Naked protests, free tuition, Duke scandal and more news from schools across the country.
By Annika Carlson, Hope College
Friday March 31, 2006
Grad Students Continue Strike as Stipends are Cut
NYU
The battle for graduate assistants to retain the right to unionize is locked in standstill at NYU. In January, graduate assistants on strike and awaiting a new contract from the university received letters from the office of the provost indicating that their funding would be docked.
The administration’s unwillingness to negotiate with the Graduate Student Organizing Committee has done little to lessen student support of the strike, however. The picket line outside Bobst Library at Washington Square South has continued to draw scores of students. GSOC spokesperson Susan Valentine told The Washington Square news that some 50 picketers had taken a stand this week.
NYU officials have remained confident that the movement will lose momentum.
Naked Students for Change
Penn State
This week at Penn State , activists marched in the buff to encourage the University to sell sweatshop-free school apparel. Although strategically-placed saran wrap kept most participating students from baring everything, their, um, bold message was heard loud and clear. “ The theme is ‘nothing to wear’—mostly because we would really like to wear Penn State clothing, but we are not given that option by administrators,” said senior Theresa Haas.
Scantily-clad coeds stormed the campus, armed with flyers to inform students that Penn’s trademarked apparel is made by labor companies that use sweatshops. The group also posted an online petition aimed at their administration that urges the University to adopt the Designated Suppliers Program created by United Students Against Sweatshops. If Penn changes its stance, it would join Duke, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Georgetown and University of Maine-Farmington , all of whom use the Designated Suppliers Program.
Participants at Penn are calling the event a success—as Haas put it, “Everyone was really excited; we even had some spontaneous strippers.” Ahhh, meaningful progress.
Scandal Rocks Lacrosse Team
Duke
What’s worse for Duke than getting knocked out way earlier than expected from the NCAA basketball tournament? Their men’s lacrosse team allegedly racially and sexually assaulted a woman at one of their parties.
While the investigation takes its course, Duke’s campus is in an uproar over the situation. Students, faculty members and others have staged at least five demonstrations in four days to express their outrage at the team’s actions and silence on the situation. Others in the academic community point to Duke’s situation as part of a social trend on America ’s campuses: acceptance of violence and disrespect by male athletes.
In response to the investigation, Duke officials suspended the team’s games until a resolution is reached. Students continue to call for stronger action by the administration, worried that students’ position on the issue won’t be represented. “Since they’ve taken such a quiet response on it, we’re not confident they’re going to do the right thing,” said sophomore Simone Randolph.
Free Tuition for Low-income Students at Stanford
Stanford
Starting this September, families with annual incomes less than $45,000 can get free tuition for their student accepted to Stanford. The program is expected to cost the university $3 million in its first year of implementation, and will cover both incoming students and previously enrolled students. Partial tuition breaks will also be granted to students whose families earn between $45,000 and $60,000 annually.
Dean of undergraduate admission and financial aid Richard Shaw heralded the program as a return to the diverse ideals of the university’s founders. “We are telling talented students from families with low to moderate incomes that they should apply with confidence. If they are admitted, we’ll cover their costs,” he said.
Stanford is one of few American universities that uses “need blind” admissions, meaning that students are admitted without consideration of their financial status. “Students from low-income backgrounds are underrepresented at our nation’s most selective institutions,” Shaw said. “So we want to be more forceful with this new program in encouraging talented low-income students to consider Stanford.”
Meanwhile, the financial aid arms race continued as Harvard raised their waiver on tuition from family earning under $40,000 to $60,000 a year.
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