Students have figured out how to exploit testing software that uses AI technology to grade written answers. Several students explained to reporters this week that the software gives perfect scores on essay questions after students simply entered a list of relevant keywords instead of a standard test answer.
The University of North Texas announced this week that it was expelling 15 Chinese scholars over their relationship with China’s Ministry of Education. Many universities and colleges around the nation have cut ties with researchers this year over allegations that they were using their position to funnel taxpayer-funded research to the Chinese government.
A California judge ruled this week that the University of California will no longer be permitted to consider SAT or ACT scores as part of their admissions process. The University of California system had already decided in May that it would make the submission of SAT and ACT scores optional for all applicants.
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign disciplined over 100 students this week that were found to have violated protocols that were designed to mitigate the spread of the Chinese virus. Universities around the nation have recently introduced policies that impose sanctions on students that attend large social gatherings.
Professor Greg Patton of USC is taking a “short term pause” after he was criticized for using a Chinese word during an online lecture. Students argued that the common Chinese word sounds like a racial slur, resulting in Patton’s removal from the course pending a university investigation.
A former Georgetown University tennis coach is facing additional charges in the “Varsity Blues” college admissions scandal this week. Coach Gordon Ernst, who has also served as the Obama family tennis coach, now faces three counts of federal programs bribery, three counts of filing false tax returns, aiding and abetting wire and mail fraud, and racketeering conspiracy amongst other charges.
Florida State University student Jack Denton says that he was removed from the university’s student government organization over his Catholic faith. In a recently filed lawsuit, Denton and his attorneys from Alliance Defending Freedom accuse the university of engaging in “unconstitutional retaliation” against him over his faith.
The University of Florida’s Levin College of Law reversed its rejection of a “critical race theory” course proposal after a backlash from student activists. Administrators at the law school initially rejected Professor Michelle Jacobs’ proposal and encouraged her to propose the course for the spring semester. Following the backlash, the university promoted Jacobs to the role of “Racial Justice Term Professor.”
Students at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, are calling for the removal of a 70-ton landmark boulder on campus because it had a racist nickname in the early 20th century.
Researcher Hu Haizhou of the University of Virginia was arrested on Friday as he attempted to fly to China, charged with theft over his possession of extensive research conducted by the university for the development of underwater robotics and submersible vehicles. Haizhou is just one of many foreign researchers that have been charged with crimes relating to the theft of research from American universities.
Students at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, have demanded the termination of two professors that attended a “Back the Blue” rally to defend American police officers. Skidmore College President Marc Conner has yet to reject the calls to fire pro-police faculty members.
Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, quietly removed statues of Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin from campus in July over concerns that they would be vandalized by protesters. The university also feared that having a statue of Thomas Jefferson would become a “target or an embarrassment” for alumni. Statues of Jefferson have recently been targeted by vandals on campuses and in parks around the country.
On Sunday, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health promoted research on Twitter by one doctoral student that claims that two plus two can equal five. The research was quickly mocked by Twitter users, many of whom questioned the value of a Harvard education.
Investigators stated this week that a fire set at the University of Delaware’s Chabad Center for Jewish Life was set intentionally. Although the local fire marshal has yet to declare that the fire is a hate crime, the state has launched an ongoing arson investigation. The fire, which burned for 45 minutes before it was extinguished, caused approximately $75,000 worth of damage.
Tnuza Jamal Hassan, a former student of St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota, pled guilty last week to charges related to her ties to Al-Qaeda. During her freshman year, Hassan anonymously encouraged two of her peers to join the terrorist group. In January 2018, Hassan set several fires on campus in the name of Al-Qaeda.
Researchers at the University of Arizona claim that they were able to prevent a coronavirus outbreak by performing tests on wastewater samples from a residential hall. The researchers claim that wastewater samples can identify the presence of a virus two to three weeks before residents test positive.
Several professors at the University of Pennsylvania are calling for an investigation into claims that President Donald Trump cheated on his SAT exam in the 1960s. One professor went so far as to label Trump as the school’s “worst admissions mistake.” In a recent book, Trump’s niece made the claim that the president hired an expert to take his SAT exam in his place. This week, the university rejected calls to investigate the president’s college entrance exam, citing the impracticality of the task.
The University of Alabama reported more than 531 positive coronavirus tests one week after it reopened to students. Although the spike may indicate the virus’ tendency to spread in densely populated communities, experts claim that young people are unlikely to face serious health repercussions after contracting the virus.
The University of Pittsburgh has announced that it has suspended eight students over violations of its coronavirus mitigation policies. Although the students will be unable to access the campus, they will still be permitted to attend class remotely. The university announced that it has labeled the students “persona non grata.” The move comes just a week after the school placed nine fraternities and sororities on interim suspension for violating policies.
