Campus Informer

Notre Dame Defies LGBT Students and Allies; Budget Cuts Cause Uproar on California Campuses

Posted Monday, March 5, 2012 in Campus Informer by Graham White

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  • Notre Dame Defies LGBT Students and Allies; Budget Cuts Cause Uproar on California Campuses

Push for Student Equality. For more than 25 years, Notre Dame has refused to recognize student LGBT groups—but that hasn’t stopped one determined group of students. Students sent an application last week to the Student Activities Office on behalf of a proposed gay-straight alliance organization, but it appears that the group will likely be rejected. “It remains the viewpoint of the Student Activities Office that due to the sufficiently complex nature of the issue, the needs of LGBT students can best be met through the structures that are currently in place,” reads a statement from the office. Unfortunately, there aren’t many “structures” for students. Every student request for an LGBT support group has been denied by Notre Dame officials, citing a conflict with the school’s Catholic teachings. Campus Progress reported on a similar story at Pepperdine University back in January. [The Observer]

Unrest on the West Coast. Students were joined by faculty and Occupy Wall Street activists in holding demonstrations on 30 campuses across California to protest state budget cuts to education on Friday. Protests at some schools got so out of hand that they resulted in some campuses being shut down and dozens of arrests. Protestors claimed that they were advocating for social justice and defending public education. They’re calling on Gov. Jerry Brown to reject any budget deal that includes cuts to higher education or tuition increases, and to support a ballot measure that would raise taxes on millionaires to pay for education and other social services. “We’ve destroyed our tax base and we stopped funding the most important parts of our society,” said Josh Brahinsky, a UC–Santa Cruz graduate student who helped organize the action. “We’re calling on the state to tax the wealthy and use that money to build services for all of us.” [CBS News]

Executive Privilege. Jill Abramson, who became the first female executive editor of the New York Times in September, had been scheduled to deliver the commencement address at Barnard College in May—but it appears the school has found a more high-profile speaker. Barnard officials announced over the weekend that the address would instead be delivered by President Obama. Abramson said she understands the school’s decision and insists there are no hard feelings, indicating that she would be glad to speak at Barnard at a later date. President Obama usually speaks at several graduation ceremonies throughout the country. The full list of schools at which he’ll speak has yet to be released. [The Huffington Post]

Less Bang for the Buck. A new study has shown that DePaul University students aren’t getting as much for their tuition dollars as they used to. Despite the university’s recent decision to raise tuition by 5 percent for incoming freshman and by 2.5 percent for current students, the amount of money the school is spending per student is decreasing significantly. “I just want to know where the money is going,” said one concerned DePaul student. “If we’re spending more on tuition and it’s not going toward us, where is it going? And they’re cutting programs that are important, why is that?” The study says that tuition hikes can be attributed to revenue declines in other areas. Students say they’re feeling the effects of higher tuition at public and private schools alike, and the accompanying decline of student services is likely to antagonize students further in the years ahead. [The DePaulia]

Graham White is a journalism intern for Campus Progress. You can follow him on Twitter @GrahamWhiteNY.

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