By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA
A package of measures includes eliminating the expectation that certain students take jobs during the school year, guaranteeing paid internships and providing career counseling.
Published: October 1, 2014 at 4:00AM
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It seems as though every year brings about new stories of fraternities and sororities engaging in dangerous behavior that results in physical, emotional, and potentially fatal consequences. This month has been a truly awful one for Greek life around the country as a number of colleges and universities have punished Greek institutions by either banning them, forcing them to go co-ed, or simply suspending all Greek life on campus. Fraternities and sororities have a very mixed reputation that have both good and bad things about them and even some alumni see them in a mixed light. The questions remains whether Greek life is going to see a country-wide ban and how it might affect higher education institutions with storied history behind some of the houses.
Sororities and fraternities are best known in the public for binge-drinking and hazing incidents that frequently send students to the hospital but that also sometimes result in death. While many sororities and fraternities have strong undercurrents of familial bonds and community service, it’s very simple to say that the majority are used as places where students can get drunk and party with each other. While Greek institutions were started off as a way to improve school life, community life, and personal life through community service and brother/sisterhood, the original messages have been corrupted and founding members wouldn’t recognize the racist, sexist, violent, and alcoholic institutions that have replaced them. Many universities hold on to Greek life for the history the houses impart and the generous alumni donations that they bring in but there eventually comes a point when you need to realize that the toxic environment that accompanies Greek life is too much. Between rapes, sexual assaults, brawls, overdoses, and deaths, it might be time to either institute a culture-wide change (perhaps taking lessons from the founding statements and the Greek houses and chapters that still believe in community service and respect for all) or ban them altogether. Either way, something needs to be done before more people get hurt.
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Marilyn Gardner Milton’s Latest Blog Post
Part of the reason that ebola has been spreading so quickly out of control is due to the fact that doctors and those best equipped to lead the charge have been, understandably, afraid of getting sick and dying. After this period of horror, the sense of fear seems to be changing and there has been a sudden resurgence in the number of people volunteering to care for the sick and fight the disease in Africa. The new volunteers are joining the fight as organizations such as the World Bank and the Gates Foundation are pouring money into western Africa so that supplies can be bought and so that the US Army can begin building a number of field hospitals so that there is more access to treatment. Even though there is a sudden influx of volunteers, experts are still saying that it will be a long time before all of the field hospitals will be fully staffed to the point that they can work at full efficiency.
One of the reasons that the lack of volunteers this summer is an issue is because of the time that it takes to train volunteers to properly be able to help with ebola while minimizing the danger that they face. A 100-bed hospital needs around 400 staff, of which 40 are doctors and nurses, to run properly and those numbers just aren’t there at all. With 600 new cases of ebola being recorded each week, it will be a long time before the hospitals will be able to adequately face the number of people that are sick. The 600 new cases a week are simply those that are brought to official attention. With the rate doubling every three weeks and with potentially hundreds of other cases going unreported, the fight to stem and then eradicate ebola is going to be long, hard, and more people will die.
If you’d like to read more, the link is here.
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By PATRICK BLUM
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development says that governments should do more to ensure that everyone has the same opportunity for a good education early in life.
Published: September 29, 2014 at 4:00AM
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By CALVIN YANG
In an annual listing of the World’s Top 50 Universities under 50, the five top spots were taken by Asian universities.
Published: September 29, 2014 at 4:00AM
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By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA
A new policy at Goucher College allows applicants to submit a two-minute video rather than a high school transcript.
Published: September 28, 2014 at 4:00AM
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By DAN BAUMAN | THE CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION
At least 124 colleges have acquired military equipment through a federal program that transfers military surplus to law-enforcement agencies across the country.
Published: September 22, 2014 at 4:00AM
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By MAX LEWONTIN | THE CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION
A survey in the United States found little effect from the recession in eight primary disciplines.
Published: September 15, 2014 at 4:00AM
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Sorority members throughout the land are finding their inner Martha Stewart, crafting elaborate gift baskets, appliqueing Greek letters, baking personalized treats, decking out rooms. We invite you to share your handmade creations with the Education Life section. Selected readers’ photos will be published.
Published: September 9, 2014 at 4:00AM
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By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA
Harvard’s president said the gift by the Morningside Foundation would give the school a stable financial base and the ability to give students more financial aid while expanding programs in several fields.
Published: September 8, 2014 at 4:00AM
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By KARIN FISCHER | THE CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION
Bard College has become an unlikely champion of liberal education in countries known for their volatility and political upheaval.
Published: September 8, 2014 at 4:00AM
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By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA
A study of college students found that the trend toward more class participation, and away from a traditional lecture-based approach, raised average test scores, with bigger gains for some.
Published: September 3, 2014 at 4:00AM
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