Despite the current economic downturn, admissions yields at highly selective universities appear to be similar or greater than yields in past years, according to The New York Times. Harvard and Dartmouth both experienced significant upturns in enrollment, while the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University had admissions yields similar to previous years. The College reported a 55 percent admissions yield this year, and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Maria Laskaris told The Times that the Admissions Office may not accept any students off of the wait list. Harvard administrators have noted that they may have room for as many as 75 wait list candidates, The Times reported.
Employees at a United States Department of Education contractor have been charged with illegally accessing President Barack Obama's student loan records, according to The Des Moines Register. Nine employees at the Iowa based company have been charged with accessing the student loan files from July 2007 through March 2009, The Register reported. The name of the contractor has not been released, but The Register reported that one of the defendants listed her job on her Facebook page as a supervisor at the consulting form Vangent Inc. from 2001 to 2009. Illegally accessing the files is a federal offense and carries with it a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. None of the defendants have entered pleas, according to The Register.
University of Virginia President John Casteen III has called for criminal background checks on all students applying to the University, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. Last week, a University of Virginia student with a prior police record was arrested for the murder of another student, prompting the proposal. The new policy would allow campus administrators to look at the criminal backgrounds of all applicants and would compel state law enforcement to inform the University about any criminal activity committed by current students. Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell and Kenneth Cuccinelli, the state attorney general, have promised expanded law enforcement data to the University. Other universities, including the University of North Carolina, have already implemented similar policies, The Chronicle reported. Some critics have raised questions about the policy's implementation, saying it creates a "no-enroll list" that will hurt low-income students, who are more likely to face punishment for criminal charges than higher-income students, according to The Chronicle.
