The administration and Student Assembly will create a task force to evaluate long-term options for use of the College-controlled land along the Connecticut River, according to an e-mail the Dean of the College on July 16, which was signed by Acting Dean of the College Sylvia Spears, Associate Dean of the College for Campus Life April Thompson, and three members of Student Assembly. "It will be very important that the Task Force members represent the breadth of the student community," the e-mail said. The College plans to solicit input from staff and faculty who possess "particular areas of expertise" as well, the e-mail said. Administrators evaluated proposals for "safe use of the waterfront" earlier this term but determined that the College's river docks will remain closed for swimming throughout the remainder of the summer, according to the e-mail. The College will continue to provide free shuttles to the Storrs Pond recreational area on weekends, and will continue to offer free canoe and kayak rentals, according to the e-mail.
The Upper Valley Humane Society partially reopened its Animal Care Center Friday, according to a news release by the Humane Society. The center closed June 18 due to a ringworm infection of "epic proportions," Jill Harris, president of the Humane Society, said in the release. Following recommendations from a veterinary hospital and protocols from the University of California at Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, the Humane Society disinfected and environmentally tested the center to ensure its safe reopening. The center tested over 300 environmental cultures and discarded all items with porous surfaces, according to the release. The discarded items filled 10 dumpsters and The Humane Society lost up to $75,000 as a result of the incident, the release said. The center plans to fully reopen on July 30.
American universities must "clarify and simply the admissions process" in order to increase the percentage of U.S. adults with an associate degree or higher to 55 percent by 2025, according to a report released by the College Board on Thursday. The report, titled "The College Completion Agenda: 2010 Progress Report," measures individual states' progress toward the 10 recommendations outlined by the College Board to achieve this goal, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported on Thursday. Recommendations to streamline the admissions process include the use of online applications as well as encouraging colleges to accept the Common Application, which allows students to apply to multiple universities with a single form. The report also recommends an increase in need-based financial aid, improvements to the K-12 education system and enhancements in middle and high school college counseling.
