Video on McNeese State University failure to comply with ADA

McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana has been sued for discriminating against the disabled after a student in a wheelchair dared to use the restroom and was forced to urinate on herself and injured her arm. McNeese admits that it does not believe the disabled have the right to use the campus student union and should stay outside or in classrooms while the able-bodied use the student union. McNeese President Dr. Robert Hebert testified that McNeese will not bring its campus into compliance because the rights of the disabled are not “fundamentally important”. Integration of black students took place in the South in the 1960s, but one Louisiana university still does not believe that the disabled are as important as the able-bodied. Watch this shocking video!

Years into litigation, McNeese State U. president says it’s not a “high priority” for disabled students to use a major campus facility.

Inside Higher Ed: Access Denied

In a discrimination case that is still crawling through the Louisiana court system after seven years, McNeese State University’s president has asserted that it is not a “high priority” for disabled students to access the university’s student union.

The case, which stems from a 2001 accident, was brought by a student who — while in a wheelchair — was injured trying to pry open a bathroom door in the union. The door was not made accessible for disabled people, according to the suit.

Todd Gitlin argues that nonstop media stimuli undermine democracy and foster a society of disposable emotions.

The Chronicle: Todd Gitlin, who argues that nonstop media stimuli undermine democracy and foster a society of disposable emotions.

By ANDREA L. FOSTER

Todd Gitlin, who argues that nonstop media stimuli undermine democracy and foster a society of disposable emotions.

Mr. Gitlin, a sociologist, directs an interdisciplinary program in communications at Columbia University. His book Media Unlimited faults the media for promoting a culture of celebrity worship and paranoia. It was first published in 2001, and a new edition was recently released. Mr. Gitlin blogs for Talking Points Memo Cafe and the Sunday Watch column of the Columbia Journalism Review.

Temple U.’s Past Policy Violated Free-Speech Rights, Appeals Court Says

The Chronicle: Temple U.’s Past Policy Violated Free-Speech Rights, Appeals Court Says

A federal appeals court ruled on Monday that a sexual-harassment policy that Temple University abandoned early last year was unconstitutionally broad and violated students’ freedom of expression.

The Philadelphia-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit—upholding a district court’s March 2007 decision—said the university’s policy could have stopped its students from making legally protected speech. The case was brought two and a half years ago by a former Temple graduate student, Christian M. DeJohn, who said his conservative views were unwelcome at the university.

Sociologists Ponder the Costs of Overwork

The Chronicle: Sociologists Ponder the Costs of Overwork

Social scientists should give more scrutiny to “overwork” and “underwork,” several scholars urged on Monday during a panel discussion at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association here. In today’s labor market, the scholars said, many people find themselves working significantly more or fewer hours than they would prefer—and those schedules have put new strains on family life.

The papers discussed on Monday and others presented over the weekend were part of the conference’s central theme of labor and the workplace.

West Virginia: WVU lawyer Macia leaves job

Charleston Gazette: WVU lawyer Macia leaves job

A West Virginia University lawyer involved in the Heather Bresch scandal has left his post. Thursday was Alex Macia’s last day as the school’s vice president of legal affairs, university spokeswoman Becky Lofstead confirmed Monday.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A West Virginia University lawyer involved in the Heather Bresch scandal has left his post.

Thursday was Alex Macia’s last day as the school’s vice president of legal affairs, university spokeswoman Becky Lofstead confirmed Monday.

Macia did not return a phone message seeking comment on Monday, but a news release from his former law firm, Spilman Thomas & Battle, said Macia would be returning to the firm’s Charleston office on Aug. 11.

Kentucky: Records show Felner spent big bucks during cut-backs apparently with U of L’s approval

WHAS11.com: Records show Felner spent big bucks during cut-backs apparently with U of L’s approval

Video report: http://www.whas11.com/video/index.html?nvid=269706&shu=1

Louisville, Ky. (WHAS11) – The investigation surrounding former University of Louisville Dean Robert Felner continues.

During a time of budget cut-backs at the University of Louisville, it appears Robert Felner was spending big bucks, all apparently with university approval.

When students head back to the University of Louisville in the fall, most will face a nine percent tuition increase to make up for a budget shortfall.

The budget crisis was so great this year that salary increases for faculty members were capped 700 dollars and most work-related travel was cutback.

