The 2010 "State of College Admission" report of theNational Association for College Admission Counseling found that 47 percent of colleges reported an increase in early decision applications for 2009. More than half of the colleges with an early decision policy admitted more students from the early decision applicant pool, making early applications more attractive, the report found. Early decision programs have been frequently criticized for favoring elite students able to start the college selection process early and who do not need to compare financial aid awards from various colleges, and several colleges have eliminated the process entirely. Early decision is still not a dominant application method, as only 7 percent of total applications at colleges with this option came from early decision applicant pools. The report also found a rise in proportion of online applications, future possibility of reduced selectivity in colleges and the rise in "demonstrated interest in enrolling" as a new important factor in getting admission.
A new survey by Harvard University's Institute of Politics has found a drop in interest in the Nov. 2 midterm elections among college student voters. About one-fourth of voters under the age of 30 said that they would "definitely be voting" this November, while about 15 percent said that they would "probably vote". The survey also found that young voters' approval rating of President Barack Obama to have dropped below 50 percent for the first time. These voters continue to favor Democrats by an 11-point margin, according to the survey. The respondents said they were ideologically diverse, with about one-fourth identifying as moderate and one-third each as liberal or conservative.
An internal audit by the University of Virginia of the literary magazine, The Virginia Quarterly Review, found that its editor Ted Genoways had "questionable" managerial skills, and accused him of misusing magazine funds to publish his book of poetry, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported. Junior staff members have also said that Genoways was guilty of workplace bullying, saying it led to managing editor Kevin Morrissey's suicide last summer, but the audit did not invoke the incident, the Chronicle reported. In response to the findings, university President Teresa Sullivan has announced that the magazine's publication will now be overseen by the university's Office of the Vice President for Research, according to the Chronicle. Genoways was appointed editor of the magazine in 2003 and had recommended Morrissey as his deputy.
