College Shorts

Author: Akshay Khanna

Yale alters stance on gender-identity

Making it the last of the Ivy League institutions to add "gender identity and expression" to the list of already-protected groups, Yale University voted last month to amend its non-discriminatory policy in light of student outcry.

The policy change will further advance the ongoing negotiations about the possibility of gender-neutral on-campus housing, according to Dean of Residential Life Martin Redman.

"We're now engaging in a conversation which has been the plan all along," Redman said in an interview with The Dartmouth.

Redman also added that a "working group" of student representatives, as well as university staff and faculty will now meet to draft and forward a recommendation to the Office of Residential Life.

Students and faculty alike appeared to welcome the decision to protect and encourage the expression of gender identity on the Yale campus. With Yale's decision, all eight of the Ivy League institutions have now added clauses to protect gender identity expression.

-The Dartmouth


Brown reports past ties to slavery

Much of the initial funding for Brown University came from money made through the slave trade, according to a report released by the University's Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice.

A 17-member committee recommended that Brown University take a look at its past ties with the slave trade and examine its responsibilities in light of the University's involvement in the trade.

The 106-page report, which was released on Brown's website stated, "We cannot change the past, but an institution can hold itself accountable for the past, accepting its burdens and responsibilities along with its benefits and privileges."

In this report, the panel also encouraged Brown to initiate the creation of a memorial and the establishment of an academic center for the study of slavery and justice.

The study and the Steering Committee were the brainchild of Brown President Ruth Simmons, who became the first black president of an Ivy League school in 2003.

-Associated Press



BU students assist Chevy ad campaign

Two Boston University students will spend five days living in a Chevrolet Aveo subcompact as part of a publicity move by the automobile company to illustrate how much can be done inside the Chevy.

Allison Lavey and Jamie Williams, the two juniors at BU who will participate in the "Aveo Livin Large" challenge, will spend all their time outside of the classroom and the bathroom inside the "supermini," being watched live on the Web.

"We're that minority five percent that when someone asks us to live in a car for five days, we freak out and think it's the golden opportunity," Lavey said in an interview with The Boston Globe.
However, the Homeless Empowerment Project in Boston said that the publicity stunt is in poor taste and makes light of a very real problem, stating that some people really have to live in their cars.

"We understand that companies have to market themselves to remain viable, but it gives the sense that they're turning their nose up on people who actually do live in their cars," said Sam Scott, the group's executive director, on the group's Web site.

- The Boston Globe