Watching the Ivies
BROWN: The body of missing student Sunil Tripathi was discovered floating in the Providence River last week, ending a month-long search for the disappeared former Brown University student. The Brown men’s crew team came across the body while rowing, and the body was later identified by the Rhode Island state medical examiner’s office through a dental examination, according to the Brown Daily Herald. Both the cause of death and the length of time the body was in the water remain unknown, the Herald reported.
COLUMBIA: Ronald Perelman, CEO of MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings Inc., donated $100 million to the Columbia Business School, joining one other person in offering the school the largest donation in its history, the Columbia Spectator reported. Perelman is a not actually a Columbia Business School alumnus, unlike Henry Kravis, the school’s other $100 million contributor. According to the Spectator, Perelman graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, with an MBA. Perelman expressed his hope that the gift would be an investment in the next generation of business leaders.
CORNELL: Cornell University has raised over $500 million for the 2012-2013 fiscal year to date, marking a highly successful fundraising year, according to the Cornell Daily Sun. Though failing to match last year’s record $733.8 million, university officials say Cornell has been “running three to five percent ahead of last year consistently”, the Daily Sun reported. Cornell’s 2006 fundraising campaign set a goal of $4.75 billion by 2015, which has prompted a steady increase in donations.
HARVARD: A Committee on Academic Integrity at Harvard University has proposed Harvard’s first-ever honor code, the Harvard Crimson reported. The Dean of Undergraduate Education sent an email to the student body, urging them to voice their opinions on the committee’s recommendations. The new honor code would establish a student faculty judicial board for cases of academic dishonesty, as well as a required written “declaration of integrity” on major student assignments, according to the Crimson.
PRINCETON: Princeton faculty unanimously downvoted an Academic Committee measure that would have allowed students to rescind a pass/D/fail election after viewing a final letter grade, according to the Daily Princetonian. Many faculty members decided to vote against the proposal because they felt the purpose of the pass/D/fail option was to “encourage students not to worry about grades in a class,” the Princetonian reported. Students will continue to be able to elect P/D/F option during the ninth week of the term.
UPENN: The University of Pennsylvania announced History and Africana Studies professor Eve Troutt Powell as the new associate dean for the School of Arts and Sciences, according to the Daily Pennsylvanian. Powell will be the first African American associate dean of the SAS, and her term will begin July 1. Currently the school’s history department chair, Powell will replace classical studies professor Ralph Rosen.
YALE: Following Harvard, Brown and the University of Pennsylvania, the Yale Health Plan has extended its insurance to cover sex-reassignment surgeries for students. According to the Yale Daily News, the procedure was previously only covered for faculty and staff. The coverage will be effective as of August 1st, and will be approved on an individual basis, in a manner similar to that required of the general population.