Higher Ed Law Prof Blog

Law: Double Whammy--- Congress tries to tackle student-loan problems while grappling with the mortgage crisis

In spring 2007 the U.S. was awash in liquidity. Abundant credit fueled a housing boom as well as M and A deals. For student loans, financing was readily available, both for existing lenders and the new entrants who sought to participate in a robust higher education market. Private equity purchasers inked a deal to purchase Sallie Mae for $25 billion.

What a difference a year makes! The Sallie Mae deal collapsed. Credit sources have literally dried up, affecting entire industries -- mortgage lending first, and student loans as well. Paul Sheldon, a Wall Street observer with Student Loan Capital Strategies, says “We have had periods of unavailable capital (late 1980's) which were difficult, but lenders did not go out of business. The viability of private lenders' ability to carry on is in question. This includes small lenders, and the largest lenders alike.” Read the rest in the Greentree Gazette.

Law: My kind of field trip!

PAHRUMP, Nev. (AP) - Nicki Amouri hands her camera to a friend, throws her arm over another and smiles wide as she leans in for a shot with the monument her class came to visit.
It's a typical field trip memento—except that Amouri is in a brothel. The monument is a fluffy, queen-sized bed in a Western-themed party room reserved for VIPs and big spenders.

Amouri was one of a dozen Randolph College students who toured the Chicken Ranch, a legal bordello in the desert 60 miles outside Las Vegas. Thursday's class trip, which included seminars from the working girls, capped a course on American consumption and "the ideas that consume us."Read more from the Associated Press.

Law: Traumatized lab monkeys in Georgia said to need saving

SUKHUMI, GEORGIA -- They languish in the yard of a war-crushed research center, rattling against the rusting metal of their cages and staring down at the distant blue smudge of the Black Sea.

The inbred clans of traumatized monkeys have managed to survive long years of war, hunger and science, tucked away in the oblivion and isolation of a breakaway republic most people couldn't find on a map.

History has rolled right past Abkhazia. This strip of lush coast has lingered in a sort of non-time for 15 years, ever since a war for independence from Georgia ended in international stalemate. Since then, Abkhazia has been ruled by a government deemed illegitimate by the rest of the world, stultified by sanctions, jobless and sleepy.Read more in the LA Times.

Law: Is profiling a practice worth considering to counter campus shootings?

The Profile of a Potential Killer
By
James Castagnera
When the police use profiling, it’s condemned as racist. When the customs service does it, it’s similarly assailed as discriminatory and unconstitutional. Still, it’s being done. Travel & Leisure magazine reported not long ago, “The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently began rolling out a new security program, Screening Passengers by Observation Techniques (SPOT), at dozens of airports around the country.” Time magazine explained, “TSA employees will be trained to identify suspicious individuals who raise red flags by exhibiting unusual or anxious behavior, which can be as simple as changes in mannerisms, excessive sweating on a cool day, or changes in the pitch of a person's voice.” Although such techniques invariably arouse the ACLU, should high schools and universities consider adopting them?
Before you answer, consider the case of Dawson College. On September 13, 2006, Kimveer Gill parked his car in downtown Montreal, removed a cache of weapons from the trunk, forced a passerby to carry his extra ammunition, and walked the short distance to the college’s campus. At the main building’s back entrance he opened fire on students standing on the steps. His hostage ran off with the extra ammunition as Gill entered the building and walked to the cafeteria, where he shot two students. Ordering the others in the room to lie on the floor, he fired randomly until police arrived. Taking two more hostages, he attempted to escape until, shot in the arm, he took his own life. The toll: one student dead, 19 more wounded.

