Obama Speaks At Notre Dame

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – President Barack Obama strode head-on Sunday into the stormy abortion debate and told graduates at America's leading Roman Catholic university that both sides must stop demonizing one another.

Obama acknowledged that "no matter how much we want to fudge it ... the fact is that at some level, the views of the two camps are irreconcilable." But he still implored the University of Notre Dame's graduating class and all in the U.S. to stop "reducing those with differing views to caricature. Open hearts. Open minds. Fair-minded words. It's a way of life that always has been the Notre Dame tradition."

One of the noisiest controversies of his young presidency flared after Obama, who supports abortion rights but says the procedure should be rare, was invited to speak at the school and receive an honorary degree. "I do not suggest that the debate surrounding abortion can or should go away," the president said. - Yahoo!

It would have been awesome to witness the person who stood up and said "stop killing our children" during Obama's speech.

Alternative Spring Break

Howard University Radio, WHUR (96.3 FM), is planning "A Helping Hand," a 12-hour radiothon Sunday with the goal of raising $50,000 to send more than 300 Howard University students to Chicago, Detroit and New Orleans, as well as across the D.C. area, to help families dealing issues that include illiteracy and the lingering effects of Hurricane Katrina.

The effort is part of the university's 14-year-old Alternative Spring Break program. Every year, many Howard students give up vacation time to perform public service. For the past three years, hundreds of students have spent spring break helping people devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

This year, some will return to New Orleans to help in the city's legal department. In the Washington area, students will confront homelessness in the District, Maryland and Virginia, and provide mentoring and tutoring to area students. Other Howard students will assist efforts to reduce gun violence by working with churches in Chicago and assist literacy programs for students in Detroit. - Washington Post

If Katrina wasn't so mean, they'd be partying in Cancun. But they're mean there too.

Private Colleges Face Applicant Decline

Many private colleges have seen or are concerned about a decline in applications. In a survey of 371 private institutions by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, two-thirds said they were greatly concerned about preventing a decline in enrollment, according to a Dec. 21 New York Times article...

...In Massachusetts, early applications to UMass-Amherst are up 27 percent, Framingham and Westfield State are up 40 percent, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts are up 60 percent and applications to Massachusetts College of Art and Design are up 75 percent, according to a Dec. 23rd Boston Globe article. But the budgets of public colleges are equally tight if not tighter, meaning they still cannot exceed capacity and will need to be more selective than ever before with a large and talented applicant pool.

"A lot of Ivy League kids are applying as a backup and that complicates admissions for the average student," said Catherine Leger, the head of the guidance department at Brockton High School in Massachusetts, in the Globe article. - BCHeights.com

Makes sense.

The Worst School In America?

Faux news as Chris would say.

A Tour of UMASS Amherst

College Essays are Pointless

Section E: Essay
Please show us your soul. Limit 250 words.

Might as well be the case. seriously, what the hell is the point of these "show us who you are" essays? Isn't that what the interviews are for? Do people even read these fucking things?You want to know about my personality, huh? Want to know as much about me as you can? Bullshit. How many people are gonna write, "well, I do tend to be a dick sometimes...oh, and I hate gay people!"? Not to mention 90% of the important details of your life that can't be copy and pasted into a two inch long text box as part of an 18 page form that nobody's gonna fucking care about...unless you don't do it though, then you're screwed!

I'm getting a serious urge to send a steaming pile of shit with every form. You may think this is antagonistic- I disagree. Because I believe the remnants of my diet are going to tell a shitload more about me than any half-assed trite I can write on these stupid forms. Have a great day.

Oh, and sorry for the language. I'm a bit annoyed.

BC In Flap Over Lingerie

Boston College’s merchandising deal with racy lingerie peddler Victoria’s Secret is raising ire on campus and among the conservative, Catholic school’s alumni.

“It’s disgraceful and appalling,” said Boston College graduate C.J. Doyle, who runs the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts. “This is just one more example of the university’s callous contempt for Catholic sensibilities and its complete indifference to what remains of its Catholic identity.”

Yesterday on Newbury Street, outside a Victoria’s Secret store that is selling hot-pink Boston College tank tops for $19.50 and Eagles “short shorts,” others agreed.

“It’s just not appropriate,” said Maura Orrell of Quincy, as she surveyed the rhinestone- and glitter-covered Boston College sweatshirts, hanging just past the candy-colored Miracle bras.

“It’s really tacky,” added Marcia, a “50-ish” auditor from Boston. - Boston Herald

I wouldn't go as far to say "disgraceful and appalling," but it is surprising.

College Presidents Seek Debate On Drinking Age

College presidents from about 100 of the nation's best-known universities, including Duke, Dartmouth and Ohio State, are calling on lawmakers to consider lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18, saying current laws actually encourage dangerous binge drinking on campus.

