An exchange of letters about union intimidation claims at the UJanuary 13, 2012 8:50 AMBy Alex FriedrichJust an update in the efforts by a group of University of Minnesota graduate students to form a union. Last month, I tweeted from a grad-student forum that some students were saying they’d received an administration memo claiming that union organizers were intimidating students in an effort to get them to join. Below are two…
Why it's not easy to be green — at least with some thingsJanuary 13, 2012 7:47 AMBy Alex FriedrichThose Oles must love their college. I’m still getting e-mail about my visit to St. Olaf last month. My little piece on the chicken wrap at the Lion’s Cage also seems to have touched a minor environmental nerve, judging from feedback I’ve received. (After seeing so much environmental consciousness at the school, at the time…
Three quick questions about this week's Hosanna-Tabor caseJanuary 13, 2012 6:47 AMBy Alex FriedrichAfter posting that snippet about whether Wednesday’s Hosanna-Tabor case decision applies to higher education, I still had the feeling that some professors at religiously affiliated colleges will be asking themselves: Will this affect me? (You may remember that the Supreme Court ruling essentially allows religious schools to classify certain employees as “ministers,” leaving them exempt…
Rosenstone hints of MnSCU changes to comeJanuary 13, 2012 2:48 AMBy Alex Friedrich“We need to look at everything. Nothing can be off the table.” — Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) Chancellor Steven Rosenstone to MPR’s Tim Post on the academic and financial changes necessary to reform the system. He hopes to unveil some of them this summer. Listen to the audio and read the full article here.
Notes in the Margins: Placement tests, mergers and scrutiny of lendersJanuary 13, 2012 2:01 AMBy Alex FriedrichThe idea of ‘impact’ has been hijacked: We are in danger of suffocation by the ‘impact agenda’ and risk losing sight of the original value of research. Negative findings and research failures are essential parts in the journey to increasing academic knowledge. (LSE / Impact of Social Sciences) IBM sees students’ Facebook time as more than…
Play3min 52secSix months in, MnSCU chancellor readies change, strategyJanuary 12, 2012 4:24 PMBy Tim PostWhen Steven Rosenstone took over as chancellor of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system almost six months ago, he promised big changes for the system's 31 schools.
Why did students reward pols whose party pushed for larger ed cuts?January 12, 2012 8:22 AMBy Alex FriedrichOne might think that constituents support those who bring in the money. But this year the organization representing students at Minnesota’s two-year colleges has awarded its legislator-of-the-year awards to leaders in the party that pushed for larger cuts in higher-education spending. The Minnesota State College Student Association (MSCSA) has named Senate higher-education committee Chairwoman Michelle…
Play2min 36secEven if police did everything right, eighth-grader's death is wrongJanuary 12, 2012 5:00 AMBy Gary DopA Texas teen-ager lost his life. Why do so many people want to denounce him as a fool?
What a St. Thomas law prof wrote about the Hosanna-Tabor caseJanuary 12, 2012 4:49 AMBy Alex FriedrichHere’s a paper co-written by University of St. Thomas Law School professor Tom Berg for the Northwestern University Law Review Colloquy on the Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission case I mentioned in my previous post.
Are religious colleges covered by yesterday's SCOTUS ruling?January 12, 2012 4:28 AMBy Alex FriedrichUniversity of Virginia law professor Douglas Laycock tells the New York Times that yesterday’s momentous Supreme Court ruling in the Hosanna-Tabor Church v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission case — which granted religious schools an exception to employment discrimination laws — doesn’t just apply to K-12: Asked about professors at Catholic universities like Notre Dame, Professor…