Author Archives: E Wayne Ross

The Guardian: Call for more holistic approach to HE

Universities will be urged to nourish students’ souls as well as their minds and wallets at the Guardian Higher Education summit in London next week.

Today’s students are as interested in their own personal development as they are in learning about their subject or getting a well-paid job, university and student leaders will say. chairwoman They will argue that students are disillusioned with the consumerist society they have grown up in and want learning environments that emphasise sustainability and value human interaction.

Inside Higher Ed: Gossip and Slander at a Campus Near You

In the annals of online discourse, “did you hear about [student]’s nose job?” isn’t among the best of what the Internet has to offer. It also isn’t the worst. An anonymous Web site that’s caught the attention — and provoked the ire — of students across the country has already unleashed comments like that one, and much worse, in carefree, unregulated and sometimes vicious discussion threads that have raised privacy concerns and condemnations on several campuses.

On JuicyCampus.com, anyone can post to campus-specific boards with the guarantee that their identities will be protected and their messages left uncensored. At some colleges, the site has caught on — particularly among campus Greeks. The result is often a barrage of shout-outs, accusations, open threads (“Hottest Frat Boy!?!!”) and often, personal attacks, assertions about women’s sexual history and even death threats. In the site’s FAQ, the creators note: “Facts can be untrue. Opinions can be stupid, or ignorant, or mean-spirited, but they can’t be untrue. And we believe everyone is entitled to their opinion.”