Last night, the Town of Hanover select board adopted a new rental housing ordinance in a four-to-one vote at its second public hearing on the matter. The ordinance gives the town the discretion to inspect a property for health and safety violations when it receives a written complaint and imposes a $200 charge for verified violations. If the owner refuses entry, the town may seek an administrative search warrant. The ordinance also requires all owners of rental property to register. Town manager Julia Griffin said the ordinance will strengthen the town's ability to inspect "problematic units." The new regulations specifically exempt Dartmouth fraternities, sororities and residence halls. The ordinance does not address occupancy levels, which one landlord at the hearing said was a major safety concern. Griffin said this issue falls under the purview of zoning regulations, not the select board. Selectman Peter Christie described the new measure as a "light" regulatory housing ordinance.
Last Wednesday's Supreme Court decision to dismantle the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act will affect some students in same-sex marriages who receive federal student aid, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. Previously, married gay students were considered single for the purposes of federal student aid distribution, so their spouse's income was excluded when calculating aid. The couple's children were also excluded from the household size count unless certain qualifications were met. Including spousal income could reduce the eligibility for aid of a student in a same-sex marriage, but the counting of spouses and children in household size could increase eligibility, according to The Chronicle. Students married in states that do not allow same-sex marriage will not be impacted by the court's decision.
Private colleges are criticizing the Department of Education for inaccurately assessing the financial health of their institutions and failing to respond to their calls, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported. The Department of Education measures colleges' financial health on a scale using ratios from fiscal year-end audits that identifies colleges that are struggling financially. Colleges that score below the range do not receive funding for federal financial aid programs and are subject to oversight by the Department of Education. Officials from the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities are proposing a formal appeals process and an advisory committee of accounting experts to guide the Department of Education.
