Add • Search this section • RSS Feed

Temple Students Join Service Immersion Program

Students working with Temple’s Student Activities’ Service Immersion Program will volunteer in nursing homes and shelters to take on issues of urban poverty, sustainable development, and homelessness.   Six trips to places on the East Coast, Mexico, and Jamaica will link approximately 90 students with service opportunities, according to Director of Student Activities Chris Carey. Students will stay in hostels and churches, and some will dine with the homeless after cooking them meals in shelters.  Other students will help by reading a book to a class or working with illiterate adults, according to an article in Temple News.   The immersion trips will “provide cross-cultural experiences that stretch out comfort zones, question our assumptions, and expand our perspectives,” reads the application for one of the trips. Reflection and discussion are central parts of the program, aiming to give students a better understanding of different socioeconomic backgrounds. “It is important to look beyond yourself,” said junior international business major Abiola Adeola, originally from Nigeria. “This [opportunity] is right in front of you.”   Participants will also gain leadership experience as they do a lot of their own fundraising for the trips individually and in teams of 10 to 20. More from The Temple News

Issue: Community Service

Student Protesters Arrested at UC Board of Regents Meeting

Chants of “Whose university? Our university!” broke up a Board of Regents meeting Wednesday as dozens of University of California students, alumni, faculty, and staff protested $300 million in budget cuts and a 32 percent tuition hike.  University police arrested fourteen of the 100 protesters on charges of civil disobedience. The protestors presented themselves at the Regents meeting that morning on UCSF’s Mission Bay campus, where UC President Mark Yudof proposed his plan to account for a $753 million budget shortfall. UC Santa Cruz student David Patida, yelled, “You’re incompetent!” at Yudof as speaker after speaker expressed outrage at the plan. Yudof has come under fire for his proposal, which would increase student tuition to over $10,000 next year for the first time. Recent UC Berkeley graduate Jillian Marks, one of those arrested, said the tuition increase comes on top of faculty and staff layoffs and a system-wide furlough, which requires academic and university employees to take 10 to 26 days off for the year. Additionally, Marks voiced her concerns regarding the proposed 15 percent mid-year student fee increase for this academic year and the following 15 percent fee increase for 2010-11. "It's going to explode pretty soon, if it hasn't already," said UC-Berkeley student-body president Will Smelko. "We need to take drastic measures." More from the Daily Bruin at UCLA More from the San Francisco Gate

Issue: Student Governance and Campus Administration

UC Regents Consider 32 percent Fee Hike

With hundreds of millions of dollars slashed from the University of California budget, the Board of Regents is considering raising student fees 32 percent next fall, bringing undergraduate tuition to over $10,000 for the first time. Students are reacting with bewilderment and anger. "It's terrifying," said UC-Santa Barbara student Janelle Mungo, organizer of the anti-fee-hike group "Don't Cut Us Out." "We've seen our tuition go up like thousands of dollars." "It's really coming out of left field," said Victor Sanchez, president of the UC Students Association (UCSA) and a UC Santa Cruz undergraduate. "What you're going to see is an astronomical drop in the number of students able to attend."  UCSA is a statewide student association representing more than 200,000 students at the University of California campuses. UC administrators see the fee hikes as an unfortunate necessity in light of recent slashes to the UC budget. "Obviously a fee increase would be painful for students, we understand that," UC spokesman Ricardo Vazquez said. "But the kind of quality that students expect is being threatened." Both graduate and undergraduate students would be affected by the fee increase. Part of the proposal considers charging undergraduate business and engineering students up to $1,000 more than other students. "To students: I'm sorry, I regret it, but the state has stopped building the highways to higher education, and they've started building toll roads," UC President Mark Yudof said. The proposal will be voted on in November. More from the San Jose Mercury News More from KSBY NBC News More from the L.A. Times More from the Sacramento Bee

