of South Carolina to immediately discontinue the use of the logo, although the court's decision allows the University of Southern California the opportunity to pursue further legal action against the University of South Carolina, Inside Higher Ed reported. South Carolina brought a counterclaim, in which it maintained that the initials "SC" have long been associated with the state of South Carolina. The federal court ruled against South Carolina on the basis that the initials "SC" are associated with at least 16 colleges and universities.