Category: Academia

Academia, Bizarre

Massachusetts School Sued Over The Use of “Commonwealth” In Its Name

UnknownOne school is an elite school found in 1957 in Boston’s Back Bay that costs $40,000 a year in tuition. The other is an academy in Springfield (90 miles away) for low income and minority students charging $1,200. Few people would confuse the two institutions but the elite Commonwealth School has sued the Commonwealth Academy for the use of the word “Commonwealth.” The school claims “great harm” from sharing the word and even refused an offer from the academy to add “Springfield” to the name.

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Academia, Society

University of New Mexico Seal Triggers Protests Over “Colonization” Imagery

University_of_New_Mexico_221455I am in Albuquerque, New Mexico today to speak to the 2016 Conclave of state, tribal, and federal judges and lawyers.  There is an interesting forum being held nearby at the University of New Mexico where students and faculty are debating the change to the school’s seal which features a Spanish conquistador and a frontiersman. The Native American group The Red Nation have declared the seal to be offensive.  Critics are calling the seal a celebration of colonization.  The seal is approaching its 50th anniversary at the school.  It was adopted in 1969.

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Academia, Free Speech, Politics, Society

New Controversy Erupts At Mizzou At Orlando Vigil

The University of Missouri (MU) has been struggling in the aftermath of its Black Lives Matter protests, including the reported plunge in students and applications.  It appears that even a vigil for the dead in Orlando at Mizzou inevitably leads to a confrontation over race.  The conflict arose in a vigil held in front of Boone County Courthouse in Columbia, Missouri.  MU graduate Tiffany Melecio appeared and expressed discomfort over speaking before a group with so many white people.  When a gay couple objected to introducing divisive race issues,  MU Multicultural Center Coordinator Stephanie Hernandez Rivera defended the comments and denounced the gay couple objecting to the introduction of race into the vigil.

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Academia, Torts

GWU Sued Over Online Degree Program Alleged To Be Fraudulent and Unjust Enrichment

150px-GWUlogoI recently discussed the controversies involving for-profit “universities” associated with both Donald Trump and Bill Clinton. I have long been a critic of online programs and particularly for-profit universities. I have been vocal in my opposition to online courses at my law school, though many of my colleagues are highly supportive of the courses and their record. Now, a class action has been filed against George Washington University.

My criticism is that these online courses deny students the benefits of a traditional “brick-and-mortar” education and often produce a highly doctrinal and poor quality product. Students are denied the interaction with other students and teachers on campus. Online courses are on the rise with schools because they sell education (and degrees) at the lowest possible cost for schools. In my view, the trend will undermine traditional educational institutions and I have repeatedly objected that schools like GWU are courting their own demise in following for-profit companies in offering these online degrees.

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Academia, Bizarre, Media, Politics, Society

The Clinton University Problem: Laureate Education Lawsuits Present Problem For Clintons [Updated]

225px-Laureate_International_Universities_Logo220px-Clinton_and_jiangWhile largely ignored by the media, the Clintons have their own university scandal. Donald Trump has been rightfully criticized and sued over his defunct Trump University. There is ample support for claiming that the Trump University was fraudulent in its advertisements and operations. However, the national media has been accused of again sidestepping a scandal involving the Clintons that involves the same type of fraud allegations. The scandal involves a dubious Laureate Education for-profit online college (Walden) and entails many of the common elements with other Clinton scandals: huge sums given to the Clintons and questions of conflicts with Hillary Clinton during her time as Secretary of State. There are distinctions to draw between the two stories, but the virtual radio silence on the Clinton/Laureate story is surprising. [I have updated the original column with some additional thoughts, links, and clarifications for readers].

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Academia, Bizarre, Society

Yale Students Call For Abolishment Of Prerequisite Course Featuring White Male Authors Like Chaucer and Shakespeare

200px-yale_university_shield_1svgWe have been discussing the erosion of free speech and academic standards at our universities and colleges. What is alarming is not only the pace of such demands but the support of some faculty to stripping away core courses and historical references. The latest such example can be found at Yale University with undergraduate students have demanded that the English department abolish the prerequisite course requirement to study such writers as Chaucer, Shakespeare and Milton. Students claim that it is “unacceptable that a Yale student considering studying English literature might read only white male authors.” Of course, this is not the only course for students but simply one course designed to introduce students to “major English poets.” However, the students find it oppressive and some faculty support their cause like English Professor Jill Richards who insisted that “it is unacceptable that the two-semester requirement for all majors routinely covers the work of eight white, male poets.” The students have demanded that “It’s time for the English major to decolonize — not diversify — its course offerings.”

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Academia, Criminal law, Society

UCLA Professor Killed By Former Doctoral Student

klug.w.sThe academic world lost a gifted member in the murder of UCLA professor William Klug, who was gunned down by a former student Mainak Sarkar, 38.  Sarkar is a former doctoral student that Klug mentored and was upset about his grades, according to police. Sarkar left what is described as a “kill list” that led police to the body of a Minnesota woman who was gunned down in her home.  The list included another professor’s name, but thankfully that professor was not hurt.

