In an unusually frank book, a prominent feminist theorist and college professor attacks college and university policies that limit relationships between faculty and students. When attempting to sexualize the atmosphere in which she worked, by kissing a female student in public, she was accused of sexual harassment, an action she finds inconsistent…

A Vanderbilt University (Tennessee) junior has organized 500 young people into a group, Peacefire, that opposes public schools' and libraries' use of software to block access to some sexually explicit portions of the Internet. He feels the software is too restrictive, also blocking access to important sources of information about women's issues,…

California's legislature voted overwhelmingly to extend the charter of the Council for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education, which regulates most of the state's for-profit institutions and is credited with reducing fraudulent schools. The Republican governor, however, has vetoed the measure amid heavy lobbying by trade-school officials,…

Applicants to highly selective private colleges are down substantially nationwide. Flagship public universities are experiencing a drop in minority applicants, particularly in Texas and California, where use of race as a factor in admissions has been under attack. It is suggested that parents of minority students perceive the institutions are not…

A federal report finds that in 1995, 13% of colleges did not publish annual security reports required by federal law, and an equal number did not use the definitions of crimes prescribed by law. Common offenders were trade schools and colleges enrolling under 200 students. Among reporting institutions, 26% reported violent crimes, and 44% reported…

Increasingly, individuals, foundations, and corporations are donating money to colleges and universities for environmental research and education, Some are concerned about potential for conflict of interest in the competitive fund-raising arena, and use of donations to improve corporate public images. Others feel existing safeguards are adequate…

The Eastman School of Music (New York), part of the University of Rochester, is departing from tradition by introducing contemporary music and audience awareness training into the curriculum in an effort to help students build performance careers. Eastman is one of the few music schools responding to market issues so vigorously. Some success…

Leaders at Voorhees College (South Carolina), a small historically black institution with limited finances, have used ingenuity and hard work to develop a campus computer system. Despite lack of faculty and staff sophistication in computer use, the college is gradually improving computer resources and faculty computing skills, and enterprising…

Eleven Georgia residents, seven white and four black, filed a class-action suit against the university system charging that racial segregation persists in the 19 universities because of such policies as affirmative action. The litigation is significant in linking affirmative action and desegregation. Plaintiffs claim that because three…

Allen Lee Sessoms, president of Queens College (New York) has turned to alumni and New York corporations as untapped sources of financial support for the institution. Critics feel he has given up on state funding too soon; supporters call him a visionary. Sessoms identifies with the institution's "bootstraps" tradition, but does not find…

Long Island University (New York), a commuter campus easily accessible to New York City, has attracted many immigrants, including a large number of Russians. Many participate in a variety of campus and off-campus activities, including activist politics and cultural heritage organizations. Some behaviors and group characteristics have caused…

Mistakes made by "U.S. News and World Report" in calculating law school job placement rates have resulted in erroneous rankings of 33 of 50 top schools. For most schools, the revision resulted in movement of only a place or two, but two rankings changed significantly. Educators have long been critical of the rankings, citing a false precision in…

The European Journalism Network, a United States-based nonprofit organization, methodically provides seed money and technical assistance to start newspapers produced by and for students in Eastern Europe and several former Soviet republics. The publications' impact is disproportionate to their size and frequency because they are unique in that…

Going against conventional wisdom that larger doctoral programs are better, Washington University (Missouri) has been scaling back its doctoral enrollments, recruiting more selectively, providing every student with full financial support for six years, and increasing contact between faculty and doctoral students. The new approach has brought…

Allegheny College (Pennsylvania), which uses NeXT computers, was dismayed when the technically superior operating system was orphaned but are now delighted that the company has been bought by Apple Computer and will make the operating system standard on Apple computers. The object-oriented operating system allows relatively unsophisticated users…