Issue: Higher Education Affordability

Students Protest Use of Coal on 10 Campuses

Students at multiple campuses protested coal-generated energy at their universities on Wednesday as part of the Sierra Club's "Moving Campuses Beyond Coal" campaign. Student Sierra Club chapters at the University of California-LA, Oregon State, Indiana University, University of Minnesota, and University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and five other campuses held the events. "University campuses have been at the forefront of many of the most important movements in history," said Mallory Schillinger, a senior at the University of Missouri. "Global warming is where the fight is at, and the most crucial part of that fight—coal—is located right here on our campus." Students at the UNC-Chapel Hill delivered information about changing the campuses energy policy to Ray DuBose, UNC's director of energy services. DuBose said that the university-owned coal-burning plant was looking to shift to biomass fuel. According to Alan Scher Zagier of the Associated Press, "In recent years, several schools have opted to forego campus coal plants in response to student protests and regulatory scrutiny." A 2007 Sierra Club lawsuit led the University of Wisconsin to embark on a $251 million project to convert its coil-boilers to burning paper pellets and woodchips. Northern Michigan University slashed coal from the plans for a new power plant when the EPA refused to issue an air permit, and Ball State University is transitioning its energy systems away from coal too. More from The Daily Tar Heel at UNC-Chapel Hill More from the Maneater at the University of Missouri More from the Daily Camera at the University of Colorado More from College News More from The Associated Press

Issue: Environment

University of Minnesota Student Videographers Promote Sustainability

As Universities across the country are submitting plans to go climate neutral, five student videographers at the University of Minnesota-Morris are producing a five minute film for the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) to encourage other higher education institutions to join the movement to reverse climate change and find clean energy solutions.  Student organizations across the nation have gotten more than 600 campuses to pledge to go climate neutral in their efforts to solve global warming.  The video portrays the benefits of wind energy, green jobs, and highlights two of UM's major "green initiatives"--purchasing local foods through the Pride of the Prarie local foods program, and a $500,000 investment in agricultural by-products. The video also celebrates UM's plan to become, in the words of Associate Profeesor of Biology Peter Wyckoff, the nation's first “truly fossil fuel carbon neutral" university. Student Matt Pivratsky spoke about how much he learned in the process of making the film. "Our [campus] goal for 50 percent local foods by 2013 was probably the greatest and most intriguing piece of information I picked up,” said Pivratsky. Meanwhile, campuses including the University of Pennsylvania, Syracuse University, Bunker Hill Community College and the UM-Morris announced their plans to be carbon neutral this week.  More from the University of Minnesota-Morris More from the Daily Orange at Syracuse University More from Reuters More from the Daily Pennsylvanian at the University of Pennsylvania More from ACUPCC

Issue: Environment

Student Aid Bill Would Invest Billions in Financial Aid

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Representatives George Miller (D-CA) and Tim Bishop (D-NY) held a teleconference Tuesday with student journalists from around the country to talk about the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA). The bill includes a range of reforms that will save $87 billion over ten years, guarantees students access to affordable loans, and makes it easier to use the FAFSA to apply for financial aid.  Representatives Miller and Bishop expect the bill to pass the Senate before the holidays. SAFRA, which already passed the House Committee on Education and Labor, will change government lending programs by making all loans directly to students.  Currently, some federal loans are made through the Federal Family Education Loan program (FFEL), which distributes government money to students via subsidies to private lenders. The bill will also invest $40 billion in the Pell Grant program, put $12 billion into community colleges, increase the Federal Perkins loan program by $6 billion, and put $85 million into Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other minority-serving institutions. "We're convinced that we have to educate our way to a better economy," said Secretary Duncan. He said that passing this bill will mean that "we can look every young person in the eye." The Student PIRGs are organizing a symbolic “Wall of Debt” to represent the enormity of the student debt problem and show the urgency of the legislation. The PIRGs are joined by efforts from the United States Student Association, who has worked on the bill with House Speaker Pelosi and Secretary Duncan in a press conference on Tuesday. More from the EdLabor Journal More from the State Press at Arizona State University