Police later found Kimveer Gill’s profile posted on a website called VampireFreaks.com. [http://vampirefreaks.com/ ] In the accompanying photo he wore a black leather trench coat and sports a Beretta Cx4 Storm semi-automatic carbine, one of four guns he took to Dawson College. Visit VampireFreaks.com today and you can purchase “cyber-gothic clothing” on a related link called clothing@F---TheMainstream, and read featured interviews with “Velvet Acid Christ,” “Zombie Girl,” and “Grendel.” Gill’s own VampireFreaks screen name was “fatality 666.” His last login was at 10:35 AM on the day of the shootings.
In the aftermath of the Dawson College shootings, the so-called “Goth” subculture came under sharp attack in the media. Hardly a high school or a college on the North American continent is without its clique of Goth enthusiasts in their leather, chains, piercings, tattoos and bizarre hairstyles. Operators of Goth shops and websites found themselves defending the lifestyle and adamantly disavowing violence. Some expressed shock at the 55 graphically violent pictures posted on Gill’s VampireFreaks web page.
Gill also turned out to be a big fan of the video game “Super Columbine Massacre RPG.” Go to the game’s web site shortly after last year’s VTU massacre [http://www.columbinegame.com/ ] and you found this statement about the Virginia Tech massacre: “This week, the press is awash with stories about the shooting at Virginia Tech – the deadliest in recent history. Will we remember this tragedy in a week? In a month? In the years to follow? I certainly hope so. I hope we can learn from such sobering events as Virginia Tech, as Dawson College, Ehrfurt, Columbine and all the other horrific shootings modern society has endured. So often the potential for another shooting is just around the corner should we forget the lessons history has to offer us. This process of reevaluation, introspection, and a search for understanding is the value I believe my video game offers to those who play it.” The author, site owner Danny Ledonne is said to have vomited when he learned that Gill was a fan. Presumably Gill wasn’t participating for “reevaluation, introspection, and a search for understanding.”
VampireFreaks and Super Columbine Massacre persist on the web, despite their appeal to the Kimveer Gills out there. No one has definitively proven a clear cause-effect-relationship (albeit the Alabama Supreme Court last year reinstated a $600 million lawsuit against the makers of video game “Grand Theft Auto,” which the plaintiffs blame for the shooting deaths of two police officers and a dispatcher in 2003).
As Goth enthusiasts and video gamers alike point out, tens of thousands of adherents never commit a violent crime. In the absence of a clear causal connection between violence-glorifying cults and games on one hand and campus shooters on the other, academic freedom argues against profiling Goths and gamers as potential threats. And yet … as horrific incidents multiply down the decades, administrators might be forgiven for considering closer scrutiny of students who fall into these categories.
Even school administrators who shy away from "profiling" might welcome increased sensitivity among their student bodies. "Snitching" about suspect behavior may not be cool, but it could be crucial. A live-and-let live attitude in residence halls is probably no longer appropriate in our post-VT world ... anymore than a laissez faire attitude at our airports would make any sense in this post-9/11 age of international terror.
[Jim Castagnera, formerly of Jim Thorpe, is the Associate Provost/Associate Counsel at Rider University. A collection of his “Attorney at Large” columns is available at www.lulu.com.]
Related web sites:

Super Columbine Massacre Game
Vampire Freaks
F*** the Mainstream Clothing

Publications: New from NACUA

This updated and significantly expanded compendium is an excellent resource for attorneys, human resources professionals, and others involved in higher education employment law. Its content ranges from the pre-hiring issues of affirmative action and background checks to separation agreements and termination policies.

The first section focuses on common employment practices, including:

 

· Hiring

· Compensation and benefits

· Complying with FLSA and ERISA

· Discrimination and harassment claims

· Investigations and electronic privacy

· International employment and immigration issues.

Law: VTU victims and families settle with state

Survivors of the shooting at Virginia Tech and families of those who were killed there have reached an $11-million settlement with the Commonwealth of Virginia that precludes lawsuits against the university and the state.Read more in the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Law: Records peeking has a history at UCLA Hospital

Though UCLA Medical Center has portrayed recent privacy breaches as the rare actions of rogue employees, the hospital has known since at least 1995 that staffers were peeking into the medical records of such prominent patients as Tom Cruise and Mariah Carey -- and even spying on one another's medical care, according to records and interviews.

James Duckstad, a former hospital assistant at UCLA, told The Times that he was one of a group of workers fired in 1995 after improperly looking at the computerized medical records of colleagues as well as celebrities including Cruise and Dom DeLuise.Read more in the LA Times.

Publication: Six Dumb Ways to Kill Employee Morale

Why do some organizations hum along like a well-oiled machine while others have rampant negativity, plummeting morale, or low productivity? Time and again the answer lies in the effectiveness of frontline managers. Avoiding dumb mistakes that destroy teamwork and efficiency is ultimately the key to success. How to do it?Examine and order the product here.