Thomas College in Waterville, Maine, announced this week that its residential assistants will be encouraged to report coronavirus policy violations by students. The RA’s participated in a two-week training session this month to learn about new policies adopted by the university to mitigate the spread of the virus.
Boston University announced this week that students will be suspended if they attend a gathering or party of more than 25 people. The new policy comes as part of a larger plan to mitigate the spread of the Chinese virus on campus. The university has also set up a 24-hour hotline for students to report their peers for breaking the rules.
Texas A&M University has launched an investigation into Professor Filipe Castro over comments that he made on Facebook about President Trump. Castro came under fire last week over posts in which he expressed hope that Trump would contract coronavirus. Castro also posted bizarre fantasies of Trump’s death and called him a “fat klansman with a wife bought from a catalog.”
Syracuse University Professor Jon Zubieta was placed on leave this week after students complained about his use of the term “Wuhan flu” a syllabus for a Chemistry course. In the syllabus, Zubieta also referred to the virus as the “Chinese Communist Party Virus.” According to the university, Zubieta’s language is “offensive to Chinese, international and Asian-Americans everywhere.”
Federal authorities allege that Texas A&M Professor Zhengdong Cheng lied to his employers about his relationship with the communist Chinese government. Cheng, who has also served as a NASA researcher, was reportedly found to have undisclosed ties to a Chinese university.
In a letter to the editor published in the University of Notre Dame student newspaper on Tuesday, several professors defended the value of the campus experience. The University of Notre Dame suspended in-person classes last week after a spike in positive coronavirus cases.
UC Berkeley announced this week that it has accepted a $24 million donation from the former chairman of Levi Strauss & Co. that will be earmarked to cover tuition costs for students from low-income families. A press release published on Monday claims that the gift will help increase the number of students from groups that have been “historically marginalized” by universities and colleges.
Twitter reinstated the account for the Young Conservatives of Texas organization following a two-day suspension. Twitter claims that the account was suspended by a “spam filter” that is built into the platform.
The Berkeley Police Department has made an arrest in the case of UC Berkeley student Seth Smith, who was shot in the back of the head on June 15. 60-year-old Tony Walker was arrested on Thursday by Berkeley police on suspicion of murder.
Dr. Eric Mason, pastor of Epiphany Fellowship Church in Philadelphia, suggested reparations including centuries’ worth of college tuition during his sermon Sunday morning.
Northeastern University chastised students in an email last week for answering “yes” to a Facebook poll about attending parties on campus during the coronavirus pandemic. Parents of students that responded affirmatively to the poll were also contacted by university officials.
An official at Yale University told students in an email last week that they should prepare for their peers to die from Wuhan coronavirus and that their college life will look “like a hospital unit.” However, Yale researcher A. David Patiel pointed out that statistics indicate that young people are unlikely to die after contracting the virus.
Purdue University suspended 36 students on Thursday for attending a large social gathering. The university claims that the students failed to follow the “Protect Purdue Plan,” which was designed to mitigate the spread of Wuhan coronavirus on campus.
The “Racial Equity Task Force” at the University of Virginia recently published a report in which it demands the creation of a reparations fund for the descendants of slaves that helped build the university’s first buildings. Georgetown University adopted a similar initiative in late 2019.
California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) has urged UC Berkeley to reduce its power consumption during the afternoon to protect the state’s electrical grid. UC Berkeley officials have asked students to power down their residence halls and leave campus at 3:00 pm each day. Even the prestigious university’s science labs are being asked to delay work until after 8:00 pm due to the state’s power crisis.
A new report reveals that the prestigious Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, has accepted $340 million in donations from the nation of Qatar since 2012. Despite the documented relationship between the university and Qatar, Northwestern is not among the many institutions facing an investigation by Congress over financial entanglement with foreign nations.
Chinese students at Harvard and Princeton will use code names this semester as a protection measure against censorship by China’s Communist government. Other university classes will carry warning labels such as “This course may cover material considered politically sensitive by China.” As pointed out by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), the same institutions working feverishly to protect students from the Chinese Communists are happy to take millions of dollars from the same government.
Parents around the country are pushing back against rising tuition costs as universities and colleges shift their courses offerings online. Just this week, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Notre Dame were forced to suspend in-person classes after a spike in coronavirus cases.
Professor Filipe Castro of Texas A&M University has come under fire this week for a series of Facebook posts in which he denigrates President Trump and other Republican leaders. In one post, Castro said that he hopes President Trump contracts the Chinese virus. In another, he labels Trump as a “fat klansman with a wife bought from a catalog.”
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill told students that they would be required to leave campus just a week after they arrived due to a spike in coronavirus cases on campus. According to the university’s press release, “most students who have tested positive have demonstrated mild symptoms.”
Students at the University of Virginia are now required to sign an agreement that bounds them to certain coronavirus safety requirements. Per the contract, students are required to follow the safety rules even when they leave the university’s campus.