Issue: Higher Education Affordability

L.A. Students Get Involved with Sustainability Efforts

As national debate over global warming heats up, LA students are finding a myriad of ways to get involved in pushing solutions to climate change and making the city of Los Angeles more sustainable. UCLA has over two dozen environmental centers, and a student group called "E3"--Ecology, Economy, and Equity--that has done work to monitor food waste at dining halls. Undergrads also run the Education for Sustainable Living Program, a credit-bearing course on green living strategies.  Other students are getting involved in both of UCLA's centers for environmental law, the Emmett Center on Climate Change and the Frank Wells Environmental Law Clinic. Six UCLA students working with the Wells Clinic will travel to Copenhagen for the upcoming conference on the Kyoto Protocol. After years of students pushing their campuses to help stop global warming, UCLA, USC, and Caltech are working with the City of Los Angeles, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and local businesses on a project called CleanTech Los Angeles to develop clean alternative technologies. They focus on creating jobs, stimulating demand for clean energy, and finding creative solutions to climate change. More from The Daily Bruin at the University of California-Los Angeles More from CleanTech Los Angeles More from the Frank Wells Environmental Law Clinic More from the Emmett Center on Climate Change More from the Education on Sustainable Living Program

Issue: Environment

University of Kentucky Student Government Works to Bolster Student Retention

Student Government President Ryan Smith announced the kickoff of a group of programs that will partner with the Provost's "War on Attrition" in an effort to use campus involvement to bolster student retention. The TallyCats program is one of SG's efforts, which awards points to students for attending campus events. SG also launched the Ipod Incentive program, which awards Ipods to student groups that attend their events. “We’re leading the country in this kind of program,” said Ann Haney, chairwoman of the Student Affairs Committee. SG also organized a program for incoming freshman called the Common Reading Experience, led by faculty and student facilitators to help integrate new students into the academic community. “It provides a shared experience for incoming students,” said Associate Dean of Students Rebecca Jordan. “It sets the expectation for students to get involved.” The Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Victor Hazard was impressed with the quality of student participation. “The dynamic of students working along with us was amazing," said Hazard. More from Kentucky Kernel at the University of Kentucky

Issue: Student Governance and Campus Administration

Rhode Island Bill Could Create a Student Tax

Rhode Island lawmakers are considering a law that would let cities and towns in the state tax private universities $300 per enrolled out-of-state student. The proposal from Providence Mayor, David Cicillene is opposed by both graduate and undergraduate students at Brown University who are lobbying against the bill. The bill does not specify whether the fee is to be raised from students directly or paid for by the institution through other means. The bill would affect at least eight institutions, including Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design, both in Providence. "The student impact fee is calculated to offset the costs of providing police, fire, rescue and other municipal services to students, according to the text of the bill," writes George Miller in The Daily Herald. Brown's Graduate Student Council sent a letter to the Providence Journal and local politicians who seek to defeat the bill. The letter received only one response, from Senate Majority Leader Daniel Connors, D-Dist. 19, who explained that he thinks the bill is a financial necessity. Brown University administrators have also been vocal against the bill. President Ruth Simmons wrote emails to community members in June urging them to voice their opinions. It is unclear how likely the bill is to pass. The bill has been voted out of committee in the House but not the Senate, and will compete for floor time against many other bills when both houses return from recess in January. The student tax bill is joined by another bill that would partially eliminate property tax exemptions for large non-profits. More from The Brown Daily Herald More from the Rhode Island News Blog

Issue: Higher Education Affordability

Judge Dismisses Case Against UNC Student Protester

Orange County Judge Joseph Buckner dismissed a charge Monday against University of North Carolina (UNC) senior Haley Koch for disturbing the peace in an educational institution. Koch and six non-students were arrested on April 14 for protesting a talk by former U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo. Some of the six protesters received fines while others saw their cases dismissed or were found not guilty. The protest and speech at UNC led to a firestorm of criticism against the University and the protestors last year. Student organizers of Youth for Western Civilization, the organization that invited Tancredo, argued that the University should have been harsher towards protestors for attempting to stop Tancredo’s speech. Protestors, meanwhile, countered that they too had a right to be heard.  Judge Buckner dismissed Koch's case because he "found that Koch’s actions did not interfere with academic activity." The Daily Tar Heel explains that Koch's protest inside the classroom consisted of holding a banner and speaking over someone trying to introduce Tancredo. A videotape was a large component of Koch's defense. “The videotape showed so much,” said Bob Ekstrand, Koch’s lawyer. “When Haley was asked to leave, she left. That’s probably the biggest reason it could be resolved on the facts, instead of the First Amendment issue.” While the court case may be over, the debate continues. Over a dozen students rallied with signs outside the courthouse on the day of the hearing, urging for the case to be dismissed and for the student group Youth for Western Civilization to be disbanded. Koch will meet with Chancellor Holden Thorp in the coming weeks to discuss issues of free speech on campus. More from The Daily Tar Heel More from The News & Observer