But WHAS11 News found out that apparently wasn’t the case for Dr. Robert Felner and more than two dozen members of the College of Education and Human Development.

Since the beginning of this year, the state of higher education in Kentucky has been dire.

University of Louisville President James Ramsey testified before the legislature of the doom and gloom. They even considered casino gambling as a way to stop the red ink.

But less than two months later, Dean Robert Felner took 27 members of the College of Education and Human Development to the American Educational Research Association in New York.

WHAS11 News went through nearly 300 pages of expense reports to determine that Felner’s college spent more than $3,400 dollars on travel, lodging and meals.

Felner even hosted a reception at the conference that came with crab cakes, shrimp and plenty of drinks at a cost to the university of $8,508 dollars.

WHAS11 News also looked at Felner’s other spending during the last six months of his employment at the University of Louisville.

Felner liked to dine at some of Louisville’s finest restaurants on the university’s expense.

At Proof on Main, he ran up a $300 dollar bill, at Jack Fry’s, two dinners added up to $675.00.

Felner charged gifts, flowers, magazine subscriptions and professional dues on university credit cards during his final months as dean.

During Felner’s last month in June, he had some quite unusual charges, including hundreds of dollars to a company called U boxes, which sells moving boxes. He also had $759 dollars in charges to amazon.com.

The bills don’t indicate what Felner bought with U of L credit cards but the total charges add up to $31,335 dollars.

A university spokesperson says that attendance at the annual American Educational Research Association conference is critical for faculty members at a major research university.

She says the number of attendees reflects a significant accomplishment for U of L.

The university can’t comment on Felner’s credit card charges, since that may be part of the federal investigation.

KCMO Teachers May Consider Strike Against School District

myfoxkc.com: KCMO Teachers May Consider Strike Against School District

The already heated standoff between the Kansas City Missouri School District and the Teachers’ Union has left the teachers without a contract just weeks before the new school year is set to begin.

Interim Superintendent Dr. John Martin went above and beyond union negotiations to impose some job requirements on the district’s teachers. The union is very unhappy and moving fast to figure out their next move.

Scotland: Class dismissed by staff strike

Scotsman: Class dismissed by staff strike

STRIKE action by local council workers is set to close schools across Edinburgh on the first day of the new term and cripple scores of vital services across the city.
Public sector unions have announced an all-out one-day strike on Wednesday, August 20, which could also severely disrupt festival performances.

Nigeria: A season of strikes

The Punch: A season of strikes

It is disheartening to observe that almost every sector of the Nigeria economy is experiencing one form of strife or the other over issues that ordinarily would not have dragged for long. It seems that whenever parties are aggrieved, the only avenue and perhaps, the most suitable tool with which such grievances is settled is strike. The economic implication of this action cannot be overemphasised, as it brings so much untold hardship on the people.

The strike by the Nigerian Union of Teachers is one of those numerous actions. The members of RATAWU are threatening an industrial action because of unpaid allowances for over one year. Also, medical practitioners are at the verge of embarking on the same action over unsettled monetisation benefits.

Australia: Teachers will strike till 2010 election

The Advertiser: Teachers will strike till 2010 election

TEACHERS have promised a war of attrition with strikes until the 2010 state election unless the Government meets their demands on pay and school funding.

The threat yesterday came on the eve of rolling strikes that will see all public schools, pre-schools and TAFE colleges hit with half-day shutdowns during the week.

Early Decision — for Faculty Jobs

Inside Higher Ed: Early Decision — for Faculty Jobs

The blog PhD in History, which devotes attention to the history job market, recently noted a shift in the job postings for history faculty that have turned up this summer. In the past, summer postings tended to be last minute attempts to locate help for a semester or year. The coveted tenure-track positions wouldn’t appear until the fall, setting a pace for interviews at the American Historical Association’s January meeting, and for offers in the spring.

This summer, the blog noted, many of the positions being announced are tenure-track jobs that start in the fall of 2009. The deadlines for many of these positions suggest that interviews will take place well before the AHA meeting, in some cases early enough so offers might be made before the meeting, too. Sterling Fluharty, the blog author and a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Oklahoma, asked: “Does it seem to you that more and more search committees are trying to jump the gun and hire new history faculty before their job candidates have a chance to interview at the AHA convention?”