Law: NJ Guv signs paid family leave act

The New Jersey Senate on Monday voted 21-15 to pass a bill (S 786) that would provide workers with partial wage replacement for six weeks while the worker is on leave to care for a newborn, newly adopted child or a sick family member, the Bergen Record reports. The state Assembly passed its version last month, and the bill now goes to Gov. Jon Corzine (D), who said he will sign it into law (Young, Bergen Record, 4/8). If Corzine signs the bill, New Jersey would be the third state to create a paid family and medical leave program; California and Washington already have such laws.Read details here.

Law: Read Castagnera's series on campus shootings

Legal liability for the Virginia Tech massacre: lessons of earlier mass shootings? Jim Castagnera April 2007 Part 1 in a series The April 16th Virginia Tech massacre sent editors and writers scurrying to their microfiche and video vaults, and lawyers to case law.                                                   Jim Castagnera              The very day of the tragedy, CBS News recalled the mother of all campus mass-murders – the August 1, 1966 , slaughter of 16 by a sniper from the top deck of the University of Texas Austin ’s landmark tower. But arguably America’s most notorious campus killing spree was the May 4, 1970 shooting of 13 students in about as many seconds on Kent State’s campus.  It has retained the public eye into the new millennium, thanks chiefly to a 2001 Emmy-winning documentary and Reporter-Novelist Philip Caputo’s 2005 book. In the lingo of American tort (that is, personal injury) law, Virginia Tech more closely resembles the University of Texas . Both campuses were victimized by an unexpected and entirely unwanted intruder. If either institution, its officials and safety forces are legally liable, then the basis must be negligence – some common-law sin of omission. University executives should nonetheless familiarize themselves with the range of civil liabilities they may face in such dire circumstances.Access the four-part series here.

Law: Congressman wants to mandate 30-munute response time in campus emergency

A requirement that colleges warn their campuses of emergencies within 30 minutes—a provision that is already in one bill pending in Congress—is the focus of another measure that was proposed on Wednesday in the U.S. House of Representatives.Read the whole story here.

Law: Virginia's Guv signs new laws growing out of last year's VTU massacre

Virginia's governor, Timothy M. Kaine, signed more than two dozen bills on Wednesday that seek to improve communication among mental-health professionals who work at colleges and state agencies, and strengthen security on public-university campuses in the hope of avoiding another tragedy like the shootings at Virginia Tech that claimed 33 lives almost one year ago.Read the whole story here.

Publication: The new Greentree Gazette e-weekly

Read it here.

Opportunity: Participate in an IRB research study

Dear IRM Member,

Recruiting and retaining participants for research trials is critical to the success of research projects. While offering payment to participants is common practice, little research is available about how and why participants are compensated.

I am conducting an NIH-funded survey of 800 IRB members across the United States. As an IRB member, your opinions, attitudes, and practices regarding payment to research participants are important.

Within the next week, please take 10-15 minutes to complete this survey. As a token of appreciation, $2 will be donated to either the American Heart Association or the National Kidney Foundation. You will have the opportunity to select the charity upon completion of the study. After the data is collected, you will also receive a summary of the research findings.

Please click here to begin...Click!

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at 804-828-1955 or via email at eripley@mcvh-vcu.edu.

Law: Senator sniffs around college endowments...has new bloodhound on payroll

After Dean A. Zerbe resigned his post as senior counsel to Sen. Charles E. Grassley in February, the nonprofit world breathed a collective sigh of relief. The man responsible for the government’s sharpest scrutiny of nonprofit organizations was gone, and few observers believed his replacement would have the same chops.

Not so fast. This afternoon the Iowa senator, who is the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, announced Mr. Zerbe’s replacement: Theresa Pattara, a former IRS official who recently spent a year working closely with Mr. Zerbe on a variety of inquiries into the management and operation of nonprofit organizations. She also helped develop the IRS’s new 990 tax form.Read more about it in the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Law: "Nosy" employee at heart of UCLA's confidentiality flap

The UCLA Medical Center employee who allegedly pried into the private medical records of the governor's wife and 60 others in a burgeoning scandal was a low-ranking administrative specialist who told The Times on Tuesday that "it was just me being nosy."

"Clearly I made a mistake; let's put it like that," Lawanda J. Jackson, 49, said when asked in a telephone interview why she improperly looked at the records of so many patients, including California First Lady Maria Shriver and actress Farrah Fawcett. Read the rest of this story in the LA Times.

Law: More woes at Antioch... this time a computer breach

A computer server at Antioch University containing more than a decade of sensitive information on 60,000 people, some entirely unconnected with the university, was breached three times last year.