Issue: Free Speech and Academic Rights

DC Area Students Feel Funding Cuts

Students returning to classes in Virginia and Maryland are feeling the impact of mid-summer state budget cuts in both their courses and bank accounts. Across the region, students are seeing larger class sizes, faculty cuts, and increases in costs.  At the University of Maryland Baltimore County, 40 vacant positions are frozen and the University laid off 22 other staff. At the University of Virginia, the public computer labs are closed and employees are looking at furloughs for the first time.  At George Mason University, housing costs for some students rose by $1,000. All of this comes on the heels of a ten percent cut to higher education in Maryland and between a twenty and thirty percent cut in Virginia.  The DC region is not alone—most states have or plan to cut funding for higher education in this year’s budget. More from the Washington Post

Issue: Higher Education Affordability

Students Support University of California Faculty Walkout

More than 50 students at UC Berkeley demonstrated in Sproul Plaza last Thursday in support of the upcoming 9/24 UC faculty walk-out protesting faculty pay cuts. Berkeley's Graduate Student Organizing Committee has written a letter of support, the undergraduate Associated Students of the University of California is voting on a bill next week to support the walkout and the state-wide University of California Student Association is likely to support the faculty as well. The faculty pay-cuts come in the form of forced furlough days that cannot be taken on teaching days, thus effectively cutting their pay while requiring the same amount of teaching. University of California President Mark Yudof drafted the policy despite recommendations against it from each of the 10 UC Faculty Academic Senates. The Graduate Student Organizing Committee of UC Berkeley wrote a letter of solidarity that offers both support to faculty and alternative solutions to California's budget crisis. The letter reads, "Recent actions by the Regents and the University of California Office of the President (UCOP) raise serious concerns about the future of the UC system and our own future as university students and instructors. We think it imperative that graduate students take a stand now against what threatens to be a disastrous transformation of the UC. The crisis we face is both real and artificial: real because the recession...has resulted in a severe drop in state funding; artificial because the UC can easily meet the budget gap by tapping unrestricted reserve funds from its revenue-generating wings and by trimming its substantial administrative excess." More undergraduate student support for the walk-out is expected to develop this weekend when the board of directors for the University of California Student Association, the statewide student association, meets at UCLA. Next week, the ASUC will also vote on a bill to formally support the faculty walk-out. "If that passes, that basically means that all the students that ASUC represents ... will stand in solidarity with the faculty walkout," said Susan Li, external vice president of ASUC. A different letter to the UC Berkeley student body from Berkeley professor Catherine Cole mentions that "there is talk of [a] “teach in” about the budget crisis in October. And there is talk of a formal Academic Senate vote of no confidence" for UC President Mark Yudof. More from The Daily Californian More from the Official UC Faculty Walkout website More from the Graduate Student Organizing Committee website More from Berkeley Alliance Against the Cuts

Issue: Student Governance and Campus Administration

Michigan State Student Government Grappling with Budget Cuts and Student Rights

MSU's student government (ASMSU) is working this fall to grapple with potential multimillion dollar cuts to the Michigan higher education budget and to revise MSU's Academic Freedom Report, which outlines students' rights. ASMSU has been meeting with MSU administrators to urge them to both include students in decisions about how to implement the cuts and to avoid cutting what they see as critical academic programs.  The student government Director of University Budgets Nick Quigley will analyze proposed cuts to the university budget, and his findings will guide ASMSU's advocacy.   ASMSU is also continuing work on updating and improving the Academic Freedom Report, which is the central document of MSU students' rights. The report has been unchanged since it was first created in the late 1960s.  “[The AFR] is probably one of the most important, fundamental documents for students here at Michigan State,” said ASMSU Chairperson Kristy Currier. “It’s really important to make it a document students can connect with and understand their rights.” More from The State News

