An armed student was fatally shot by University of California, Berkeley campus police on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Los Angeles Times. A staff member initially spotted the student later identified as undergraduate transfer student Christopher Travis, 32 on an elevator with what looked like a firearm in his backpack and reported the situation to the police. When confronted by three police officers in a computer lab two minutes later, Travis pulled out the weapon and "displayed it in a threatening manner," Berkeley Police Chief Mitch Celaya said in a press conference. The police officers shot Travis in response, and he died aftergoing surgery at Highland Hospital on Tuesday. No other individuals were harmed in the incident, the LA Times reported.
Harvard University admissions officers are "strongly considering" allowing undergraduate applicants to self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender on their applications, The Harvard Crimson reported. Admissions officers hope that the change which may include an optional essay question in which students can share stories and experiences they could not discuss elsewhere in the application will encourage students to apply who might struggle with self-identification and acceptance, Harvard Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William Fitzsimmons said in an interview with The Crimson. Admissions officers plan to meet with various student organizations to discuss the merits of the possible change. Dartmouth currently allows prospective students to indicate an interest in the LGBT community or gender identity on its supplement to the Common Application. Harvard instituted a similar option last year when the Class of 2015 applied. Harvard will make a final decision regarding whether to consider the addition of the optional essay by February, The Crimson reported.
Stop Animal Exploitation Now!, a group concerned with the protection of animal rights, announced Tuesday that the organization plans to release a commercial negatively portraying Princeton University's treatment of primates in labaratory research, The Daily Princetonian reported. The commercial will run for a week-long trial period on networks accessible by the Princeton community and can be found on the SAEN website. The video presents "graphic photos" of primates in restraint chairs while a voice describes the photos as torturous and explains that tax revenue funds such experiments, The Princetonian reported. The commercial ends with a call to contact Princeton President Shirley Tilghman and provides viewers with her phone number. The U.S. Agriculture Department has accused Princeton of six animal rights violations in the past year and 11 throughout 2010, The Princetonian reported.
