Michigan University
U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman dealt a blow to the University of Michigan Law School, denying a motion to change the injunction he issued last week that forbids the consideration of race in admissions.
“The court’s injunction is simply and easily complied with: race is not to be used as a factor to achieve a racially diverse class or to remedy societal discrimination,” Friedman wrote. “The court sees no insurmountable obstacle in completing the admissions process while obeying the injunction.”
The university is pleading with Friedman, saying that his decision will endanger this current admissions season, which has been halted by his decision striking down the law school’s policies, but Friedman has not budged.
George Washington University
On Wednesday, April 4, a line of hundreds of college students from George Washington University waited outside My Brother’s Place restaurant on Capitol Hill as part of a lobby day organized by Napster.
Nearly 500 supporters of Napster passed through the restaurant, receiving information packets, shirts and other Napster paraphernalia before heading to the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on digital music to influence their senators to support Napster.
In early February, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the company, saying that it must prohibit the sharing of copyrighted songs. Today, legal challenges continue and the fate of Napster remains uncertain as users and supporters of the service continue the fight for its preservation.
Southern Illinois University
Students may be falling deeper into debt, according to a report released by the State Public Interest Research Groups’ Higher Education Project. The report, “Big Loans, Bigger Problems,” said students do not realize how much debt they are getting into in college because they do not factor in the extra costs that come with loans.
For example, most students at Southern Illinois U. at Carbondale take out loans under the Federal Direct Stafford Loan program. This program has a 3 percent origination fee, which can add a few hundred dollars to a loan. Then, when repaying the loans, interest also becomes a factor. Under the Stafford Loan program, interest can climb to 8.25 percent, adding even more to the loan, although it varies from year to year and person to person. Students are often baffled by the total price they owe after college.
University of Massachusetts
Former Black Panther David Horowitz addressed a crowd of approximately 400 students and faculty members at the University of Massachusetts about slavery reparations and his recent controversial newspaper advertisement on that topic.
The heavy security presence forewarned all entrants that any protest would lead to immediate ejection. Horowitz addressed the necessity for increased security, apologizing to audience members who simply came to hear a different point of view, explaining that some would rather not hear information that they deemed offensive. He explained that protesters throughout history crushed the need for an open dialogue about the issue of slavery reparations, and that the students and faculty have to remember to be open to different points of view.
University of California at Berkeley
Both the University of California at Berkeley and the UC system have admitted the largest freshmen class in more than four years, showing a marked increase in underrepresented minorities.
UC Berkeley admitted more students in every ethnic group to the fall 2001 class, with the largest increase in the admission rate of female students. Women make up over 56 percent of the admitted class.
With this year’s 10 percent increase in freshmen admitted to UC campuses, the university is making strides to accommodate the 60,000 extra students expected to enter the UC system by 2010. The UC campuses collectively admitted 46,130 students for next year, 8,580 of whom were underrepresented minorities.