Issue: Student Governance and Campus Administration

Student PIRGs Organize National Day of Service Events on 30 Campuses

The Student Public Interest Research Groups (Student PIRGs) organized events at 30 campuses to serve local communities as part of the nation-wide Day of Service and Remembrance. The day culminated President Obama's Summer of Service with hundreds of organizations holding food drives, volunteering in shelters and otherwise finding ways to help their community.  The newly-launched New Jersey PIRG Energy Service Corps Program, funded in part by AmeriCorps, worked with the Newark campus of Rutgers University and fraternity Sigma Beta Rho, and the local Project Porchlight to distribute energy efficient light bulbs in local low-income neighborhoods. In Bloomington, Indiana, Mayor Mark Kruzan joined Indiana Public Interest Research Group (INPIRG) student leaders in launching a campus “Spare Change for Social Change” fundraising drive for the local Hoosier Hills Food Bank. According to the INPIRG press release, "INPIRG has received endorsements from several local businesses and community organizations and is encouraging other student groups on the Indiana University-Bloomington campus to join in the cause."  At Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona PIRG student leaders organized a local canned food drive and at the University of New Mexico, New Mexico PIRG students worked with the UNM Service Corps and College Democrats to hold a clothing and canned food drive.    More from the Student PIRGs More from 911day of service More from United We Serve More from the Daily Lobo at the University of New Mexico

Issue: Community Service

Howard University Students Rally Over Botched Financial Aid and Student Censorship

Howard University students rallied in front of the administration building this past Friday to voice their anger over a disorganized Financial Aid office, censorship of the student newspaper and unfair labor practices. Student leaders were able to meet with the Office of the Provost and have a follow up meeting scheduled for this week. Students had mixed feelings about the likely effectiveness of the protest. Sophomore Jecika Merzius complained that even though her financial aid forms were submitted on time, they were only approved this past Thursday. Her late financial aid left her unable to pay rent on September 1st. Another student said that she was unsure if she could afford tuition until classes had already begun.   Students also complained that interim vice provost of student affairs, Charles Gibbs, had censored an article in the student newspaper about disciplinary actions taken against students. The rally attendants called for Gibbs' resignation over the incident.   The rallying students were joined by union workers protesting unfair labor and threatened a sit-in before being turned away from the building. The protest threatened to turn violent when one student was kicked in the leg by a security guard, but the crowd was calmed by the organizers.   More from The Washington Post More from Now Public

Issue: Student Governance and Campus Administration

Large Contribution Boosts Emergency Student Aid Campaign for African American Students

Lowes Charitable and Educational Foundation (LCEF) donated $250,000 to the United Negro College Fund's Emergency Student Aid Campaign to help African American students hurt by the recession reach graduation in their senior year. The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) is the largest minority education organization in the country with 39 member historically black colleges and universities including Morehouse College and Tuskegee University. Their Emergency Student Aid Campaign aims to raise $5 million in tax-deductible gifts along with gifts of school supplies like textbooks and lab coats.   "The Emergency Student Aid Campaign is for the students,” said Michael L. Lomax, Ph.D., UNCF president and CEO. “Thousands of students at UNCF member colleges have seen family contributions reduced or eliminated due to job loss and pay cuts…Many of these students wouldn't have been able to register this fall if Lowe's hadn't stepped up."   While all 39 UNCF schools will benefit from the donation, its distribution will be focused in UNCF schools in North Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, and Virginia. These were the states deemed highest priority in a survey of students with the most urgent need for tuition assistance.   55,000 students attend UNCF schools each year, and 350,000 students have earned a degree with help from UNCF since its founding. More from Reuters More from UNCF

Issue: Social Justice

Arizona Cuts $40 Million from Arizona Higher Education

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed a bill last Friday that will cut $40 million from Arizona's three state universities.  The budget cuts will result in dramatic reductions in academic programs and enrollment capacity for Arizona State University. The state nonetheless felt the cuts were necessary--State Treasurer Dean Martin said that without a balanced budget, Arizona will be bankrupt by October. Over 100,000 university students will see the effects of these funding slashes. Of the $40 million cuts, $18.2 will be cut from Arizona State University, and the rest will be cut from the University of Arizona, and Northern Arizona University. The cuts come on the heels of other budget cuts for ASU. According to the university website, the West and Poly campuses had to be reduced to one college each, and four dozen academic programs were closed. Earlier this year, the University said that if the 2010 budget were reduced even further, more than one of the four campuses at ASU would have to be shut down. On the state of the Arizona budget, Brewer said, “I will not give up on the future of our state…I will not allow the state we all love to fall into the abyss of bankruptcy.” More from the Arizona State University State Press More from the Arizona Joint Legislative Budget Committee More from Arizona State University

