Articles of Interest about Higher Ed - Feb 28

***HIGHER ED

A growing list of US colleges are canceling study abroad programs because of the coronavirus https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/26/us/colleges-canceling-study-abroad-coronavirus-trnd/

Accusations Abound at a Community College https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/02/24/trustee-censured-inaccurate-email-johnson-county-community-college

UCLA drops plan to use facial recognition security surveillance, but other colleges may be using technology https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/02/21/ucla-drops-plan-use-facial-recognition-security-surveillance-other-colleges-may-be

Middle class heavily underrepresented at top private colleges, report finds https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/02/21/middle-class-heavily-underrepresented-top-private-colleges-report-finds

Could micro-credentials compete with traditional degrees?https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200212-could-micro-credentials-compete-with-traditional-degrees

Editorial: SMU Puts its Reputation Before the Good of the Student Body  https://www.smudailycampus.com/opinion/editorial-smu-puts-its-reputation-before-the-good-of-the-student-body 

Education Accountability: When The Accreditation Agency Is Problematic https://www.npr.org/2020/02/22/808404844/education-accountability-when-the-accreditation-agency-is-problematic

Bellevue College apologizes after administrator alters display on Japanese American incarceration https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/eastside/bellevue-college-apologizes-after-administrator-alters-mural-depicting-japanese-american-internment/

Western accrediting agency will review colleges outside its region -- the first regional accreditor to make such a move https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/02/25/western-accreditor-will-consider-approving-colleges-outside-its-region

 

***HIGHER ED & FINANCE

Democrats strongly favor tuition-free college, GOP divided by age and education https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/02/21/democrats-overwhelmingly-favor-free-college-tuition-while-republicans-are-divided-by-age-education/

 

***HIGHER ED IN COURT

California students sued because they were such poor readers. They just won $53 million to help them.https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-02-20/california-literacy-lawsuit-settlement-53-million

Google sued by New Mexico attorney general for collecting student data through Chromebooks https://www.theverge.com/2020/2/20/21145698/google-student-privacy-lawsuit-education-schools-chromebooks-new-mexico-balderas

 

***CRIME ON CAMPUS

Education Dept. Penalizes University of Southern California https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/02/28/education-department-investigation-finds-university-southern-california-violated

Student says Long Island professor sexually assaulted her in front of class, sues college https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/student-says-long-island-professor-sexually-assaulted-her-front-class-n1144281

Student murders prompt University of Utah to overhaul campus safety https://abcnews.go.com/US/student-murders-prompt-university-utah-overhaul-campus-safety/story?id=69060410

 

***THE COST OF COLLEGE

USC is waiving tuition for students whose families make less than $80,000 https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/20/us/university-of-southern-california-tuition-low-income-trnd/index.html

 

***HUMANITIES

Long Island University freezes enrollments in many liberal arts programs https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/02/25/long-island-university-freezes-enrollments-many-liberal-arts-programs

 

***TEACHING 

Online lectures mean fewer students are turning up – does it matter? https://theconversation.com/online-lectures-mean-fewer-students-are-turning-up-does-it-matter-131988

Why Finland's Schools Perform So Much Better Than The Rest Of The Developed World https://digg.com/video/why-does-finland-have-the-best-schools-in-the-developed-world

China's students will now study online because coronavirus has shut schools https://www.technologyreview.com/f/615240/chinas-students-will-now-study-online-because-coronavirus-has-shut-schools/

Why Americans are bad at math https://qz.com/1798617/why-americans-are-bad-at-math/

 

***ACADEMIC LIFE 

Teacher of the year suspended for showing students a picture of her fiancée wins $100,000 settlement https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/27/us/teacher-wins-lgbtq-school-settlement-trnd/

UCF Professor Reinstated After Ph.D. Fraud Allegations https://www.wmfe.org/ucf-professor-reinstated-after-ph-d-fraud-allegations/145241

An assistant professor from Simpson College is in jail, accused of murdering her husband https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/local/woman-accused-of-killing-husband-in-west-des-moines/524-d3d9ff38-b777-4f43-8ab1-c941c8567d2f

MIT puts professor on leave over new revelations about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein as it issues anticipated report https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/01/13/mit-puts-professor-leave-over-new-revelations-about-his-ties-jeffrey-epstein

MLA members discuss professors' ethical responsibilities for training graduate students, as some propose shifts in admissions practices. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/01/13/mla-discusses-professors-ethical-responsibilities-training-graduate-students