The movement called the Amethyst Initiative began quietly recruiting presidents more than a year ago to provoke national debate about the drinking age.

"This is a law that is routinely evaded," said John McCardell, former president of Middlebury College in Vermont who started the organization. "It is a law that the people at whom it is directed believe is unjust and unfair and discriminatory." - Associated Press

The age definitely needs to be lowered. According to Cam Brown, our American culture expert living in Germany, kids in Europe (where the drinking age is under 18) know how to drink. They know about moderation. Since society has pretty much determined that alcohol is fine for teenagers, there is no need for binges.

The Obvious: Community College Saves

Over the next month, millions of students will head to college campuses across the United States. Some have chosen an expensive route, selecting private schools that charge nearly $50,000 a year for room, board, and tuition. But a growing segment is taking a path that's easier on their wallets.

More than 6.5 million students attend approximately 1,200 community colleges throughout the US, according to the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). That's close to half of all undergraduate students.

Last year, community-college students paid an average of $2,361 for tuition, the College Board reports. Compare that with an average of $6,185 at public four-year institutions and $16,640 that out-of-state students must pay. These figures do not include the expenses of room and board, books, insurance, and transportation, which can add several thousand dollars to a college bill. - Christian Science Monitor

Com. college has a bad rep for some reason. I would love to see a valedictorian attend one. How great of a statement would that be?

Ivy League Has Edge

Even though graduates from all types of schools increase their earnings throughout their careers, their incomes grow at almost the same rate, according to the survey. For instance, the median starting salary for Ivy Leaguers is 32% higher than that of liberal-arts college graduates -- and at 10 or more years into graduates' working lives, the spread is 34%, according to the survey.

One reason why Ivy Leaguers outpace their peers may be that they tend to choose roles where they're either managing or providing advice, says David Wise, a senior consultant at Hay Group Inc., a global management-consulting firm based in Philadelphia. By contrast, state-school graduates gravitate toward individual contributor and support roles. "Ivy Leaguers probably position themselves better for job opportunities that provide them with significant upside," says Mr. Wise , adding that this is the first survey he's seen that correlates school choice to a point later in a career.

Also, more Ivy League graduates go into finance roles than graduates of other schools, and employers pay a premium for them, says Peter Cappelli, a professor of management and director of the Center for Human Resources at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. "Dartmouth kids get paid more for the same job than kids from Rutgers are [doing]," he says. - Wall Street Journal

Is this surprising? Not really. I think Jason is the only Class of '08 student going to an Ivy...am I right?

Tales From A College Student

I've decided that W&M (William and Mary) is perhaps the most God-forsaken school on the planet, being devoid of the multitudes of attractive and slutty women that i was promised would be waiting for me at college. instead, i find only vaguely-attractive women with inflated opinions of their looks (no doubt due to the absence of true attractive women) and who therefore tend to conclude that they still have the right to be picky about their men; another negative is that just about every girl here is far too intelligent, and somehow possess self-esteem levels that i did not know could be attained by females, the result of which being that you cannot trick them in any way. oh, and apparently 85% of W&M girls are virgins, and intend to stay that way until well after marriage and the attainment of a highly successful career; after said stipulations are met, they will fornicate for procreative purposes only, in an effort to overrun the world with more intelligent, independent and ambitious women like themselves. appalling.

i miss the attractive, promiscuous, easily-tricked girls from my high school days; alas, they are all at community college now. - VaSoxFan

Just tales from a college student.

Get some money, special ed majors

Any student planning to attend college and major in a special education related
field such as physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy or another
special education field is welcome to apply for an award created by funds raised
by middle school students.

Got to respect anyone working in these fields.

Clinton vows to eliminate paperwork

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - Say goodbye to the FAFSA form if Hillary Clinton is elected president.

A little late for me.

MIT students drop piano off roof

A cookout this afternoon at an MIT dormitory was typical for students at the science mecca: grilled chicken, veggie burgers, and hot dogs. Fruit punch and lemonade. And a piano was hurled off a seven-story roof onto another piano.

That's awesome. Hooray for pointless destruction! Anyone heading to MIT out there?

33% of WHS grads at state schools needed remedial help

WAKEFIELD - One third of the 2005 graduates from Wakefield High School who went on to state colleges required remedial help in math, reading or writing, according to a report issued last week by the state Department of Education (DOE) and the Board of Higher Education.

Not to say that Wakefield High doesn't do a good job preparing us for college.

Statewide 37 percent of the freshmen in 2005 needed remedial help.

No More Private Loans From B of A

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Bank of America said Thursday it plans to stop issuing "private" student loans -- or loans not backed by the government -- because the turmoil in the bond market has made the debt hard to sell to investors.

