Student Governance and Campus Administration

Senators in Colorado are proposing major changes in the tuition and financial policies for the state’s institutions of higher education.  After years of budget cuts, the changes would give the schools more flexibility in setting tuition levels and managing their finances.  In return, the proposal would increase reporting requirements and force the schools to have a plan to maintain affordability.  If passed, the bill would remove a cap on tuition increases and let the colleges’ boards set tuition rates.  Schools would, however, only be able to increase rates by more than

University of Georgia students expressed their frustrations regarding tailgating bans on an historic part of campus, arguing that they should be included in such decision-making.   University alumnus, Danny Brown, created a Facebook group titled “Michael Adams Extravaganza (Myers Quad),” as a forum for the 1,400 fans of the group to protest the restrictions. Brown also encouraged fans to bring banned items such as tents, kegs, televisions, and grills to areas on North Campus to Myers Quad. The tailgating restrictions were instated in response to problems with waste and damage to the

Three of the University of Denver’s top student government leaders will receive roughly $1,500 annually each after a 15-3 vote last Tuesday. Not all student government members were pleased with the outcome of the vote that also stopped student government funding for student media. Several senators believed funds could be allocated to other student initiatives. “I was discouraged and confused to see a proposal for our executive scholarship at the expense of greater student initiatives,” said student senator and junior Dillon Doyle. “I think $4,500 could fund fairly large student organization

Syracuse University students are petitioning the college to remove this year's commencement ceremony speaker, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon.  More than 1000 students, alumni and parents have signed an online petition posted by the student group Take Back 2010 Syracuse University Commencement--a number representing over one-fifth of SU's senior class. According to the petition, students are "against using the 2010 commencement to restore the public image of the banking industry and validate the anti-environmental and anti-humanitarian interest

When California State University-Stanislaus invited Gov. Sarah Palin to speak at their 50th anniversary gala dinner, whistle-blowers began to question how much the non-profit foundation hosting the benefit was paying the former Alaska governor and whether the foundation was benefiting financially. According to the Los Angeles Times, the foundation refused to divulge Palin’s fee, raising concerns about how private non-profit foundations associated with fundraising efforts for public universities use their money. Such foundations are often involved in raising money for scholarships, student o

The Office of Student Conduct at the University of California at Berkeley sent letters to more than 100 student protesters offering them a choice between seven-month suspensions and formal hearings that could result in more severe disciplinary measures. About 200 UC Berkeley student activists demonstrated Monday against the Code of Student Conduct that the school is using to hand down those suspensions.   Administrators describe the code of conduct as an educational tool, but student critics say that, unlike legal proceedings, it allows for vague charges, delayed hearings, and the us

Students at Florida State University rallied for the reform of drug laws on March 31, promoting greater legal tolerance for marijuana as a safe alternative to alcohol. The event, hosted by the campus chapters of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) and National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), served as a kick-off to Alcohol Awareness Month. SSDP is currently in talks with the school administration to try to implement Good Samaritan or Medical Amnesty Policy rules, which they say would promote student safety by protecting students who call for emergency assistance

Students at Carnegie Mellon University may soon be paying part of student government executives’ living expenses if a student-wide referendum has majority support. Student Body President Rotimi Abimbola introduced the referendum, noting that the stressful positions held by executives leave little time to earn money.   “I’m either in class or at a meeting, which is what your schedule is like as president. When you do have free time, people always…ask you to come to meetings or make decisions…so the to-do list is really just endless,” Abimbola said. “After a lot of hard work and