Dartmouth received an A- on the 2011 College Sustainability Report Card, and was named one of 52 "Overall College Sustainability Leaders," according to the organization's website. The report praised the College's sale of local food products, commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and eco-friendly student organizations. Dartmouth received an A in the Climate Change and Energy, Food and Recycling, Green Building, Student Involvement, Transportation, Endowment Transparency and Shareholder Engagement categories. The survey also criticized the College's lack of investment in renewable energy funds. Dartmouth received a B in the Investment Priorities and Administration categories. The report is an independent evaluation of sustainability on 322 campuses. Several other Ivies including Harvard University, Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University also received an overall grade of A-, according to the website.
Burgwell Howard, the dean of students at Northwestern University, warned students about wearing racially insensitive costumes this Halloween in an e-mail Monday, according to the Chicago Tribune. Howard urged students to avoid hosting parties with themes like "ghetto," "pimps and hos" and "gangsta." Last year at Northwestern, two students were tagged in Facebook photos in blackface at a Halloween party, the Tribute reported. The controversial photos sparked discussions about race on the predominantly white campus. "Halloween is unfortunately a time when the normal thoughtfulness and sensitivity of most NU students can be forgotten and some poor decisions are made," Howard wrote in the e-mail.
The U.S. Department of Education distributed a 10-page letter on Tuesday urging colleges and local school districts to take a more active role to prevent harassment and bullying, The New York Times reported. The letter was the result of a year-long study of laws and legal precedents that deal with issues of bullying and harassment, and was intended to remind schools of their responsibilities in confronting the issue. The letter identified harassment as anything that interferes with a student's ability to benefit from opportunities a school offers, according to The Times. Department officials said that the letter "took on new urgency in recent weeks" because of several cases of student suicides that occurred as a result of bullying, The Times reported.
