Social Justice

After state-wide controversy over an undocumented Kennesaw State student paying in-state tuition, the Georgia Board of Regents has agreed to find a way to check the citizenship status of all students. Existing Georgia law allows undocumented students to attend the state’s colleges and universities but requires they be charged out of state tuition.  Until now, schools have taken students word that they are legal residents of the United States.  In the wake of the controversy, the board approved two new measures that will change their procedures for potentially undocumented stude

Following a protest with striking cafeteria workers, Tulane University disciplined three students.  The school found the three students guilty of violating the school’s code of conduct.  The students had joined cafeteria workers who were striking over low wages and poor working conditions.  Though the school’s code of conduct allows students to protest, it does not allow the protests to disrupt academic life.  The school argues it received complaints from students and faculty members who said the protesters were loud enough to disrupt classes and studying.  All t

In what University officials argue could be the first of many such cancellations, two Mexican universities ended their exchange programs with the University of Arizona because of the states’ controversial new immigration law.  The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and the Autonomous University of San Luis Potosí canceled exchange programs with the University of Arizona because they were worried their students would be harassed while studying in Arizona.  So far, no other programs have been terminated as a result of the new law which makes it a state crime to be in

Students at several campuses are stepping up campaigns aimed at changing Israel’s behavior toward Palestinians.  Borrowing the tactics of boycott and divestment from the student-led anti-apartheid campaigns, students at UC Berkeley, UC San Diego and the University of New Mexico are working to get their campuses to divest from companies making a profit in Israel.  While none of the campaigns has led to divestment yet, student organizers at UNM say raising awareness and creating dialogue is just as important.  Nada Noor, coordinator of the Coalition for Peace and Justice in the

While most of the country is focused on the impact of Arizona’s new immigration law to immigrant and minority communities, a research association is now also raising alarm bells about the impact the law could have on academic research.  The American Educational Research Association (AERA) passed a resolution opposing the recent Arizona immigration law during their conference over the weekend.  Members expressed concern that the new law would make it difficult for many academic professionals to travel in the state and would make research studies on immigrant and Latino communities

Prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into the beating of a University of Maryland student by three police officers last month after a video showed that the student was unarmed and was not menacing. The video shows the student, John J. McKenna, celebrating a basketball ball game victory in the streets before being pushed by three police officers and beat repeatedly with a baton.  The 21-year-old had a concussion and needed eight staples to a wound on his head. The officers now face both an internal affairs and a criminal investigation as does the county officer involved

A towing company in Michigan sued a Western Michigan University student for $750,000, claiming that his Facebook group has cost the company that much money in business.   Joseph Bird, the owner of T&J Towing, claims in the suit that WMU junior Justin Kurtz is using the group in a “crusade to post verbal and written claims and misuse of the Internet with allegations that are untrue and/or dishonest and without merit.”   Kurtz started the group because he was upset about his own car being towed, but many of the comments on the group’s page indicate that many students believe th

Immigration reform supporters from Whitman University joined thousands of protestors rallying last Saturday in Seattle to put pressure on Congress to update and expand the nation's immigration laws.   The Washington Immigration Reform Coalition, an organization that includes more than 50 immigrants’ rights groups, labor unions, faith-based organizations and community groups, coordinated the rally according to the Whitman Pioneer.   While some of the 35 Whitman students who joined the rally came because of their own personal experiences with U.S. immigration policy, others simply