Around the Ivies
Brown University:Brown’s Engaged Scholars program, which aims to combine academics with community engagement, is undergoing plans for expansion starting in fall 2015, according to The Brown Daily Herald. This year will see the addition of five more concentrations — including business, entrepreneurship and organizations and contemplative studies — as well as a new assistant director to run the program In the future, staff working on development of the program hope to further bridge the gap between what students learn in the classroom to real world experience through requirements, such as 250 hours on a community involvement project.
Cornell University:A viral video that rapidly spread through the campus last week has sparked strong reactions from students and faculty. In the video, an interview pretending to be a Moroccan student facing racial discrimination talks to assistant dean of students for student activities Joseph Scaffido, using a hidden camera and microphone. The interviewer asked Scaffido whether it would be possible to bring a freedom fighter to campus, which Scaffido compared to “bringing in a coach to do a training on a sports team,” according to the Cornell Daily Sun. Cornell President David Skorton responded that terrorist groups such as ISIS or Hamas would never be allowed on campus, and called the idea “ludicrous and absolutely offensive.”
Harvard University:Harvard claims its sexual assault statistics have been misrepresented in the documentary “The Hunting Ground” (2015), which scrutinizes how sexual assault is handled on college campuses. The film focuses on Harvard as it examines the experiences of sexual assault victims and their views regarding what they believe to be an insufficient response from administrators. Harvard faculty members, however, see inconsistencies in the statistics of the film, which they believe misconstrue sexual assault on the campus, The Harvard Crimson reported.
Princeton University:This year, Princeton’s annual Lawnparties event will feature a performance by Grammy-nominated rapper Big Sean, along with opening acts by hip-hop singer Luke Christopher and pop singer Alus, the Daily Princetonian reported. The rapper released his newest album, “Dark Sky Paradise” (2015), in February. Big Sean was selected because of the campus demand for high quality, famous performers, according to Ella Cheng ’16, president of Undergraduate Student Government.
University of Pennsylvania:Beginning in fall of this year, Penn will have a new program focused on sexual and relationship violence prevention. Penn Anti-Violence Educators will be comprised of five to 10 students who will undergo training to run workshops on bystander intervention, according to The Daily Pennsylvanian. The workshops will discuss intervention strategies as well as how to respond and steps to take if a friend says they have been sexually assaulted.
Yale University:Student activists across Yale’s campus came together last week to discuss different issues affecting the university in Unite Yale: Rally for Student Power. The primary goal of the protest was to advocate for improved cultural centers, accessibility of mental health services and fossil fuel divestment, which the University decided against, the Yale Daily News reported. Those in attendance aimed to form a collaboration in which students could make progress together and resolve some of the campus-wide issues.