Issue: Higher Education Affordability

Two California State Students Sue University Over Fee Hikes

Samantha Adame of San Francisco State University and Travis Donselman of CSU-San Bernadino have filed suit against the CSU system, claiming that extra fees charged by the universities this year were illegal because they were charged after tuition had already been paid. This is not the first time that outraged students in California have sued over unfair fees. Three years ago, Adame and Donselman's lawyer Danielle Leonard won a case for different plaintiffs against the University of California. Leonard says this is the exact same case, which bodes well for the CSU students who have been unfairly charged. CSU's media relations specialist Erik Fallis disagrees, and says that there were different parameters in the Leonard case three years ago. More from The Indiana Daily Student

Issue: Higher Education Affordability

First Amendment Rights For Harvard Medical Students

First Amendment rights are finally making it to Harvard Medical students, whose interactions with the media will no longer have to be cleared by the school's administration. The policy had required that students' contact with the media, even conversations about their own projects and pursuits, be approved by both the Office of the Dean of Students and the Office of Public Affairs. The policy was enacted in February, but not promulgated until August 25th via an email from Dean for Medical Education Jules L. Dienstag. When investigated by NYT journalist Duff Wilson, officials at Harvard Medical "did not deny that the policy was prompted in part by student remarks earlier this year about the influence of pharmaceutical companies on medical education." The shift in policy appears to be prompted in part by Wilson's investigation. Other Harvard students have not been restricted like this, but the policy is unsurprising to Harvey Silvergate, co-founder of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. Silvergate blames the new "corporate" model of university administration, in which fundraising and image branding take priority over students' rights. Silvergate cites the replacement of one of Harvard Law's student-edited publications with a new publication run by the administration that is aimed at fund-raising and development. More from the New York Times More from FIRE

Issue: Free Speech and Academic Rights

Itemized Student Sustainability Fee at UW-Eau Claire On the Rocks

Student-funded sustainability projects at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire will be scaled down this semester from the $10 student fee passed in last year’s student referendum. The itemized fee created by the Student Senate will be cut from $10 to $1 by the student budget and finance committee, in part because of administrators' concerns over the rising cost of tuition. Similar programs are thriving at schools around the country, including UC Berkeley, the University of Georgia, the University of North Carolina, Oregon State, the University of Utah, Wilfrid Laurier University, and Oberlin College. These schools use a variety of systems for aggregating and collecting the funds for sustainability programs. Some of the fees are approved by referendum, some created and implemented by the elected student government, some optional and some mandatory. The Association for Advancement of of Sustainability in Higher Education writes on their website, "Student fees are a popular source of funding for sustainability because there are usually clear and straightforward processes in place for accessing them. Moreover, when they have been proposed, dedicated student fees for sustainability are generally approved by large majorities in student elections." Even though the Eau Claire fee is being scaled back, students at other campuses are establishing fees.  This past February, UNC students voted to renew and expand their $4-per-semester fee. Thus far, UNC's fee has funded 172 solar thermal panels for a residence hall, 30 geothermal wells, and the conversion of cars to 20% biodiesel. More from Spectator News More from AASHE More from the UNC Sustainablog

Issue: Environment

UNC Students Required to Buy Health Insurance

After a recent policy change, students in University of North Carolina schools will no longer have the option to be uninsured.  Uninsured students are now required to purchase health insurance through the University. It is unclear how much student input was sought or weighed in this decision-making process, though UNC President Erskine Bowles acknowledges that some students will be displeased at the self-termed "mandate." The University's program will have relatively low premiums because of the bargaining power of the UNC school system. Also, students who receive financial aid will have those premiums factored into their aid packages. But that also means that the cost of health insurance will be added to some students' already-sky-high debt. Sun News writer Eric Fererri reports that "students at each school would pay from $549 to $679 annually for $100,000 coverage with a $300 deductible." The UNC system says that the new packages would increase premiums for some, but also provide better care. The exact cost of the new plans to be offered by the university system is unknown because they have not yet begun to bargain with insurers. More from The Sun News

