COLLEGE SHORTS

Author: Jason Siegel

Congress protects college right-wing

Congress is considering a new Academic Bill of Rights in response to many conservative students alleging discrimination or humiliation by professors due to their conservative viewpoints. David Horowitz, a former leftist turned arch-conservative activist, is behind Students for Academic Freedom, which claims universities are no longer as academically free as they were even during the McCarthy era. His group is thus leading the charge to convince Congress and state legislatures to limit the range of classroom discussions.

Roger Bowen, head of the American Association of University Professors, opposes the measures, citing the protection conferred upon classrooms by the First Amendment. He believes that government's presence in classrooms will lead to a culture of fear among non-tenured faculty members. He proposes instead to allow universities to continue setting their own policies for academic freedom.

Though Horowitz rebutted, saying that the state should step in to make sure that the universities' own policies should be enforced by the government, Bowen countered him by declaring that universities are just a logical extension of the ideological expansionism of the conservative movement over the last few decades.

-The Journal Editorial Report



'Klan-destine'

messages at SUNY

To raise money for the victims of Katrina, SUNY-Binghamton's Student Association (BSA) bought bracelets that bore a slogan similar to that of another group who wants the South to rise again: the Ku Klux Klan.

Taking the lead from Lance Armstrong's yellow bracelet fad, the BSA ordered bracelets with "Save the South" written on them. The next day, one of its members approached President Andrew Smyth and let him know that it bore a reference to the KKK's slogan and anthem "God, save the South."

Embarrassed but unfazed, Smyth emphasized that none of the members of the organization were aware of the resemblance at the time of the vote. He also stressed that most people had not made the connection, and that the bracelets, which raise $1.20 each for every one sold, had become very popular. "They know it's all going to a great cause," he said.

-U-Wire



More students steal belongings

According to a new survey by drugstore.com, 52 percent of college students admit to taking their roommates' belongings without asking first. Many schools have long realized the prevalence of this issue and have established procedures to prevent theft among roommates. Many students, however, choose to actually share their belongings with their roommates, citing trust and friendship as their reasoning. On the other hand, other students find the problem lies not with their roommates, but with their roommates' friends. Especially in fraternities, where parties are notoriously chaotic, students risk losing valuable property including iPods.

Despite the rise in the rate of "borrowing," most of it remains petty theft, with snacks and writing implements topping the most-wanted list. Security officials recommend that whenever students share a room, they determine beforehand, with or without an official contract, how items will be shared.

-U-Wire