A recent study by Denise Pope, a senior lecturer at Stanford University's Graduate School of Education, questions the Advanced Placement program's ability to prepare students for college-level classes, Inside Higher Ed reported. The report examines claims that the AP program enriches students' high school experiences and gives them advantages in college. Students who take AP classes in high school likely already are motivated and possess good study habits, which may influence their relative success in universities rather than in the AP exams themselves, according to the study. Researchers also found that introducing AP classes to inner-city schools did not necessarily produce positive results. Since AP exams focus largely on memorization instead of skill acquisition, they may not accurately measure what students have learned. Last November, Dartmouth voted to stop accepting pre-matriculation AP credits for incoming freshmen beginning with the Class of 2018.
Students discussed pertinent campus issues at the second annual State of the Ivy Address held at Columbia University on Saturday, the Columbia Spectator reported. Representatives from all Ivy League schools attended the event, some through video. Students discussed Greek life, alcohol policies, diversity initiatives and modes for student feedback to the administration, among other concerns. Student Assembly president Suril Kantaria '13 spoke about the Assembly's work to promote events that provide social alternatives to Greek life. He also discussed the freshman peer advising program, which currently remains in its pilot phase and whose success depends on the support of the administration, Kantaria said.
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art will begin charging tuition to undergraduates in fall 2014, marking the first time students have paid to attend in over a century, The New York Times reported. This change follows nearly two years of debate amongst administrators and trustees as costs continue to rise. Cooper Union has been operating at a $12 million annual deficit, according to Cooper Union's president, Jamshed Bharucha. The financial difficulties are the result of a growing administrative staff, ineffective fundraisers and annual payments of $10 million on a $175 million loan that the school took out several years ago. Students, faculty members and alumni have called for the administration to open its books to allow for a transparent analysis of expenses and spending. While the college will continue need-blind admissions, students will pay on a sliding scale, with those most able spending $20,000 on tuition, according to The Times.