Issue: Student Governance and Campus Administration

Students at USM Protest Faculty Cuts

Students and faculty at the University of Southern Mississippi are protesting layoffs of twelve tenured and tenure track professors for the 2010-11 academic year. These include all nine faculty members from the Department of Economics and Decision Science.  Students expressed their dissent through a gathering in support of the Economics Department and a petition to University President Martha Saunders to delay the removal of that department until an open forum has assessed the case. Groups such as the American Association of University Professors have also followed suit writing letters to the President expressing their dissatisfaction and criticizing the university’s decision. State law requires the final decision regarding these cuts take place by Sept 1st. More from the Hattiesberg American More from the Hattiesberg American More from The Student Printz

Issue: Student Governance and Campus Administration

USC Students Shocked by Financial Aid Policy Change

The financial aid office of University of Southern California has altered its formula for calculating aid this summer, a major change that went unannounced and has drastically affected the amount of aid received by students. Continuing students received a rude shock when the new--and in most cases significantly reduced--aid packages were awarded.   Some students have left the college unable to meet expenses.  The aid office is working on a damage control strategy by reaching out to students on financial aid who have not registered, hoping they will continue into the next semester. The lack of communication that made the situation worse as most students were caught unaware and had limited time to find alternate sources of covering school expenses. More by the Daily Trojan

Issue: Higher Education Affordability

Federal Spending for the Pell Grant Expected to Increase

On Tuesday, the Office of Management and Budget released its mid-session review, a document showing that federal spending for the Pell Grant Program will be $27 billion more over the next decade than previous estimates. The budget office correlates the increase in spending with the surge of students using federal aid for college this fall. Actual enrollment in the 2008-2009 school-year was 13 percent, 2 percent more than estimated, with enrollment in 2009-2010 projected to be even higher. Some administration officials are concerned, however, that the increased cost of the Pell Grant program would complicate President Barack Obama's plan to further raise spending for Pell Grants with savings earned by ending another government student lending program. More from Inside Higher Education

Issue: Higher Education Affordability

More Scandal at UIllinois

Between 2004 and 2009, lawmakers awarded at least 41 scholarships to students at the University of Illinois who were relatives of their major campaign donors. Earlier this year, a state investigation revealed a system that gave preferential treatment to applicants with close ties to trustees, politicians, and donors. Now, more details are coming to light about another program that gives preferential treatment to students with close ties to legislators—the General Assembly Scholarship Program.  In one case, State Senator Brady of Bloomington recently awarded a $24,000 scholarship to the daughter of a man who has donated thousands of dollars to him. This is one of several scandals reported at the University of Illinois where it is the universities, not the state, that funds the $12.5 million General Assembly Scholarship Program. More from the Chicago Tribune

Issue: Student Governance and Campus Administration

Proposed Illinois Budget Cuts 50 Percent of University Funding

A new Illinois budget proposal would axe 50 percent of state agencies' funding to universities, including funding for the Monetary Award Program (MAP) that provides need-based grants to 155,000 students across the state. Grappling with a billion-dollar deficit, Illinois would reduce the annual budget for MAP from $380 million to $198 million. On average, individual students receive about $2,600 per year in MAP funding. But the new budget would end the MAP grant after this fall semester, leaving students on their own come spring. The deadline to apply for MAP was moved up three months from Aug. 15 to May 15. Andrew Davis, executive director of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, said the decrease in funding will cause some students to not attend school next semester. Davis said lawmakers should have looked elsewhere to balance the budget and urged students and parents to voice their opposition to their legislators. Administrators at Eastern Illinois University are pushing the General Assembly to keep the grant, but the University is also planning for alternatives to help students financially. The school received $800,000 in federal stimulus funding, which it is considering using for a work-study program for students who demonstrate the most financial need. Students are prepared to protest the budget. At Illinois State University, the Student Government Association is planning a Lobby Day in October, encouraging other college students in the state to visit Springfield and approach state representatives. Students from several schools plan to attend the event, including Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, and Western Illinois University. More from The Daily Eastern News from Eastern Illinois University More from the Chicago Defender More from The Daily Vidette at Illinois State University

Issue: Higher Education Affordability

Expansion of Louisiana Community Colleges to Threaten Four-Year Institutions?