Humboldt State University investigates allegations a faculty member solicited paid sex with students https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/02/18/screenshots-of-suspected-hsu-faculty-soliciting-sex-for-money-prompted-investigation/

OU professor's use of racial slur may not be protected, First Amendment expert says www.oudaily.com/news/ou-professor-s-use-of-racial-slur-may-not-be/article_7f8f41d4-4f72-11ea-9037-6b21718bf7e5.html

 

***RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS 

Will Your (Christian) College Close? https://www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiousbench/2020/02/christian-college-closures/

Christian Colleges Should Interact With World, Not Oppose It (opinion) https://sojo.net/articles/christian-colleges-should-interact-world-not-oppose-it

Mormon-owned BYU eases rules on 'homosexual behavior' https://apnews.com/4a8d93a5fd3efabc2b2440e5a549c614

Bible school Olivet University pleads guilty in money-laundering case https://nypost.com/2020/02/20/bible-school-olivet-university-pleads-guilty-in-money-laundering-case/

Lubbock Christian University to announce 7th University President https://www.kcbd.com/2020/02/26/lubbock-christian-university-announce-th-university-president/

Liberty University launches conservative think tank called the Falkirk Center https://www.whsv.com/content/news/568216071.html  

 

***RESEARCH 

Working Scientist podcast: How to bounce back from a bruising peer-review or paper rejection https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00381-1

Wikipedia Is the Last Best Place on the Internet https://www.wired.com/story/wikipedia-online-encyclopedia-best-place-internet/

Vaping study retracted: Scientists want probe of UCSF tobacco research  https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/02/20/nyu-scientists-others-call-taxpayer-funded-ucsf-vaping-study-probe/4805323002/

How Universities Cover Up Scientific Fraud https://areomagazine.com/2020/02/20/how-universities-cover-up-scientific-fraud/

How can journals and peer reviewers detect manuscripts and publications from paper mills? https://febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/1873-3468.13747

STEM Gender Equality Paradox Study Gets Correction https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/stephaniemlee/women-stem-gender-equality-paradox-correction

 

***STUDENT LIFE

Concordia Students say bias reports were met with silence https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/02/26/concordia-students-say-bias-reports-were-met-silence

Why Sitting For Long Periods Can Effect Teens' Mental Health https://www.npr.org/2020/02/17/806599794/why-sitting-for-long-periods-can-effect-teens-mental-health

Socratic is Google's new AI studying tool for students https://9to5google.com/2020/02/17/socratic-by-google/

Why We Should Be Talking About Reproducibility but not forget about fraud  https://www.slideshare.net/ivanoransky/why-we-should-be-talking-about-reproducibility-but-not-forget-about-fraud

Bowie State University to open free healthy food pantry for students https://wtop.com/prince-georges-county/2020/02/bowie-state-university-to-open-free-healthy-food-pantry-for-students/

 

***STUDENT PROTESTS

OU student protest calls for provost resignation, new multicultural center and Popeyes on campus  https://oklahoman.com/article/5655996/ou-students-protest-outside-presidents-office-call-for-resignation-of-provost

Protesters Show up at conference on campus free speech https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/02/28/students-protest-free-speech-conference 

Kent State 'gun girl' who walked campus with AR confronted by protesters at Ohio Universityhttps://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/02/18/kent-state-gun-girl-kaitlin-bennett-faces-protests-ohio-university/4792457002/

Syracuse University students renew protests following administration's response to racist incidents https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/19/us/syracuse-university-sit-in/ 

Kent State president to meet with student activists over ‘list of demands,’ including dispute over May 4 planninghttps://www.cleveland.com/news/2020/02/kent-state-president-to-meet-with-student-activists-over-list-of-demands-including-dispute-over-may-4-planning.html

Student activists push universities to stop investing in fossil fuel firms https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/students-push-universities-to-stop-investing-in-fossil-fuels/2020/02/19/de05a466-5340-11ea-80ce-37a8d4266c09_story.html

University responds to the student protestors who occupied a building by suspending them https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/02/19/syracuse-students-suspended-second-sit

 

***HIGHER ED & FREE SPEECH 

Students' arrest over slur prompts review of ridicule law https://apnews.com/aa0dbd038e22801cb3f5acc0c62bc82f

Wheaton College students allowed to preach in Millennium Park, judge says  https://chicago.suntimes.com/2020/2/20/21146320/wheaton-college-students-allowed-preach-in-millennium-park-judge