College Shorts Oprah Kind to a State School, Ashcroft Just the Opposite

Author: Andrea Gissing

U. South Florida Prof. Indicted as Terrorist Leader

University of South Florida Professor Sami Al-Arian was taken into custody last Thursday on racketeering and terrorist charges as a result of his association with Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). Al-Arian has been under surveillance since about 1994 by the U.S. government.
Al-Arian was charged with seven other defendants, four of whom are not currently in the United States. Among the eight men there are 50 counts against them, the two main charges being conspiracy to commit racketeering and conspiracy to murder or maim outside of the United States.
Attorney General John Ashcroft made a statement about the case, labeling Al-Arian as "the North American leader of the PIJ," which he described as being "one of the most violent terrorist organizations in the world." Ashcroft continued by saying that Al-Arian has actively been providing funding for terrorist attacks in Israel, which have killed more than 100 people, including two Americans.
The indictment also discusses Al-Arian's role at USF. It portrays the university as an unknowing host of terrorist activities. According to the indictment, "The defendants and PIJ utilized the University of South Florida as an institution where some of their members could receive cover as teachers or students."
USF placed Al-Arian on paid leave September 2001 after his controversial appearance on the television show, "The O'Reilly Factor," during which the host, Bill O'Reilly, suggested that Al-Arian was a terrorist.
According to his lawyer, Al-Arian considers himself a "political prisoner" who strongly believes it is his right to support the people in Palestine without fear of prosecution. Al-Arian, in protest of his arrest, has decided to fast.

Source: U-Wire


Harvard Pressured to Reconsider Spending Habits

Harvard University, with its vast monetary resources, is wasting millions of dollars a year because it rarely searches for the best deals on the $1 billion in goods and services the institution buys annually.
Harvard estimates it could save more than $100 million a year by soliciting bids on such items as plumbing and brochures, for example.
In light of the recent recession and shrinking endowments, Harvard has begun to curtail some of its everyday expenses, but efforts are hindered by the university's long tradition of school and department autonomy.
The initiative to cut back on spending costs comes in response to recent growing impatience from a small yet influential group of alumni who argue that, "Harvard's lack of fiscal restraint has squandered millions of dollars in donations, year after year." They also point out that if the university utilized basic business concepts, it might not have to ask alumni for so much money.
In most states, public and private colleges and universities pool their money and shop for the commodities and equipment that they need.
Now that the university and many of its alumni donors are experiencing the economic crunch, Harvard officials see a greater need to adopt cost saving practices that can add up to large amounts of money quickly.

Source: The New York Times


Oprah Donates $5 Million to Morehouse College

Morehouse College in Atlanta announced that Oprah Winfrey will be making a $5 million donation to the school. Winfrey's donation was made in response to Morehouse's largest-ever fundraising campaign, which hopes to receive at least $105 million by 2006.
President Walter Massey said that the school plans to use the money to offer more scholarships, develop and upgrade the campus and make the college more competitive in general.
When announcing the campaign, Massey said, "Our mantra has been that we want to be considered among the finest liberal arts colleges in the country while still remaining the college of choice for African-American men."
The institution's campaign, "Campaign for a New Century," is the most ambitious goal in the all-male college's 136-year history.
Winfrey, who also donated $1 million to the college in 1989, is its top donor. Her previous contribution was made to fund scholarships. So far, 203 Morehouse students have received money from her donation.

Source: The Chicago Sun-Times