The Louisiana Community and Technical College System is one of the fastest growing two-year systems in the nation, but its expansion may come at the expense of funding four-year institutions. Enrollment at community colleges in the state is soaring, having doubled to 60,000 students in the 10 years since the system formed. Louisiana has 17 of the 50 fastest growing community colleges in the country. Two years ago, the system received more than $171 million for funding 23 facilities projects across its 14 campuses. The state legislature approved the $10 million Workforce Training Rapid Response Fund, money that community colleges can access in the event of a natural disaster or other times of crisis. Administrators at the state's four-year universities are happy with the success of Louisiana's community college system, but they say that the state budget cannot easily handle both systems. "[Louisiana] is on track to expand, but now in a moment of fiscal challenge, it’s tough to do everything at once," wrote Louisiana State University System President John Lombardi in an email.  Despite the competition for dollars, Lombardi stresses that there is no ill will between the two systems. Just this year the community college system pushed through a bill to make it easier for students to transfer from two- to four-year institutions. More from Inside Higher Education

Issue: Higher Education Affordability

Student Veterans Struggle with Funding, Earning Course Credit

The new post-9/11 GI bill aims to help more student veterans finance their education, but there is a growing concern over state budget woes and university policies that could make the transition to college difficult.  The American Council on Education issued a new report stating that some student veterans are facing obstacles enrolling in college. The current economic climate has put a strain on state budgets with many of those cuts coming from higher education and aid programs. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn recently cut the Illinois Veteran Grant from the state budget, a grant that provided four years of funding to any public university in the state at no cost and offered benefits better than the federal GI bill. State universities are stepping up and covering the costs to fund veterans' education. However, they will not be reimbursed by the state, and in a time when most universities are facing large deficits and cuts of their own. Veterans are also having trouble receiving federal aid since the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is delayed in processing applications for aid. Student veterans are also facing difficulties in turning their military experience into college credit, causing students to stretch out their GI benefits and delay entering the workforce. A survey conducted by the American Council on Education estimates that one in five universities do not award course credit for military service or training. But the nearly half a million student veterans enrolling at colleges across the country this year may cause universities to reexamine their policies. Washington-based Servicemembers Opportunities Colleges is a group of more than 1,800 schools whose members recognize coursework and training in the military. Participants include the California State University system, George Washington University, the State University of New York schools and Ohio State. The advocacy group blames universities' lack of military knowledge, arguing that the institutions underestimate the quality of military training and classes. More from Inside Higher Education More from WDAF-TV FOX4 More from KTVI-TV FOX2 More from Fox News More from the Associated Press

Issue: Higher Education Affordability

Student Lobbyists Win Funding for Scholarships

Student lobbyists were successful in their efforts to push Utah lawmakers to restore full funding to a state scholarship this week. Governor Gary Hebert and the legislative majority leaders instructed the Utah Board of Regents to fully fund the New Century Scholarship for the coming year which will cost an estimated $1.5 million. Lawmakers will collaborate with the Governor and the Regents to discuss where the money for the scholarship-that will be granted to 1500 students this year-will come from.  In July, the Regents had decided to cut funding in response to a staggering demand for student aid accompanied by an 8 percent reduction in funding from lawmakers. In response, lobbying students used Facebook to rally more students towards the cause and encouraged them to flood the Regents with emails demanding restoration of the funding for the scholarship. However, if the economy does not improve in coming years, lawmakers may not be able to meet the growing demands and continue full funding. Already, officials are looking into raising the requirements needed to receive the scholarship and reducing percentage funding in coming years. By restoring funding this year, they have only bought students time to look into alternative loan and scholarship programs to completely cover their needs. More from the Salt Lake Tribune More from the Standard Examiner More from Desert News

Issue: Higher Education Affordability

Judge Denies Request to Block Fee Increases at California State Universities

After San Francisco Superior Court Judge Peter Busch denied a request to block fee increases, California State University students will face both the 10 percent increase in student fees approved in May and the additional 20 percent hike approved in July. The fees will increase to $4,827, which the system argues will prevent the elimination of courses and professor layoffs. Judge Busch will listen to arguments against his decision on Aug. 31.   More from the San Jose Mercury News

Issue: Higher Education Affordability