Watching the Ivies: 2/18
BROWN: At Brown University, the Undergraduate Council of Students has drafted a statement to be sent to Congress in protest of the federal budget sequester. The federal spending cuts include a 6 percent reduction in federal financial aid for students, which the UCS declares will make Brown unaffordable for numerous individuals. The UCS approved the statement without objections and will submit it to Congress, the Brown Daily Herald reported. The statement also recommends that professors on sabbatical leave have their pay raised from 75 percent pay to their full-time salary.
CORNELL: Students at Cornell University participating in this year’s housing lottery will, for the first time, have the option of selecting a roommate of the opposite gender. The University adopted a gender-inclusive housing policy in response to a Student Assembly resolution last October, in an effort to “normalize attitudes toward gender,” according to the Cornell Daily Sun. As a result, the housing selection software will accommodate mixed-gender rooms and suites beginning in the 2013-14 academic year. Cornell would be the first university to have an electronic system in place for open gender room draw, as most institutions assign mixed-gender roommates manually.
HARVARD: The Crimson reported last week that students accused in Harvard University’s recent ”Introduction to Congress” cheating scandal could potentially seek litigation against the college. Lawyers who have conferred with accused students concede that these students would face an uphill battle in pursuing lawsuits against Harvard, due to the University’s private-institution status and scrupulous investigative procedures. However, students could still develop a case around “the course’s allegedly unclear collaboration policies,” according to The Crimson.
PRINCETON: Princeton University’s Center for African American Studies recently underwent an external review in order to potentially convert the AAS certificate into a major. The Center, which is currently experiencing a phase of faculty transition, will receive the results of the review later this year. Princeton is currently the only school in the Ivy League that does not offer an undergraduate major in African American Studies, according to The Daily Princetonian.
UPENN: The University of Pennsylvania has reached an agreement with Veolia Energy to commission two low-emission rapid response boilers to power the campus with steam. The two new boilers will help advance the city of Philadelphia nearly 10 percent toward its target for energy efficiency. The initiative will have an effect equivalent to removing 11,570 cars from the road, according to The Daily Pennsylvanian.
YALE: Yale University administrators are reevaluating Yale’s academic integrity policies after Harvard’s recent cheating scandal. University officials are discouraging professors from offering take-home exams in an effort to avoid a situation similar to that of Harvard. Current Yale policy requires professors to communicate to students a specific definition of what constitutes cheating and their views on academic honesty, according to Yale Daily News.