Ontario: York profs say they weren’t told about threats for three days

Globe and Mail: York profs say they weren’t told about threats for three days

A man claiming to be a student expelled from York University made threatening phone calls to Toronto police this week, saying he’d “blow up the school” and shoot people on campus, citing a professor he blamed for his expulsion, officers say.

But yesterday, three days after the first threat, the York University Faculty Association, representing professors, hadn’t been told that one of its members was directly threatened.

“We weren’t informed as to the exact details of the threat,” Arthur Hilliker, YUFA’s president, said in a statement to The Globe and Mail.

Newfoundland & Labrador: Acting president of Memorial University won’t seek top job; vows to fight for school’s autonomy

Globe and Mail: Acting president of Memorial University won’t seek top job; vows to fight for school’s autonomy

The acting president of Memorial University in Newfoundland has officially withdrawn his name as a candidate for the presidency so he can freely defend the university’s autonomy against concerns of political involvement.

Eddy Campbell said yesterday he will continue in his current role and is asking for a meeting with Education Minister Joan Burke to discuss his concerns about keeping the selection process free of interference.

Us vs. Them in Academe

Inside Higher Ed: Us vs. Them in Academe

C.P. Snow wrote of the “two cultures” of the sciences and humanities and of the divisions between them. In higher education today, many feel an ever-increasing culture gap between administrators and faculty members. Professors — at least those with tenure — sometimes share their views of the deans and presidents who lead institutions. But what of administrators? Forget the platitudes of Faculty Senate meetings. What do they really think of the faculty role in running campuses?

A national survey of administrators reveals a mixed picture. A majority (60 percent) believe that faculty members should play a bigger role in running campuses, with most of the rest happy with the status quo and only a few believing that professors should play less of a role. But while seeking more of a faculty role, the administrators share a highly critical view of faculty knowledge and perspective when it comes to campus decision making, with a broad consensus finding professors focused far too much on their own issues or departmental issues, and lacking either the knowledge or perspective to think about institutions as a whole and to promote change.

California: Firebombs Hit House and Car of 2 Santa Cruz Researchers in Separate Attacks

The Chronicle: Firebombs Hit House and Car of 2 Santa Cruz Researchers in Separate Attacks

The home of a molecular biologist at the University of California at Santa Cruz and a car parked in the driveway at the home of another of the university’s researchers were damaged by intentionally set fires early Saturday in separate incidents that the university said appeared to be “criminal acts of anti-science violence.”

Santa Cruz police investigators have classified the house fire, which was set by a firebomb on the porch, as an act of domestic terrorism and are treating it as an attempted homicide.

California: Firebombed UCSC researcher speaks out

Santa Cruz Sentinel: Firebombed UCSC researcher speaks out

SANTA CRUZ — The FBI today is expected to take over the investigation of the Saturday morning firebombings of a car and of a Westside home belonging to two UC Santa Cruz biomedical researchers who conduct experiments on animals.

Santa Cruz police officials said Sunday the case will be handed to the FBI to investigate as domestic terrorism while local authorities explore additional security measures for the 13 UCSC researchers listed in a threatening animal-rights pamphlet found in a downtown coffee shop last week.

California: Two firebombings target UCSC researchers

Santa Cruz Sentinel: Two firebombings target UCSC researchers

SANTA CRUZ — Firebombs were intentionally set on a porch and in a car belonging to two UC Santa Cruz researchers in separate incidents early Saturday in what police have classified as acts of domestic terrorism.

Police are calling one of the bombings an attempted homicide.

Massachusetts behind in spending on public colleges

Boston Globe: State behind in spending on public colleges

Leaders say more is needed to compete

Massachusetts ranks near the bottom nationally in state spending on public colleges and universities, new statistics show, a shortfall blamed in part for tuition increases and deteriorating campuses and for undercutting the system’s quest to achieve greater national prominence.

Union sues UW-Platteville over retention fund plan

Chicago Tribune: Union sues UW-Platteville over retention fund plan

MADISON, Wis. – A faculty union is suing the University of Wisconsin-Platteville over the way its chancellor wants to award merit pay increases.

The case could help decide how a new $10 million fund is awarded across the University of Wisconsin System. Lawmakers created the fund last year to help recruit and retain faculty members and researchers, whose salaries are lagging behind those at rival schools.

The UW System told campuses to use the money to give raises to key employees or to sweeten the salaries of incoming workers.