MORE THAN 90 PERCENT of American colleges and universities have witnessed a drop in applications from international graduate students for the fall 2004 term, and the number of submissions has fallen 32 percent from last year, according to a survey released by the Council of Graduate Schools in February. At UC Davis, the trend is positive -- the campus received 3,755 international applicants in Fall 2002 and then 4,166 international applicants in Fall 2003, said Charles Duffy, an assistant dean in Graduate Studies. China and India are sending the largest numbers of these students to UC Davis, he said, noting that computer science and engineering are the most popular fields of study.
A CONTROVERSIAL CONGRESSIONAL BILL to penalize colleges nationwide that raise their student tuition or fees too high was withdrawn March 3 after House Republicans appeared swayed that universities are working to slow tuition increases. Under the bill, if institutions did not curb costs within a few years, they would have been stripped of their eligibility for millions of dollars in federal grants and programs that are ultimately used to support students. Universities argued successfully that the legislation would only end up hurting those it was trying to help. If the proposal were in effect, more than 1,300 institutions, including community colleges, would be penalized, according to a study by the American Council on Education.
MORE RESEARCH in the California State Univer-sity system is sparking debate in light of CSU's traditional mission of teaching. A San Francisco Chronicle article noted that while no figures are available, university administrators and faculty members "acknowledge that more professors at the 23 campuses are trading time in the classroom for time in the research lab." Many CSU campuses, the article says, are now seeking external research dollars, hoping to ease state budget cutbacks and to enhance the institution's visibility.
THE NUMBER OF MINORITY high school students seeking a spot at the University of Michigan dropped sharply this year, and school officials attribute the decline in part to the university's role in last year's U.S. Supreme Court decision clarifying how affirmative action can be used. The 23 percent decline in applications from blacks, Hispanics and American Indians came as the total number of people applying for space in the next freshman class dropped 18 percent, according to figures the university released in January.
A NEW UC POLICY that went into effect last fall has banned academics from dating students in their classes, or students for whom they "should reasonably expect" in the future to have academic responsibility. The Christian Science Monitor notes that the decision is "unusual in its scope," but it is not unprecedented. In the past decade, schools such as Yale, Duke, Ohio Wesleyan, and the College of William and Mary have enacted similar bans, some stricter, some more lenient. The majority of universities may have no official policy at all, but more are moving from vague statements "discouraging" faculty-student relationships to specific bans.
A 1971 PHOTO of Presidential candidate John Kerry was the reason Ken Light, a UC Berkeley journalism teaching fellow, recently found himself in international headlines. The image depicts a young Kerry at the podium of an antiwar rally, alongside actress and activist Jane Fonda. As it turns out, the image was fabricated by merging an image of Fonda with Light's photo of Kerry. Light, who teaches classes in digital photography, described it as the "worst kind" of photographic alteration "because it's a political dirty trick."
CALIFORNIA'S PRIVATE COLLEGES and universities are concerned that proposed Cal Grant reductions in the governor's budget would divert many students to public universities and community colleges and force private college cutbacks in admissions and services, the Los Angeles Times reports. The budget would slash more than $30 million in state grants to college students seeking financial aid to attend private schools. Under the proposal, the annual Cal Grant award available to incoming private-school undergraduates would fall by about 44 percent -- from $9,708 to $5,482.
A STUDENT BONDAGE CLUB at Iowa State University has been charged with violating university rules after a flogging demonstration in December, the Associated Press reported. In February, the school's Office of Judicial Affairs charged the group "Cuffs" with assault in violation of the Student Conduct Code and Iowa law. "Striking of another person(s) with a whip, belt, flogger, paddle" amounted to an assault, which violates the conduct policy and Iowa law.
-- By Clifton B. Parker