The server contained data going back to 1996 on current and former students and employees, as well as on students who had been scouted by the university but never attended or even applied. The data contained ample material for identity theft—Social Security numbers, names, academic records, and payroll records—but university officials said they do not know of any theft connected to the breaches.Read the rest of the story here.

Event: Learn how to become an analytic competitor

Join Tom Davenport for a conversation about the process of becoming an analytical competitor
"Executives at P&G view analytics as a competitive advantage in optimizing their business."

Glenn Wegryn
Procter & Gamble

The research is in, and there is little remaining dispute – organizations run on analytics enjoy a significant competitive advantage. The challenge now is making the leap; how can you adapt your existing work processes, information and workers to a new way of doing business?

Harvard Business Conferences, together with SAS and Intel, presents Competing on Analytics: Turning Potential into Performance. This high-impact series is designed to help corporate decision makers like you understand how to put analytics to work in your organization with maximum effectiveness and efficiency.More info here.

Event: Webnar on the wireless campus

Join us on Tuesday, April 29th at 10:00 AM Pacific, 1:00 PM Eastern to hear Quinnipiac University discuss their existing state of the art wireless deployment and their transition to an all-wireless campus. Wireless has made a significant impact at Quinnipiac with respect to:
Network performance and application delivery
Curriculum and learning
IT and facilities expenses
Convenience and manageability
The session will review the risks and benefits of de-emphasizing wired access connections and will include a review of Quinnipiac’s business requirements, technology evaluation criteria, selection process, and deployment plans and experiences. It will review the latest wireless standards such as 802.11n and 802.11e and their impact on going all-wireless.Learn more about it here.

Opportunity: EU offers "Centers of Excellence" Grants

Academic Resources, Fellowships & Grants

Announcement of Grant Competition: European Union Centers in the United States 2008-2011

Application Deadline: June 16, 2008

The European Commission is pleased to announce a grant competition for the European Union Centers of Excellence program, inviting proposals from institutions of higher education in the United States to support "European Union Centers of Excellence" during the 2008-2011 period. These Centers will be expected to implement high quality teaching, research and regional outreach programs with EU and EU-US themes. Individual Centers will also be expected to participate in cooperative activities within the national Network of EU Centers of Excellence. The European Commission plans to award an estimated 11 grants of up to €300,000 each, with additional funding provided to the institution selected as Network and Outreach Coordinator.

The competition Call for Proposals and related documents may be downloaded below, or requested from Helen Henderson, Political and Development Section, Delegation of the European Commission, 2300 M Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037; E-mail: Helen.Henderson@ec.europa.eu ; Fax: 202-429-1766.Read more here.

Law: Bill would ease cell phone restrictions for higher ed

Washington — A bill scheduled to be considered today by the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee could provide major relief to colleges and others that provide their employees with cellphones and handheld devices like Blackberries.Read the rest of the story in the Chronicle of Higher Education.And access the bill here.

Publications: A new newsletter from NACUA

NACUA is pleased to distribute its first volume of NACUA New York Minute, a periodic newsletter intended to provide members with information on the 48th Annual Conference, which will be held June 22-25, 2008 at the Marriott Marquis at Times Square in New York, NY. An archive of all NACUA New York Minute volumes will be available on the Annual Conference Website.Order it here.

Events: Two companies combine to offer enrollment-yield enhancement product

Sterling College Partners with EducationDynamics to Develop Interactive Website to Improve Enrollment Yield and Communication with Prospective Students

Newly-launched Site Incorporates Proven Tools of Engagement to Establish a Seamless Transition for Prospective Students During the Enrollment Process

Hoboken, New Jersey (April 9, 2008)—The Enrollment & Retention Services Division of EducationDynamics recently partnered with Sterling College to create an advanced web-based platform to improve communication with prospective students and cultivate higher enrollment levels. This interactive website (http://www.sterling.edu) is designed to mirror the proven effects of EducationDynamics' enrollment and retention products that are currently in place at Sterling College, and meet the needs of an increasingly tech-savvy generation of learners at the school's entry point—its website.

JObs #3: NACUA seeks a variety of volunteers

April 7, 2008

 

Dear NACUA Colleagues:

 

NACUA depends heavily on its volunteers to achieve its mission.  NACUA committees are comprised of members who reflect the breadth and depth of the Association.  As your President-Elect, I invite you to volunteer to serve on one or more of NACUA's committees. 

