Wesleyan Party Turns To Melee

May 17, 2008 in Administration, Campus Protests, Civil Liberties, Police, Students, Town and Gown | by | 1 comment

An off-campus end-of-semester party turned into a melee in Middletown, Connecticut Thursday night, as Wesleyan students clashed with police.

One report contends that used pepper spray, tasers, and dogs on the students, five of whom were arrested on incitement to riot and other charges.

Before dawn, as many as sixty students converged on the police department to file complaints about officers’ tactics.

The Wesleyan student newspaper, the Argus, published a special edition on the disturbance on Friday. Wesleyan blog Wesleying has been covering the situation as it develops.

Update: Here’s an analysis of the events of Thursday night that struck me as well worth reading.

Prof Rebuked for Releasing Info to Student’s Mother

May 17, 2008 in Administration, Civil Liberties, Students | by | Leave a comment

The mother of an economics student at Britain’s Lancaster University recently emailed one of his professors to complain that his courseload was too light. Because he was not being academically challenged, she said, her son “is now quite addicted to alcohol, smokes and has spent a great deal of time over the last nine months asleep.” 

When the chair of the LU economics department sought to reassure her by detailing her son’s course schedule for the semester, the son filed a complaint with the university for violating the privacy of his academic records.

The professor has been reprimanded by the university, and told that any further improper disclosures of student data will be referred to the university’s personnel department for possible action.

New GI Bill Passes the House

May 17, 2008 in Access, Financial Aid, Politics, Student Power, Tuition and Fees | by | Leave a comment

The United States Student Association writes with the following news:

On Thursday, the House passed the Veterans Educational Assistance Act by a vote of 256-166.  The bill will provide benefits up to the level of tuition at the most expensive public in-state colleges and universities, a housing allowance based on the cost of living for the area, and a $1,000 a year textbook stipend.  The bill would be paid for with a .5% tax increase on the wealthy (individuals making more than 500,000 a year or couples making more than $1M a year). To find out how your representative voted on the new G.I. bill find out here.

The Senate is expected to take up the bill next week as part of their War Supplemental.  It has 57 co-sponsors in the Senate.  A list of co-sponsors can be found here.

The President has indicated that he will veto any increased spending beyond his request for War Supplemental funding, stating that it is expensive and will make it harder to retain forces in time of war.  However, it remains to be seen if he will carry out a veto on this bill which many veterans groups have been in support of.

We will keep you updated as Congress moves on the G.I. bill. If you have questions or would like to help take action contact the USSA office at (202) 640-6570 or at USSA@usstudents.org.

Thousands Turn Their Backs On Phyllis Schlafly

May 16, 2008 in Administration, Campus Protests, Gender, Politics | by | Leave a comment

Washington University in St. Louis conferred an honorary degree on anti-feminist activist Phyllis Schlafly today, as a significant portion of the university’s 2800 graduates turned their backs.

The move to honor Schlafly was met with protest and outrage from the start. WU chancellor Mark Wrighton apologized on Wednesday for the “the anguish this decision has caused,” but refused to reverse it.

A website created by opponents of the honor calls Schlafly “someone who has spent 40 years advocating for censorship of literature and art, railing against the teaching of evolution in schools, and thwarting equal rights for women, gays, and lesbians.”

Schlafly has described the protesters as “bitter,” “tacky,” and “a bunch of losers.”

Update: The St. Louis Post-Dispatch says about a third of the graduates turned their backs on Schlafly. A Feministing correspondent estimated that 75% did.

California Hikes Tuition

May 16, 2008 in Students | by | Leave a comment

The trustees of California’s Cal State university system voted to raise student fees by 10% on Wednesday, and a committee of the state’s UC board of regents voted to raise that system’s tuition by 7.6%. Student trustees in both systems voted against the hike, and 16 protesters were arrested at the regents’ meeting.

California’s public colleges and universities don’t officially charge tuition, but the “fees” they do charge are comparable to other public universities’ tuition rates.

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StudentActivism.net is the work of Angus Johnston, a historian and advocate of American student organizing.

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