Members of Princeton University's Class of 2016, the first class banned from participating in Greek life during freshman year, will begin to rush Greek houses next month, The Daily Princetonian reported on Sunday. The freshman ban has increased interest in recruitment, and students are choosing to rush alongside their friends instead of using the Greek system to meet new people, Greek presidents told The Princetonian. Former Sigma Chi fraternity president Cuauhtemoc Ocampo said the fraternity's current rush class is approximately two and a half times larger than last year's. Kappa Alpha president William Hicks said the ban has allowed students to learn more about fraternities and sororities before rushing. Princeton banned freshmen from participating in Greek life in fall 2012, following a recommendation from the Working Group on Campus Social and Residential Life in May 2011.
Five schools in the United Kingdom Kingston University, University of Derby, University of Leeds, Edinburgh University and University of West Scotland have banned the hit summer song "Blurred Lines" due to the song's raunchy video and misogynistic lyrics, Gigwise reported Monday. Students interviewed by Gigwise had mixed views about the decision. While one student argued that there are other popular songs with equally sexist lyrics, another student expressed support of the ban, calling the song "over played." Grand Valley State University in Michigan removed a ball-shaped sculpture that had been on display since 1997 after students used it to imitate scenes from Miley Cyrus's music video "Wrecking Ball," The Wall Street Journal reported last Wednesday.
Harvard University plans to raise $6.5 billion by 2018 as part of the largest capital campaign in higher education history, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday. The university said 45 percent of the money will go towards research and teaching, 25 percent to financial aid, 20 percent to capital improvements and 10 percent for other uses. The school has raised $2.8 billion in the last two years, during the campaign's pre-launch phase. Harvard President Drew Faust said the university will use the money to expand Harvard's online education platform and international programs. Harvard's current endowment is $30.7 billion dollars and its last capital campaign ended in 1999, raising $2.6 billion. Several other elite schools, including Stanford University, Yale University, Cornell University and the University of Southern California, are also launching capital campaigns.