 

To volunteer, please respond to this message by Friday, April 25, 2008, or you may complete the Expertise and Experience Form to indicate your interest by clicking here.  E-mail responses should be sent to Deloise Butler at NACUA at committees@nacua.org.  Include in your response the committee or committees on which you would most like to serve.  We will do our best to accommodate your requests, but sometimes we are not able to appoint everyone who wishes to serve on a particular committee.

 

In the accompanying letter below, CEO Kathleen Santora describes opportunities for service on the numerous NACUA Committees, the obligations generally associated with those committees, and the staff who serve as liaisons.  If you would like to provide us with additional information about your professional or volunteer expertise and experience outside of NACUA that relates to the NACUA Committee(s) in which you are interested in serving, please provide us with that information on the voluntary Expertise and Experience Form. While specific expertise and experience are not required for the majority of committees, and the disclosure of such information is completely voluntary, it is nonetheless helpful to have this information as we begin the committee appointment process.  Note, however, that NACUA greatly appreciates receiving additional background information regarding members’ experience and/or expertise in the areas of nonprofit finance and audit matters for those who wish to serve on NACUA’s Committee on Finance and Audit. 

 

I look forward to hearing from you in the coming year.   

 

Sincerely,

 Mary

Mary E. Kennard

NACUA President-Elect

 

 

 

 

 

 

 April 7, 2008

 

 

Dear Colleagues:

 

Below is a list of NACUA committees and editorial boards with a brief description of each.  Please click on the name of the committee or editorial board to view a Web link for further information. While some committees meet in conjunction with the November and March CLE workshops as well as the June Annual Conference, we hope that costs related to attending meetings will not deter you from volunteering.  There is always a call-in option for committee meetings and much of the committee and subcommittee work is done electronically.

 

 

STANDING COMMITTEES OF THE BOARD

Standing committees are permanent committees that formally report to the Board, with significant Board involvement in deliberations.  The Board deliberates and takes action on recommendations of these committees and ensures that actions taken correspond to strategic priorities.  The Committee makeup generally includes a significant number of Board members, but may include other Association members. Standing Committee appointments are for one year, a portion of which are renewable for a second year. 

 

· Committee on Board Operations

Chaired by the Association’s Secretary, this Committee’s duties include the orientation (offered annually in the fall) and ongoing education of members of the Board; assessments and evaluations of Board effectiveness; and ongoing examination of NACUA’s governance structure and corporate compliance. The Committee also helps to ensure a strong Board-CEO relationship. The Committee typically meets in conjunction with regularly scheduled Board meetings two or three times per year, and conducts most of its work by conference call and email during the year. This Committee is comprised of current and recent past members of the Board of Directors. Staff Liaison: Paul L. Parsons.

 

· Committee on Finance and Audit

Chaired by the Association’s Treasurer, this Committee is responsible for general oversight of all financial activities of the Association, including monitoring and making recommendations to the Board for approval of dues and other revenue-producing activities; recommendation to the Board for approval of an annual operating budget; ongoing oversight of the approved budget during the year, based on reports issued by management; monitoring the Association’s Investment, Spending and Reserve Policies through its Subcommittee on Investments (typically chaired by one of the two Committee Vice Chairs) and oversight of the Association’s annual financial audit, annual review of executive compensation, and other financial compliance matters through its Subcommittee on Audit (typically chaired by one of the two Committee Vice Chairs). It meets in conjunction with regularly scheduled Board meetings two or three times per year, and conducts the remainder of its work by conference call and email during the year. The Committee receives several financial reports and materials throughout the year and in advance of each regularly scheduled conference call or meeting. It is particularly helpful to receive background information regarding members’ experience and/or expertise in the areas of nonprofit finance and audit maters for service on this Committee. Staff Liaison: Paul L. Parsons.

 

· Committee on Membership and Member Services

This Committee is responsible for reviewing current membership policies and procedures, reviewing and proposing changes to enhance member services, orienting new members to NACUA, and assisting NACUA's staff in the recruitment of non-member institutions. The Committee is separated into subcommittees based on the specific goals of the Committee for the given year. The full Committee conducts most of its work via conference call. Subcommittees also convene via conference call as needed, typically between two and five times per year. Staff Liaison: Miriam S. Miller.

