The proportion and total number of black and Mexican-American students enrolling in U.S. law schools decreased between 1993 and 2008, according to a study by Columbia Law School professor Conrad Johnson, The New York Times reported Wednesday. The decline comes despite a 3,000-student increase in law school enrollment nationwide and higher LSAT scores and grade point averages among students in the two minority groups, The Times reported. Mexican-American and black applicants faced lower acceptance rates than white applicants between 2003 and 2008, according to The Times. The enrollment decline may be a result of law schools' admissions priorities, Associate Dean of Thomas M. Cooley Law School John Nussbaumer told The Times. Many law schools try to boost their rankings by increasing the GPAs and test scores of their classes instead of focusing on whether applicants can succeed in a law school, Nussbaumer told the Times.
The Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences has added a religious exemption from its policy banning its students from wearing any kind of head covering that obscures a student's face, Inside Higher Ed reported Friday. The ban on face coverings, which came into effect Jan. 1, made the school the first American institution to have such a ban, according to Inside Higher Ed. The policy previously provided for medical but not religious exemptions to the policy, prompting the Council for American-Islamic Relations to file a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Inside Higher Ed reported. In a statement, the college said the policy change was "based on a constructive dialogue with our extended community, and an intensive review of safety and security measures with advisors," according to Inside Higher Ed.
Taiwanese colleges will soon be allowed to admit students from China, pending approval from the Taiwanese Legislature, the Associated Press reported on Thursday. Previously, Chinese students were not allowed to study in Taiwan due to national fears that Chinese students would gain political influence on the island and bring unwanted competition to the Taiwanese job market. The policy would allow up to 2,000 students from 40 Chinese universities to obtain degrees at Taiwanese institutions, according to the AP. The move represents the latest attempt by Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou to improve relations between Taiwan and China, which have remained tense since war broke out in 1949, the AP reported.
