President Barack Obama nominated Pamela Joyner '79, a member of the College's Board of Trustees, to be one of six new members of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday. The committee "focuses on arts and humanities education, cultural diplomacy, economic revitalization through the arts and humanities, and special events dedicated to recognizing excellence in these areas," according to the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities web site. Joyner has been a College trustee since 2001. She founded Avid Partners, LLC and has worked in senior positions at Bowman Capital and Capital Guardian Trust Company, according to BNO News. Joyner is also a former co-chair and trustee emeritus of the San Francisco Ballet and a trustee of The School of American Ballet, BNO News reported.
Rep. Paul Hodes '72, D-N.H., announced a new proposal to increase New Hampshire's supervision of safety inspections at the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant, the Associated Press reported Monday. Inspectors found tritium, a carcinogenic isotope of hydrogen, in groundwater and a sump pit around the power plant on Jan. 7, according to the AP. The source of the tritium is under investigation and officials have said it may have come from an underground pipe leak. N.H. Department of Heath Communications Director Nancy Erickson told The Times Argus the tritium does not pose a health risk because it is not in drinking water. The Department of Health announced that the highest levels of tritium were found Saturday, which means the measurements are being taken close to the source of the contamination, according to The Times Argus.
Florida State University will have to throw out records of multiple victories across 10 sports because of a widespread academic fraud scandal, The Seattle Times reported. The National Collegiate Athletic Association ordered Florida State officials to decide which records they would vacate after the Seminoles lost an appeal in front of the NCAA Committee on Infractions on Jan. 5, according to The Times. Florida State notified the NCAA on Sunday of the victories they intend to vacate, which included 12 of retired football coach Bobby Bowden's 389 career victories, The Times reported. In addition to the 12 vacated football victories during the 2006 and 2007 seasons, the men's and women's basketball teams each vacated 22 victories, the softball team vacated 32 victories and the baseball team vacated four victories, according to The Seattle Times.
