COLLEGE SHORTS

Author: Andrea Gissing

U. New Hampshire Student Sued for Using a Fake ID

After a recent settlement between a Durham, N.H,. storeowner and a University of New Hampshire student, New Hampshire alcohol sellers are now able to file suit against underage customers using fake identification to buy alcoholic beverages.

The student, who was cited by the New Hampshire Liquor Commission for alcohol possession, was caught using his older brother's valid driver's license after successfully buying alcohol from a local market. The owner of the store, Chuck Cressy, sued the student after he himself was fined $250 for selling alcohol to a minor.

This settlement provoked widespread responses from businesses that sell alcohol and could handle customers with fake IDs. Jack Stinson of Stinson's Village Store in Hanover, N.H., said that he would take "full legal advantage of the new precedent," and that minors who knowingly misrepresent themselves are as guilty as those who sell alcohol to them.

Storeowners in New Hampshire have taken numerous preventative measures against underage buyers, including ID scanners, employee training and posted notices.

For businesses, this settlement gives the owners recourse against the customer who puts the store at risk. If caught selling alcohol to a minor, a store faces fines ranging from $100 to $500 and, more importantly, the loss of their liquor license for one to 10 days.

Source: The Dartmouth

Norwich U. Eliminates Secret Societies

The recent discovery of the Left Out Society (LOS), an unauthorized secret society, prompted administrators at Norwich University in Norwich, Vt. to expel and discipline students who were members.

The school, where no fraternities or sororities exist, prohibits the existence of such groups, likely because of the strong presence of a military training program, the Corps of Cadets, on campus. This has been the case since 1999, when University President Richard Schneider prohibited any secret society or similar organization from existing on campus.

LOS was discovered over the December break when, during routine dorm inspections, officials found stolen school property in students' rooms. Since the discovery, three students withdrew from Norwich University, three were expelled and 11 more were disciplined on campus.

Further investigations are being conducted with evidence that was turned over to local police.

Source: The Dartmouth

Harvard to Give College Credit Only to Top AP Marks

Harvard University will no longer give college credit to freshmen who score lower than a five on advanced placement examinations. While most colleges award credit for scores of three, four or five on the tests administered by the College Board, many selective schools are debating over limits on credits for the scores. Harvard is the first to require scores of five for advanced standing.

This decision was based in part on studies showing that second-year economics and chemistry students who scored a four on the AP exam and had no previous Harvard courses in the subject did noticeably worse than students who scored a five, and worse than the class in general.

Some schools are concerned by the fact that students who score well on AP tests may be unprepared for high-level college work. While representatives of the College Board say, "those who scored well on the tests were ready for advanced courses," professors at universities disagree, arguing that while the students may be prepared for the AP tests, it does not necessarily mean they know how to use the information at a college level.

Source: The New York Times

NYU Denied Reimbursement for Sept. 11 Expenses

New York University (NYU) was recently told that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) would not reimburse any of the $25 million that the university spent as a result of the World Trade Center attacks.

NYU had requested FEMA to reimburse it for $5 million spent housing students displaced from downtown dormitories and supplying rescue workers, as well as another $3.5 million to pay for the cost of repairing buildings damaged in the attack.

FEMA's reason for denying the university the funds is because NYU is a private, nonprofit institution, which is not considered a "critical" entity. Critical entities include hospitals and utilities.

NYU has filed an insurance claim to cover the Sept. 11 costs and FEMA, in most cases, only reimburses costs not covered by insurance.

Source: UwireToday.com