Notes in the Margins: Bathrooms, horrible essays and unpaid internshipsFebruary 7, 2012 1:45 AMBy Alex FriedrichThe 7 Worst Types Of College Admission Essays For every tortured student, there’s a tortured admissions professional, sifting through an entire forest of paper, looking for an essay that doesn’t scream with gimmick. (The Huffington Post) At Harvard, teachers get a lesson Lectures, the dominant mode of instruction in classrooms, just do not work, no matter how…
Junk foods widely available at elementary schoolsFebruary 6, 2012 3:00 PMJunk food remains plentiful at the nation's elementary schools despite widespread efforts to curb childhood obesity, a new study suggests.
Why two-year student leaders like Sen. John CarlsonFebruary 6, 2012 9:41 AMBy Alex FriedrichCracking down on tuition must be the way to students’ hearts, at least this year. You may remember how the Minnesota State College Students Association, which represents those at two-year colleges, recently gave Legislator of the Year awards to Republican higher-ed chairs Michelle Fischbach of the Senate and Bud Nornes of the House. Even though…
Teachers union backs sexuality policy changeFebruary 6, 2012 8:50 AMBy Tim NelsonThe teachers union in Minnesota's largest school district on Monday endorsed a proposed replacement for a policy that requires teachers to stay neutral when issues of sexual orientation come up in class.
Why MSU-Moorhead is texting studentsFebruary 6, 2012 8:27 AMBy Alex Friedrich“We’re trying to get to their level. Students are texting. They’re using apps. So we’re adjusting.” — Graduate assistant John Edmonds, who specializes in new media for Minnesota State University – Moorhead’s university college office, on how the university is now texting students important information instead of e-mailing it. Apparently, a number of students weren’t…
How Minnesota has changed its views on funding higher edFebruary 6, 2012 4:21 AMBy Alex Friedrich“In those days we acted like a nation that looked out for one another, and we prospered together. Today we act more like a pack of wolves, except that wolves do not eat their young.” — Southwest Minnesota State University associate history professor Jeff Kolnick in a MinnPost essay on how America and Minnesota are…
Notes in the Margins: Rankings, information requests and paid recruiting agentsFebruary 6, 2012 1:59 AMBy Alex FriedrichMaryland bill would limit public information requests that target professors But some open-government advocates are concerned about proposal. (The Baltimore Sun via University Business) An ‘Arab Spring’ of free online higher education Radical changes in educational content and delivery mechanisms will lead to an unbundling of the university as we know it. The natural question then becomes,…
Winona school suspends 9-year-old for mimicking Michael Jackson groin grabFebruary 4, 2012 2:57 PMA Catholic elementary school in Winona indefinitely suspended a 9-year-old student for mimicking Michael Jackson's famous groin grab during a fundraiser.
What higher-ed bills have been submitted to lawmakers?February 3, 2012 7:07 AMBy Alex FriedrichCurious about what’s coming up in higher-ed legislation this session? I’ve reported what some of the players are seeing, but here’s a look at what’s been submitted so far. (We’ll have to wait, though, to see which bills get heard, and when.) The voter-ID bill, however, isn’t being heard by the higher-ed committees. You can…
How comparatively easy would it be for students to vote?February 3, 2012 6:54 AMBy Alex Friedrich“We should not live in a state where it is easier for a young adult to purchase cigarettes and alcohol than it is to vote.” — University of Minnesota student Sydney Jordan, who doesn’t have an ID with her current address and said in a hearing that requiring a photo ID will keep a lot…