 

· Committee on Nominations and Elections

Chaired by the Association’s Immediate Past President, this Committee ensures that the nominations and elections process is effective and efficient and widely representative of the diversity of membership within NACUA, and that leadership development is both a high priority and ongoing. The Committee typically meets only once in the spring of each year in conjunction with the NACUA March Board meeting where it selects a slate of nominees for election by the general membership during the Annual Conference in June. Staff Liaison: Paul L. Parsons.

 

· Committee on Strategic Planning

This Committee monitors the progress of the Association's strategic plan to ensure that NACUA is reviewing the plan regularly, making revisions as appropriate, and devoting the financial and staffing resources necessary to address the priorities identified in the plan. The Committee recommends revisions to the existing plan each year and a more comprehensive plan for NACUA every three to five years as necessary. It typically meets during the year in conjunction with regularly scheduled Board meetings two or three times per year, and conducts much of its work by conference call and email. Staff Liaison: Paul L. Parsons.

 

 

Jobs #2: NAFSA offers job posting and interview opportunities for upcoming international convention

Dear Employer:

 

At NAFSA’s 60^th Annual Conference in Washington, DC May 25-30, there will be space in the NAFSA Career Center for employers to hold information sessions.  This is an opportunity for you to present in a roundtable format about open positions or other opportunities at your institution or organization.  You should plan to spend 15-30 minutes talking and leave time at the end for questions.  At this time employers may sign up for one 45 minute slot on a first-come first-serve basis.  In addition, there will be space at the Career Center to hold 45 minute in-house interviews.

Attached is an excel spreadsheet with available time slots and a signup form.  Please view the spreadsheet and then complete the attached signup form and e-mail jr@nafsa.org or print it and fax to Lynne Nolte at 202.737.3657 ext. 268. 

 

Remember that it is better to post your job announcements before the conference so that potential candidates have the opportunity to review the position and schedule around your information session.  For more information about posting your position on the NAFSA job registry visit our Web site at www.nafsa.org/careercenter. As a thank you for presenting, we are pleased to present all information session presenters with a 15% discount on a single-60 day job posting package.  After you sign up, we invite you to utilize the promotional code: compdc before checkout to receive the discount.  This offer will expire on July 15, 2008.

Jobs: Kansas System seeks honors/integrity Associate Director

Dear CAI Members,

 

Kansas State University invites applications and nominations for the position of Associate/Assistant Director of the Honor and Integrity System. This position begins on July 1, 2008, and is a full-time, 10-month position.

 

Please follow the link below to learn more about the position.

 

http://www.k-state.edu/honor/search/adirector.htm

 

Please direct any questions you may have about their position to them at:

 

 

K-State Honor & Integrity System

Kansas State University

215 Fairchild Hall

Manhattan, KS  66506

(ph) 785-532-2545

Honor@k-state.edu

 

K-State Honor & Integrity System
Kansas State University
215 Fairchild Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506
785-532-2595
Fax: 785-532-5944
honor@k-state.edu

K-State Honor & Integrity System
Kansas State University
215 Fairchild Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506
785-532-2595
Fax: 785-532-5944
honor@k-state.edu

K-State Honor & Integrity System
Kansas State University
215 Fairchild Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506
785-532-2595
Fax: 785-532-5944
honor@k-state.edu

 

 

---

The Center For Academic Integrity (CAI)

Robert J. Rutlant Institute for Ethics

Clemson University

126 Hardin Hall

Clemson, SC 29634-5138

(864)656-1293 <Office>

(864)656-2858 <fax>

CAI-L@clemson.edu

http://www.academicintegrity.org

Publications: More on "Ned McAdoo and the Molly Maguires"

From a Pitt Law Student:

Dr. Castagnera,

It's a pleasure talking with you.

As you know, Bejamin Franklin Gowen was the president of the "Philadelphia and Reading Railroad," who prosecuted Kehoe and Hester. Benjamin Franklin was also the name of the chief of the Pinkerton Agency's Philadelphia headquarters, who arranged Hester, Tully, and McHugh's Bloomsburg execution. He came to Bloomsburg and had a secret meeting with the judge before the execution. His name also appears as the witness for a mysterious "confession" by Patrick Tully, which has internal contradictions suggesting Tully's wife was right to say that the confession was either forced or made up.

Shamokin, within the Reading Railroad's territory, has a Gowen Street, and a suburb called "Gowen City." Another town in Oklahoma was also named Gowen City after the Gowen family because B. Franklin Gowen's nephew owned mines there. Philadelphia also has a "Gowen Avenue." Philadelphia "Mount Airy" train/subway station is on Gowen Avenue. Do you think it is named after Gowen? If so, they must rename it.

