The emerging storyline at the University of Virginia's board of visitors -- with back-room duplicity that would be more at home in "Game of Thrones" than in Mr. Jefferson's stodgy academic preserve -- is a stark reminder of the breadth of college trustees' authority.
Author: Frank LoMonte
Texas teaching hospital loses latest legal bid to keep public records concealed
Even by the standards of opaque government agencies, Dallas' Parkland Hospital is in a class by itself.
Tide rolled — Eleventh Circuit’s trademark ruling lets artist continue using Alabama sports logos, images
A federal appeals court's ruling in favor of a commercial artist who sells drawings of iconic University of Alabama sports moments is a helpful reminder that trademark law rarely can restrict the journalistic or artistic use of corporate insignias.Monday's ruling from the 11th U.S.
Catch student rights fever in the Report archive
It is easier today than ever to trace the decline in regard for student rights, because – thanks to the efforts of Publications Fellow Brian Schraum and intern Sam Tobin – every edition of the Reportmagazine is now viewable online, either through the www.splc.org website or on Issuu.
Time to push 'reboot' on school tech policies
The most effective schools govern from a place of trust, and the least effective from a place of fear. Nowhere is this clearer than in schools’ approach to the use of technology, where the widening gap between “haves” and “have-nots” is being worsened by policies that lock away access to Gmail, YouTube and other learning resources students use comfortably and safely everywhere except school.
TRANSPARENCY TUESDAY: “Corporatizing” university functions raises new public-disclosure obstacles for journalists
With shrinking subsidies from state legislatures and tuition maxed out to affordability and beyond, colleges understandably are looking at everything but selling the provost's plasma as a means of generating money.
Louisiana bullying bill declares “making faces” and “shunning” grounds for discipline
In the ebbing days of their legislative session, Louisiana legislators approved a sweeping ban on "cyberbullying" that raises significant constitutional questions because it extends to such behavior as "making faces," "spreading untrue rumors" and "shunning."Senate Bill 764 by Sen.
TRANSPARENCY TUESDAY: Lifting the lid on legislative lobbying largesse
Two recent news items reinforce the importance of keeping track of what colleges and universities are spending on lobbying at the state Capitol -- and not just "how much," but also "why."Item 1: Sometimes it's a whole lot of money.The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the University of Pittsburgh ramped up its lobbying activity -- spending $113,000 in the first three months of 2012 alone -- in an attempt to fend off massive cuts in state aid proposed by Gov.
TRANSPARENCY TUESDAY: You can’t yell ‘fire’ in a crowded dorm — but you can yell ‘where’s your fire safety inspection report?’
State inspectors recently wrote up Northern Illinois University for seven "severe" safety violations in a classroom/office building, including failure to label potentially hazardous chemicals or to make sure emergency lights worked properly.It was, a state Department of Labor official told the Northern Star newspaper, the first time in 11 years that the department had gotten around to visiting NIU.That sounds pretty slack, but in reality, a once-a-decade visit from independent inspectors still is more attention than a lot of college buildings receive.An Iowa City man is suing the University of Iowa, alleging that the university and its property management company failed to repair water leaks in his campus apartment, resulting in mold that made him seriously ill.
Louisiana bullying frenzy — violating the First Amendment, or just trying to?
In the waning days of their 2012 session, Louisiana legislators have the unappetizing choice between two anti-bullying bills: One that violates the Constitution, and another that is intended to.To understand how thoroughly cyberbullying hysteria has taken hold of state legislators, consider the disappointed comments of state Rep.