COLLEGE SHORTS

Author: Claire Bourne

Media Mogul Geffen Donates $200 Million to UCLA

Hollywood tycoon David Geffen has announced that he will donate $200 million to the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) medical school. This is the largest single donation ever given to a U.S. medical school. Geffen has not specified how the institution should spend the money. Gerald S. Levey, dean of the UCLA medical school, said that Geffen's gift would go towards training medical scientists, research and financial aid for students.

In addition, the school will be renamed the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

The UCLA theater was renamed the Geffen Playhouse a few years ago after he donated $5 million to the university.

Geffen, co-founder of DreamWorks entertainment company, has donated millions to various medical-related causes, including gifts of $2.5 million to AIDS Project Los Angeles, $2.5 million to the Gay Men's Health Crisis in New York and $1.4 million to AIDS Action in Washington, D.C.



Source: The Associated Press



More and More Small Colleges Disappearing

Since 1997, 27 of the nation's 1,600 private colleges have announced plans to shut down, a 35 percent upsurge from the previous five-year period. Dozens more are facing tough financial situations and may risk closing their doors if the national economy does not improve.

Marginal private institutions have experienced decreased enrollment due to cheaper public colleges and universities. "Most of the rising demographic demand generated by Baby Boom 2 is being absorbed by public universities and community colleges," explained John Nelson, a vice president at Moody's Investment Service. Whereas 50 years ago half of college students attended private institutions, less than one-fifth do today.

Many regional colleges are reworking their curriculums and rewriting their mission statements in an attempt to attract more students. They are also offering more scholarship money to alleviate the cost of tuition. Some, like Marymount College Tarrytown, located just north of New York City, have decided to merge with stronger institutions in order to provide students with more state of the art facilities.

According to Morton Shapiro, president of Williams College and an economist of higher education, less than 50 of the nation's 500 private liberal arts colleges are not facing financial crises.



Source: The New York Times



Sexually Explicit UConn TV Show Deemed Offensive

A student-run television program at the University of Connecticut has drawn ire from community members who claim its content contributes to a misogynistic climate on campus.

The show, entitled "I Did Your Mother," broadcasts sexually graphic discussions and skits. Co-host Joseph Kingsley said that the show was meant to be humorous, however critics accuse Kingsley of filling the airwaves with content that is offensive to women.

Broadcast on UCTV, a student-run channel on the University's cable system, the show is not policed by University officials because it is run independently by a student board. Eddie Daniels, director of campus activities, said that "the first level of accountability" was with the students.

"I am more upset that these people have nothing better to do than infringe on my freedom of speech," Kingsley said. "We're doing nothing on the air that hasn't been on Howard Stern or a thousand other shows."



Source: CNN.com



Fairfield University Hostage Suspect to Plead Insanity

A former Fairfield University student accused of holding a classroom of students hostage with a fake bomb in February will use the insanity defense during his trial. Patrick Arbelo's lawyer filed documents in Bridgeport, Conn., Superior Court announcing his intention to argue that his client suffered an "extreme emotional disturbance" during the seven-hour standoff because of an emotional disease from which he was suffering.

Two mental health specialists are slated to testify on Arbelo's behalf.

Arbelo faces 27 counts of kidnapping in the altercation during which a university academic building was cleared and hostages were released without incident over a period of seven hours.

Arbelo, who is legally blind, carried a cardboard box with exposed wires into a classroom on Feb. 12 claiming to have a bomb, Bridgeport police charged.



Source: The New York Times