The new objects of public and open prejudice are Hispanics, primarily Mexicans due to their large population and their proximity to the United States. Because the Iraq War is such a disaster on all fronts, conservatives and reactionaries have shifted their patriotic fervour from invading foreign countries to inveighing against brown-skinned…

The "Boston Globe" investigation shows that cheating on US Army exams is truly massive in scale, dwarfing any runof-the-mill scandal. According to the "Boston Globe," "For eight years the Army has known that its largest online testing program--which verifies that soldiers have learned certain military skills and helps them amass promotion…

Two essays address these issues in American higher education: popular response to a 1994 book entitled "The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life," which addresses assumptions underlying intelligence testing; and recent litigation and controversy over colleges' responsibility to provide instruction at a level appropriate to…

Current American concern for educational quality is discussed. The roots of quality problems are found in early American educational history and what is seen as a continuing emphasis on education as training. (MSE)

Although "ProfScam: Professors and the Demise of Higher Education," a harshly critical book by Charles J. Sykes, documents a perverse system in which research university faculty do little teaching and are too closely linked to industry, the book gives too little credit to the many institutions where teaching is highly valued. (MSE)

Two brief stories about attitudes toward higher education in North America are presented. One notes criticisms of college faculty as underproductive and overpaid and of distorted values in academe. The second focuses on two trends: cheerleading scholarships and endorsement income for athletic coaches. (MSE)