Former Brown student sues alma mater
A former student, William R. McCormick III, has sued Brown University for denying him the chance to defend himself after the daughter of an alumnus and major donor accused him of rape.
According to the lawsuit, the accuser first alleged that McCormick was calling her excessively and following her and the university issued a no-contact order. The lawsuit states that the accuser later adjusted her accusation by charging McCormick with rape. The next day, Brown informed McCormick of the accusation and banned him from campus, denying him the opportunity to defend himself.
The lawsuit was unsealed last week at the order of a judge of the U.S. District Court of Providence, R.I. The judge described the lawsuit as a “mess,” full of vague claims. However, the judge was concerned with the fact that Brown never notified the police about the incident.
— The Chronicle of Higher Education
Princeton blocks iPads from campus network
Princeton recently blocked some of Apple’s new iPad devices from its campus wireless network because they seem to be causing performance problems on the entire system.
The university’s Office of Information Technology Web site reported that about half of the iPads that attempted to connect to the system clogged up the network. The alert says that “iPad devices that malfunction in this manner while connected to the campus network may need to be blocked to maintain the stability and reliability of campus network services.” About 25 iPads have been blocked so far.
Princeton notified Apple about the glitch, but until the problem is fixed, the university has asked those who own iPads to cease surfing the web on campus.
George Washington University expects the devices to be incompatible with its system as well. Princeton’s issue suggests that the “iPad may be getting off to a rough start as a campus productivity tool.”
— The Chronicle of Higher Education
Bankrupt companies demand refunds of Yale
Two companies facing bankruptcy recently demanded multi-million dollar refunds from Yale University. These monetary gifts were granted to Yale during better times, but now BearingPoint Inc. and Industrial Enterprise of America seek to regain the $8.1 million and $1.5 million formerly donated, respectively.
Industrial Enterprises claims that the alumni donor, John Mazzuto, had no right to the shares he donated; Mazzuto is currently being investigated for fraud. To complicate the matter, Yale has already used the donation to finance a new baseball facility. The company plans to take Yale to court to recover the money.
According to The Wall Street Journal, BearingPoint Inc., who agreed to make $30 million in donations over a period of 7 years, has filed a lawsuit in attempts to recover the $6 million donated to name facilities and endow a professorship in Yale’s School of Management and the $2.1 million it gave to provide executive training to the firm’s employees.
— The Chronicle of Higher Education
