College shorts

Author: Scott Greene

Yale to return disputed Machu Picchu artifacts

Yale University has agreed to return a series of artifacts that were excavated at Machu Picchu in 1912, ending a long confrontation with the government of Peru. The government had claimed that the artifacts were simply on loan and long overdue for return.

Peru had threatened to go to court after talks broke down between the two sides, with Yale disputing that it had already returned all borrowed objects in the 1920s. On Friday, a Peruvian delegation traveled to New Haven, Connecticut, to sign a preliminary agreement by which Yale would return over 350 artifacts. At the same time, the agreement also establishes a long-term partnership between the Yale and Peru which calls for an international traveling exhibition, as well as constructing a museum in Cuzco, the town closest to Machu Picchu.

"We aim to create a new model for resolving competing interests in cultural property," Yale's president, Richard C. Levin, said yesterday about the agreement. "This can best be achieved by building a collaborative relationship - one which involves scholars and researchers from Yale and Peru - that serves science and human understanding."

- The New York Times


Noose-related hate crime grips Maryland

Students at the University of Maryland had an all-campus 'speak out' session last Tuesday following an incident in which a noose that was found hanging in front of an on-campus minority cultural center on Sept. 7.

The three-foot noose was found hanging from a tree branch in front of the University's cultural center, built specifically for minority students to meet. It was removed before police arrived at the scene, and only a few of students and faculty members saw the noose, according to a UMD Public Safety spokeswoman. The University still does not know who committed the crime, nor have any potential suspects been identified.

"Paul Dillon, a UMD Public Safety spokesman, sent an e-mail to students and faculty members later that day. He referred to the incident as a "hate/bias crime" and informed the university community that Public Safety had begun its investigation.

-The Daily Orange


Undocumented Calif. students to get relief

The California State Legislature passed the California Dream Act on Sept. 11, which, if signed by the governor, would give undocumented students the ability to apply for and receive state financial aid. The bill complements Assembly Bill 540, passed in 2001, which awarded in-state tuition to all students who had attended at least three years at a California high school.

"The (new) bill focuses on noncompetitive grants since we cut out the competitive Cal Grant, which is based only on financial need and GPA," Guerra said. "What's most important is the ability to access noncompetitive student aid, it's less than a percent of the student population, it's about a percent of student aid by the state."

Members of the campus community, including students, faculty unanimously supported the new bill.

"We live in a very competitive world and for California to continue to excel, we need to use every bit of talent available," said Chancellor Robert Birgeneau. "Undocumented students made their way all the way to Berkeley and that shows they are exceptionally talented people who overcame enormous barriers."

-The Daily Californian