Student Governance and Campus Administration

In two recent separate incidents, students reported being addressed inappropriately by faculty members at Portland State University. One student claimed having his future law career threatened by a professor, and another professor accused a student of being a weapons dealer and FBI informant in the middle of a class. The first conflict was between Kevin Hill, the faculty adviser of PSU’s Pre-Law Society, and group member Ron Lee. Lee accused the group of financial mismanagement, and after a chain of bickering emails throughout the whole group, Hill sent Lee a private message. “He sent

Northern Kentucky University officials, student government members and members of the Board of Regents are embroiled in a scandal over the impeachment of former SGA Vice-President Dennis Chaney and a recent change to rules governing when and how student work can be published.  Chaney was impeached in light of a debate over a policy revision to the university’s Intellectual Property Policy. Chaney and a number of faculty members argue that the policy change, which has been approved, gives the University the right to publish student work without consent of the student. Chaney was remove

Following months of heated criticisms of University of California President Mark Yudof, the President of the Associated Students of the University of California-Davis Joe Chatham vetoed a resolution that would have proclaimed a stance no confidence in Yudof. The resolution was passed by the ASUCD Senate two weeks ago.   The Senate passed the resolution on the steps of Mrak Hall, the site where 52 students were arrested while protesting budget cuts and a 32 percent tuition hike this past November. Mo Torres, former ASUCD senator and author of the resolution, voiced his disappointment

When student journalists at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee had a hard time getting information about their student government’s budget and election practices, they asked Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen if student governments should be subject to open meeting laws. On Dec. 17, Van Hollen said that student government organizations that play a role in determining how student fees are spent or what university policies will be would be subject to open meeting laws like other governments.  Student organizations that do not play that type of roll are not subject to open meet

Students protesting fee hikes and budget cuts inside Wheeler Hall at the University of California-Berkeley were shocked when their protest was shortened due to a police raid in the early hours of Dec. 11. The protesters—who had occupied the building since Dec. 7—were planning on holding a free hip hop concert Friday evening to end the protest, then cleaning and leaving Wheeler Hall Saturday morning. Protesters claim they had University permission to be in the building peacefully. At around 4:40 a.m. Dec. 11, with the support of the UC Berkeley administration, police entered Wheeler Ha

Students at the University of Arizona met this week to reevaluate the way they allocate student fee money to organizations and student projects. The Student Services Fee Advisory Board will review student surveys and applications for fees to make sure that the money provided by students will most directly benefit students. The board will also strive to keep its decisions transparent to the campus community to maintain its integrity and will strive for excellence by carefully making its decisions. Matthew Totlis, a Mathematics major and senior who serves as the advisory board chair, outli

On November 19th the Board of Trustees at the University of Kentucky voted to create a tobacco-free campus to improve student health and promote a healthy environment. The tobacco industry has historically accounted for about 50 percent of the Kentucky’s crop revenue. University of Kentucky is the largest university in the state, so this decision may set a precedent for other universities in the state to follow. Students have had mixed reactions to the decision. Some believe the ban will lead to better health while others believe having designated smoking areas would be a better alternat

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl’s proposed Fair Share Tax Act would levy a tax on all Pittsburgh students equal to 1 percent of their tuition. The Pittsburgh Council on Higher Education, a coalition of all 10 Pittsburgh colleges and universities, claims the tax is illegal and is threatening to sue. The expected $16.2 million in revenue would be used to fill a budget gap for city worker pensions and the city library system. At Carnegie Mellon University the tax would amount to $400 a year; it would be $135 a year at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Arts and Sciences. “This is a f