‘Harlem Shake’ Student Video Triggers Investigation; Undocumented Students Continue to Fight

‘Harlem Shake’ Student Video Triggers FAA Investigation. You’ve probably seen the numerous Harlem Shake videos on YouTube, where one person begins dancing and others eventually join in, often wearing costumes—even the Miami Heat released their own Harlem Shake video recently. But some Colorado College students are receiving some unwanted attention from the Federal Aviation Administration for their Harlem Shake video. The students led a dance on a flight from Colorado Springs to San Diego and are now being investigated for possible safety flight violations. [Politico]

Tennessee Considers Bill to Allow Religious Discrimination in College Student Groups. A Tennessee state senator has proposed a bill that would allow student organizations at public universities to deny membership solely based on their religious beliefs. State Sen. Mae Beavers, who proposed the legislation, would guarantee that students are not “forced to accept people who do not believe the same way you do.” A similar bill was vetoed last year by Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam (R), after controversy broke out, specifically on the campus of Vanderbilt University. [Huffington Post College]

Casino College Courses Bill OK’d by Lawmakers. Last week, the Mississippi Legislature passed a bill that would allow colleges in the state to teach casino courses. Similar bills have been attempted in Mississippi for almost 20 years. The House Gaming Chairman, Richard Bennett, defended the legislation, saying, “This isn’t a gaming bill. This is an economic development bill.” The bill will now go to Gov. Phil Bryant, who is expected to sign it into law. [Clarion Ledger]

Undocumented Students Push for In-State Tuition. Immigrants’ rights activists are leading the fight in states across the county for tuition equality, which would ensure that undocumented students would pay in-state tuition if they have lived in that state for a set period of time. The Pew Hispanic Center estimated that, in 2008, there were approximately 1.5 million undocumented children in the country. Being forced to pay out-of-state tuition in some states, many of these children will be unable to afford to attend college. Jaime Limon-Guzman, who works with Oregon DreamActivist, says that tuition equality is important but just a first step: “Now we have to talk about not just making sure they have access to college, but that they graduate and find work.” [USA Today College]

  Christine Dickason is a Communications Intern with Campus Progress. You can follow her on Twitter @cdickason11.

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