College Daze

Students at Indiana University set up a study "to act as a sort of public service announcement, warning students about how to protect themselves from identity theft -- or "phishing" -- on the Internet." Study subject comments include, "It's kind of ridiculous," she said. "It's just the fact that a group supposedly affiliated with (the University) ... kind of took my trust and threw it out the window." Now, ask yourself this, How many of the "offended" students would jump at the chance to be in a reality show?

Graduate students at Yale and Columbia Universities are protesting in an effort to get union representation for improved benefits. The law doesn't help because at private schools the National Labor Relations Board declares them students not workers. In small town Nebraska, the article Class cuts drive CCC students out discusses a protest of a different sort. Angry at cuts to the automotive program at Central Community College-Columbus students parked cars to delay new construction in parts of the former auto shop and staged a class walk-out. The campus president, in a sad display of non-empathy, declared that the students had already paid their tuition so they could do what they wanted, he didn't care!!

The description that accompanies this article reads: "Twenty-five percent of college students report having suffered academic consequences for their drinking habits. One University of Missouri-Columbia senior conducted research to determine how college students perceive the risks associated with these personal habits." Death will really screw up a GPA.

Two lessons to be learned here: Don't take the elevator to the penthouse if you don't have a stairwell key, and RAs should get people out of burning buildings.

Yet another (stupid and unique) story about hazing. This one sent the pledge to the hospital where suspicious nurses called the cops. Who would want to call these microcephalics friends?

Chaulk one up for students at MIT! The whiz kids submitted a paper to the World Multiconference on Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics (WMSCI) generated by a computer program to produce gibberish that got accepted - or at least not rejected.

The average student spends about $900 for books per year. The Internet allows many students to get books for about %12 or just over $100 a year. If you aren't ordering online, you're handing bookstores way too much money that can be used stuff that's really needed - or even a decent spring break vacation. Shop at Amazon.com!

Arizona State University intends to put an end to academic dishonesty and the college culture that condones it. The Center for Academic Integrity reports that over 70% of students have cheated on a test or a paper. Proposals at ASU to curb academic dishonesty range from "50 hours of community service" to dismissal. More about plagiarism can be found at Stories on Plagiarism.

Sometimes one just doesn't know what's an April Fool's joke and what isn't.

A North Dakota State University history prof has been turned in for plagiarism, making up citations and false source atttribution. Gee, I thought plagiarism.org and turnitin.com were supposed to catch such things!

Here is Maine's take on an Academic Bill of Rights. Having read dozens of these articles in the last several weeks, I'm curious why it's the Republicans that appear to be insisting on fairness. On student in favor of the legislation states, "I have been taunted, sworn at and humiliated beyond the realm of imagination, and I am sick of this treatment." Uh, maybe because YOU are the one that sticking out your opinion and others are sick of YOU? I don't know. It is only a guess.