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Academia, Bizarre, Criminal law, Media, Politics, Society

UCLA Students Unsuccessfully Move To Silence Conservative Speaker Before A Bomb Threat Is Called In To Police

Ucla_logoWe have been discussing the rollback of free speech on university and college campuses, particularly when it comes to conservatives or right-to-life advocates. As discussed recently, conservative speaker Milo Yiannopoulous has been the target of some of the most egregious effort to silence certain speakers and prevent other students from hearing opposing views. The latest such protest was held at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). After protesters blocked fellow students and faculty from entering to hear Yiannopoulous, campus police found an alternative avenue for the audience. However, a bomb threat was later called in and the room cleared by police. Once again, there does not appear to be outrage at the effort of students to block access to such speeches for other students and the denial of free speech on campus. I have no problem with protests but preventing speakers from being heard runs against the core values of an academic community.

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Academia, Bizarre, Lawyering, Media

University of Wisconsin Law Graduate Wins Admission To Bar After Misrepresenting Grades And Credentials

Seal_of_the_Supreme_Court_of_Wisconsin.svgIt is not every recent law grad who can claim that he appeared before the state supreme court soon after graduation. Unfortunately, this is one appearance that University of Wisconsin law graduate Joshua Jarrett is unlikely to add to his resume. In a close vote, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that Jarrett could be admitted to the bar so long as he is supervised for two years. Bar officials sought to block Jarrett after concluding that he had misrepresented his grades and credentials in a job application.

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Academia, Bizarre, Free Speech, Politics, Society

Black Lives Matter Activists Tear Down Statement Supporting Police In The Name Of Not Being Silenced

220px-Dartmouth_College_shield.svgWe previously discussed the protest held by Black Lives Matter at the library of Dartmouth — and the relative lack of any punishment from the college. Now, Black Lives Matter activists have torn down a display honoring police officers and then reportedly stood guard over the board to prevent the College Republicans from re-posting their memorial . . . in the name of not being silenced.

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Academia, Politics, Society

Study: Health Care Costs Would Drop $63 Billion If Only One-Tenth Of Smokers Quit

cigaretteThere is an interesting study out of the University of San Francisco California by James Lightwood (associate professor in the UCSF School of Pharmacy) and his colleagues on the cost of smoking. The team found that if 1 in 10 people in the US quit smoking, health care costs would drop $63 billion in next year.

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Academia, Society

Claremont McKenna Protesters Keep List Of “Shady Persons of Color” For Minority Faculty and Students Deemed Unsupportive Of Protesters

Claremont_McKenna_College_LogoThere is a new controversy at Claremont McKenna College in California after the disclosure of a list by the activist group CMCers of Color of people who were viewed as insufficiently supportive or even questioning of protests over racism. Various minority students and teachers were listed as “shady person[s] of color” in a document that demanded various changes from the removal of the college dean to the creation of “safe spaces” for minorities. Critics have charged that such list of minority students engaged in protests would have produced calls for expulsions and investigations. I think that there is a danger of overblowing such an incident but there is a legitimate concern over differential treatment in such controversies that we have previously discussed.

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Academia, Bizarre, Criminal law

Albany Expels Two Students And Suspends A Third After False Allegations Of Racist Attack On Bus

asha-burwell-ariel-agudio-alexis-briggs-mugshots-640x480We previously discussed the controversy at Albany University where three black students alleged a racist assault on a public bus. While the allegations produced protests and the women campaigned against racism, videotapes later showed that the three women were not assaulted but rather they were the aggressors. The three face criminal charges and two of the women (Ariel Agudio and Asha Burwell) have now been expelled (and the third student, Alexis Briggs, has been suspended for two years).

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Academia, Bizarre

Penn Professor Thrown Off Plane After Woman Sees Him Doing Strange Notations . . . That Turn Out To Be Math Calculations

1462648388625 I am not sure what is more disturbing: the ease with which irrational passengers can get other people thrown off flights or the dismal state of math in the United States that calculations are now unrecognizable to many passengers. University of Pennsylvania economics professor Guido Menzio, an award winning mathematician, was asked to leave a flight from Philadelphia to Syracuse because a woman sitting next to him panicked at the sight of his scribbling some strange code on papers. It turns out Menzio was trying to solve a differential equation. Ironically, the very fact that he was using a plus sign in his equations showed that he was not an Islamic extremist.

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Academia, Bizarre, Criminal law, International, Society

Tourist Takes Selfie In Portugal With “Dom Sebastian” By Climbing On Ornate Arch . . . And Shatters Historic Statue

33E631BE00000578-0-image-m-144_1462543266199We have previously discussed the destructive narcissism of tourists who write their names on historic locations or art. This includes the Chinese tourist who wrote on an ancient Egyptian temple or the Russian who carved his name into the Colosseum. An unidentified 55-year-old man from Missouri snapped the finger off a 14th or 15th century marble masterpiece when he decided to measure it by grabbing the hand. The latest victim is a 126-year-old statue of Dom Sebastian that crashed to the ground and shattered after man climbed on top of its pedestal to take a selfie with the 16th century Portuguese King. Now, no one else will be able to see the beautiful piece of art and history outside the ornate Rossio railway station in central Lisbon.

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