The Kept-Up Academic Librarian

Please Keep Your Politically Incorrect Indian Mascot

Sometime soon, the Fighting Sioux of the University of North Dakota were to be no more, another collegiate nickname dropped after being deemed hostile and abusive to American Indians. Except that some members of the Spirit Lake Tribe, one of two groups of Sioux in the state, say they consider the nickname an honor and worry that abandoning it would send them one step closer to obscurity. Read more at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/09/us/09nickname.html

Puppy Love Comes To Campus

A Chapman University student group wanted to find a way to relieve stress during finals week, so it came up with an innovative approach: puppies. On Wednesday, in the middle of "cram week," a bunch of puppies will be stationed outside the university library for students to pet and play with. The event, called "Furry Friends for Finals," is being organized by the university's Active Minds club, which promotes mental awareness. Read more at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-dog-stress4-2009dec04,0,5679819.story

College Gossip Sites Continue To Thrive

The kinds of comments that used to be scrawled inside a bathroom stall are now posted for the world to read on Web sites encouraging college students to talk trash about their classmates. The sites reflect a new reality of campus life, blending the age-old penchant for gossip with the anonymity and the wide reach of the Internet. Unlike social networking sites such as Facebook, where people use their real identities and can limit who sees their profile, college gossip Web sites thrive on anonymity and easy access. Read more at: http://www.sacbee.com/education/story/2355823.html#mi_rss=Education

Smoke-Free Movement Comes To Campus

An increasing number of colleges are pushing to be smoke-free by next school year. That means no more cigarette breaks outside the classroom door for students or professors. The smoke-free movement comes at a time when the American Cancer Society Action Network reports that the prevalence of smoking in the United States is highest among college-age students, ages 18 to 24. While other age groups are decreasing their tobacco use, the cancer society says college students are smoking at a greater rate. Read more at:
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/education/story/1313302.html

Cheat In This Course And You're Going To Hell For Eternity

Frustrated over cheating allegations, one professor at Middle Tennessee State University took the idea of a traditional honor code in a controversial direction. Suspecting that one of his MBA candidates had just cheated on an exam, Professor Thomas Tang had each of them sign a pledge that said if they had cheated, they'd be condemned to an eternity in Hell. Some students had called the department chair and complained that they were asked to sign this honor code they found offensive." Professor Tang admits he may have overreacted. Read more at:
http://www.wkrn.com/global/story.asp?s=11445552

The Haunted Halls Of Higher Education

Across the region, many colleges nurture their own ghost stories, handed down by generations - some based in fact, others in fiction. For some, the stories serve as nothing more than Halloween fun. To others, they seem very real. At the University of Delaware, Elmo, a workman who died in the 1920s, is said to leave a "trail of chilled air" and make an "asthmatic breathing" noise in Mitchell Hall. A benevolent ghost allegedly climbed into bed with a female student at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J. At Arcadia, some of the ghost stories emanate from the castle's basement, which leads to the 500 feet of tunnels. Read more at:
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/world_us/20091031_Ghost_legends_thrive_at_Philadelphia-area_colleges.html

Latest NYT Education Life Supplement Available

The New York Times published its quarterly Education Life supplement. This quarter the feature articles cover the 40th anniversary of the ROTC ban on campuses, students getting less for more at public universities, and holistic admissions strategies. There are many other interesting pieces about higher education in the supplement some which include textbooks, odd student jobs, and luxury dorms. Read more at:
http://www.nytimes.com/pages/education/edlife/index.html

Hopkins Plays Body Double For Harvard In Facebook Movie

The brick and marble of the Johns Hopkins University's Homewood campus will double for the brick and marble of Harvard University in "The Social Network," a movie about the creation of Facebook that will shoot here Monday and Tuesday. Dennis O'Shea, Hopkins' director of communications and public affairs, says that Gerbes' presentation of Hopkins' Georgian-style architecture helped cinch the production's interest - and that the quality of the project helped sell "The Social Network" to Hopkins. Read more at:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/movies/bal-social-network-1027,0,4920096.story

Staying Up Late For Learning At Overcrowded IHEs

He is a typical part-time student, with one exception. His class runs from 11:45 p.m. to 2:30 a.m., the consequence of an unprecedented enrollment spike that has Bunker Hill scrambling to accommodate hundreds of newcomers. In the dead of night, he and his classmates dissect Walt Whitman poems and learn the finer points of essay writing, fueled by unlimited coffee, cookies and an instructor who does push-ups beforehand to stay lively. While Bunker Hill offers two midnight classes — the other is Psychology 101 — and Clackamas Community College in Oregon holds welding classes until 2 a.m., others have added classes as early as 6 a.m. to make room for the jobless and others whom the recession has nudged back to school. Read more at:
http://www.universitybusiness.com/newssummary.aspx?news_date=2009-10-28&news_id=20821#top

Furlough Turns Campus Into A Ghost Town

The busload of future college students from Whittier High School who took a field trip Wednesday to Cal State Fullerton got less -- and more -- than they were expecting. They didn't get a feel for student life on campus because there was hardly any. But they did receive an unexpected lesson on the state's budget crisis, thanks to a three-day faculty furlough and the cancellation of most classes -- part of a broad plan of cuts and student fee increases to stem the university's $36.7-million shortfall. Read more at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fullerton-furloughs22-2009oct22,0,6888361.story