The Charlotte, N.C.-based bank plans to continue issuing government-backed student loans.

Most loans in the $85 billion student loan industry are issued through government programs. The federal government grants subsidies to lenders under these programs and reimburses banks for most losses when students default on their loans.

Because the cost to attend college has grown and the size of the government-backed student lending programs is capped, a "private" student loan industry -- in which banks lend money directly to students without the aid of any government program -- has sprouted. - Boston Globe

Silly Bank of America

Hey, girls...

The General Federation of Women's Clubs of Massachusetts is offering 5 $1000
scholarships to students who have performed meaningful community service
activities.

Hey, I'm eligible for this! Now, I know what you're thinking...let's just say I was attacked by a particularly vicious dog, and I had no alternative. Yeah, it's weird, I know. Sigh.

Huckabee to speak at Cornell

Mike Huckabee, former Republican presidential candidate and governor of Arkansas, will visit Cornell University on Tuesday. Huckabee will deliver a speech, "In God We Trust: The Role of Faith in Politics," at 6 p.m. in the Bailey Hall auditorium.

Looks like one Étudiant writer will be visiting New York. But seriously, the guy's an ordained Southern Baptist minister. That's just a little too religious for the most important demographic of them all: the moderates.

Darfur update

While visiting campus Monday, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof discussed the horrific images he witnessed while visiting Darfur in 2004 — orphans crying for their dead parents, mothers having to choose which of their children would survive and sons trying to bury the bodies of their slaughtered families.

“I just looked around and it was really at that moment the tragedy and scale of atrocities really hit home,” he said.

Kristof, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, spoke as part of the Dream for Darfur: A Two-Day Academic Symposium on the World’s Darkest Olympics, an event sponsored by Ithaca College’s chapter of Students Taking Action Now: Darfur and Cornell University’s anti-genocide group, STARS.

Saturday’s event began with a presentation by Mohamed Yahya, the executive director of Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy. Yahya, a Darfur refugee, was studying in Cairo in 1993 when Janjaweed troops invaded his village in Darfur. He said he did not allow the distance to stop him from helping the people of Darfur.

Yahya worked in Cairo while writing his first academic articles about the genocide.

“I invited my friends and we got together at a meeting and we talked about how we could do something to help,” he said. “We could no longer stay at school when our people were being killed.”

Since the genocide began, Yahya has lost 21 members of his family. Now, he is only certain that his mother and two of his siblings are still alive.

According to the Save Darfur campaign, up to 400,000 people have died from the violence in Darfur. The conflict, which is between the Janjaweed militia group and a number of rebel groups, began in February 2003.

Freshman Gamy Wong attended Yahya’s presentation and said Yahya’s descriptive accounts conveyed the strong truth of what the genocide is truly like. Wong said Yahya’s presentation was a good opportunity to hear horrific tales of the genocide from a Darfur refugee.

“The images that he tried to implant in our minds were more powerful than if I just heard these stories from someone else,” Wong said.

The event emphasized the role that China, Sudan’s chief diplomatic sponsor and major weapon’s provider, could play in the ending of the genocide. The speakers told of international pressure on China and the possibility of boycotting the 2008 Summer Olympics in China.

Kristof said though China would feel pressure if many nations boycott the opening and closing ceremonies, it may also lead to more problems. Kristof said his suggestion is to wait until closer to the start of the games to make a decision about boycotting.

“People … not going to the opening and closing ceremonies would be a huge embarrassment to China,” Kristof said. “My fear will be that a boycott of the opening and closing ceremonies will tend to boost Chinese nationalism, push China into a corner and create less cooperation.”

Freshman Rachel Merkin and senior Amanda Kessler, co-presidents of STAND, began the planning for the symposium in the beginning of the fall semester.

Let's wait a few months, and then decide to mess with China!

The Waiting List Just Gets Bigger and Bigger

Like jittery investors scrambling to hedge their bets, selective colleges and universities are placing far more applicants than usual on their waiting lists this spring as a safeguard against an unusually murky admissions season. But while the policy gives colleges some peace of mind, it plunges students into an admissions purgatory that could string out the stressful selection process for weeks to come.

Colleges have typically been able to estimate the percentage of accepted students who will enroll in the fall with a fair degree of confidence. This year, several factors have conspired to thwart their projections: a shaky economy, record numbers of applications, and sweeping financial aid expansions that make it harder to predict what colleges middle-class families will choose.

Faced with so many variables, colleges are wait-listing more students to fine-tune the numbers and makeup of their incoming freshman class. Lengthening the waiting list creates a crucial buffer of students in a year of deep uncertainty about how many will eventually show up, college officials say. - Boston Globe

Waiting lists aren't fun.