U. Mich. May Charge In-State Rate for Non-Citizens; Play Explores Sexual Violence at Elite Colleges

Tuition Equality. The University of Michigan Board of Regents is considering a plan that would allow Michigan residents who lack U.S. citizenship to pay the school’s in-state tuition rate. Michigan freshman Daniel Morales, co-founder of the Coalition for Tuition Equality, said a change could save those students tens of thousands of dollars and open the school up to a number of students who otherwise couldn’t afford it. Not all students are happy with the potential change, however. “If someone is here illegally and could be deported, I don’t see how U-M could let them pay less money to come,” said sophomore Rick Wollers. “The school needs to follow federal rules and not make their own.” The issue of citizenship and tuition rates is certainly a contentious one—several months ago, the state of Florida made headlines for denying the in-state rate to U.S. citizens if their parents were undocumented. [Detroit Free Press]

Wake Up Call? A new play that confronts incidents of sexual violence at some of the nation’s elite schools opened last month to positive reviews. Titled “Really Really,” the play specifically zeroes in on controversies at Duke University and the University of Virginia. The play’s writer, Paul Downs Colaizzo, says he wrote it in hopes of highlighting the sense of entitlement he sees among some college students—especially those at elite institutions—and its dangerous combination with heavy drinking. In 2006, several Duke lacrosse players were accused but eventually cleared of sexually assaulting a stripper. Two years ago, Virginia lacrosse player Yeardley Love was murdered by her ex-boyfriend, a fellow athlete. “I’m sort of fascinated with the idea that college is a time for wealthy people to make mistakes,” Colaizzo said. “But it is not a vacuum. It has implications in the real world.” [Inside Higher Ed]

False Hope. The University of California-Los Angeles sent emails to about 900 applicants congratulating them on getting into the highly competitive school. But there was one problem—none of the students actually got in. The school is in hot water now as officials apologize to the applicants for the false acceptance e-mails. A spokesman said all the high school seniors who received the e-mail are on the waiting list for admission, and will remain there for the time being. Earlier this year, Vassar College made the same emotionally distressing mistake. [Huffington Post]

Racial Misunderstanding. The college experience encourages students to be more interested in promoting racial understanding, right? Wrong—that is at least, according to a new study being presented at the American Educational Research Association. The study finds that students, over the course of their college careers, become less interested in diversity and racial understanding. The conclusion reportedly holds true for students of all races. The study doesn’t yield information on why this negative trend is happening, but found that any of these circumstances increase the chances that a student will be more committed to reversing it: interracial friendships, frequent discussions with other-race students, and taking courses that focus on diverse cultures and perspectives. [Inside Higher Ed]

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

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