Hal Smith

 

Ned McAdoo and the Molly Maguires

by Claire and Jim Castagnera

This novel weaves historical events and present day America into a tepestry that explores the early days of the labor rights movement and the Molly Maguires and also examines how perspectives on past events change over time.

(188 pages) Paperback: $12.95 Download: $9.95Learn more and purchase here. 

See also "Making Sense of the Molly Maguires" by Prof. Kevin Kenny of the University of Texas-Austin.Read a review here.

Also available: the 1970 film "The Molly Maguires" at Amazon.com.

Law #2: What does Pope's visit to AMerica portend for Catholic higher ed establishment?

For Catholic Educators, Eagerness and Angst Attend Pope's Visit

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• Article: Papal Decree on Colleges Was 'a Call to Authenticity'
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• Article: Watchdog Anticipates 'Triumphal Visit'
• Article: A President Cites Power of Diversity
• Audio: Rev. David M. O'Connell, president of the Catholic University of America, describes how his institution is getting ready to welcome Pope Benedict XVI, who has planned a visit this month.

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Latest Headlines Colleges Are Targets of E-Mail Scam A new wave of bogus e-mail messages, purporting to be from colleges' help desks, is hitting campuses across the country. College IT officials are sharing information and responding quickly to the threat. For Catholic Educators, Eagerness and Angst Attend Pope's Visit The Very Rev. David M. O'Connell, President of Catholic University of America Melanie M. Morey, a Researcher on Catholic Higher Education Patrick Reilly, President of the Cardinal Newman Society The Rev. Paul Locatelli, President of Santa Clara University Audio: Making Ready for the Pope Scholars See Need to Redefine and Protect Academic Freedom Community Colleges Take On Global Challenges Spellings Plans Strategy Session on Lender-of-Last-Resort Provisions Updates on Billion-Dollar Campaigns at 28 Universities Commentary So Much for the Information Age

By RICHARD BYRNE

Next week's visit to the United States by Pope Benedict XVI has created anticipation — and anxiety — among the leaders of Roman Catholic higher education in this country.

On April 17, Pope Benedict will speak to more than 200 presidents of Catholic colleges and universities and other key Catholic educators at the Catholic University of America.

As a former professor and a vigorous participant in theological debate, Pope Benedict has an intimate knowledge of academe. Yet his audience is wondering: Has he prepared a pep talk? A critique? Something in between?Read the rest of this story in the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Preparing to host the Pope.Video clip here.

Law: Is DOE misleading re high school drop out rates?

How to lie with statistics

      Email|Print|Single Page|     Text size     –     +           March 26, 2008

OF ALL the shortcomings of the federal No Child Left Behind law, one of the most glaring is its failure to set goals for improvements in high school graduation rates. To make matters worse, the US Department of Education has not even mandated that states use a uniform method of calculating dropout rates. As a result, many states have been living in a fool's paradise by calculating these rates in ways that grossly underestimate the problem.Read the whole story from the Boston Globe.

Publications #2: Executive Report on FERPA Requirements

   Special Executive Report

FERPA and Student Privacy: What Educators Need to Know

Educators are often confused and flustered about the rights of students and demands of parents under state and federal privacy laws. A thorough understanding of key terms, legal exceptions and the interplay between other privacy regulations is crucial to handling those situations appropriately. How do you effectively maintain and protect education records while ensuring FERPA compliance? Order it here.

Publications #1: Order the Education News Update here

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In Today's Issue:
1. Bullied teachers reveal horror stories
2. Federal figures lie about dropout rates
3. When does Confederate flag cross the line?
4. Surprising new way to oust tenured teachers
5. Some states will get break on NCLB compliance
6. Getting good people - first things first

Opinion #4: Why can't we discuss intelligent design in the classroom?

By J. SCOTT TURNER

I'd never had a heckler before. Usually, when I'm asked to give a talk, I discuss my research on termites and the remarkable structures they build. Usually, I'm glad just to have an audience. x But what I'd learned from termites had got me thinking about broader issues, among them the question of design in biology: Why are living things built so well for the functions they perform? So I wrote a book called The Tinkerer's Accomplice, which was my topic that day.Read the rest of this article here.

Opinion #3: Reviews of "Expelled"

Review #1

Review #2

Review #3