June 30, 2006So long, Larry He resigned from the top post at the Stanford of the East (see my bio for my declared bias) in February. His five years of leadership at the institution have been controversial, to say the least. He clashed with celebrity faculty like Cornel West, who later left for Princeton, as did K. Anthony Appiah, another well-known black studies scholar. Summers made national headlines when he was quoted as saying that inherent gender differences may be one explanation for the dearth of women in math and science. And he generally wrangled with the greater faculty, who were used to having more say in the direction of the university. But many undergraduates say his departure is a great loss to current and future students. They seemed to think the place needs to be reformed and redirected in just some of the ways that Summers did. So, what about powerful but controversial university presidents? What can they do to repair their missteps -- with faculty, students or whomever they might offend? What do you all think of the president of your university? How hard is it to make change in the academy? June 29, 2006The Daily Show Effect Jon Stewart: He's adorable, but is he bad for America? But last week, a pair of academics from East Carolina University came out with a study that shows that "Daily Show" watchers are more likely to be cynical toward politics, politicians and the news media. The study refers to Stewart's appearance on CNN's now-defunct show "Crossfire" and his plea to the hosts of the show to "stop hurting America": "Jon Stewart is not alone in his criticism of high-octane programs such as Crossfire, The O’Reilly Factor, or Hannity and Combs. Previous research has confirmed that high-conflict programs do negatively influence public support for politicians and political parties, in spite of the fact that the public enjoys watching (Forgette&Morris, 2003; Mutz&Reeves, 2005). Our findings, however, suggest that Jon Stewart should not be so quick to cast stones." What do you think? Are you more cynical because you watch the "Daily Show" or do you watch it because you were already distrustful of politicians, politics and the media? Do you think watching the "Daily Show" affects your tendency to vote? June 28, 2006The cost of a high-tech education
When I asked a professor of music whether the cost would be a factor for students, he said he didn't think it would be, especially when compared with how much they already spend on textbooks. But I'm wondering if requiring an iPod for class is an extra financial burden for students. I know many students already have them. But what if they don't have the one that the department highly recommends? June 27, 2006Hanging out onlineMy Sunday story on Facebook, MySpace and other online hangouts was a lot of fun to work on, primarily because I got the chance to tool around on the sites and see what was out there. The good, the bad and the ugly was what I found. Some of the sites on MySpace are so cluttered with fluorescent colors, moving images and flashing text that I got a headache before I even had a chance to read anything more about the person who posted all of those pieces of flair. (Anybody ever heard of the minimalist approach?) But as anyone knows who frequents those sites, the task was a huge time suck. And, cliche as it is, I was also constantly surprised by how much personal information people would post about themselves online for the world to see. This comment is especially true for photographs. Though I am not one to like having my photograph taken ever, so I guess it's not that much of a surprise. So, I'm looking for students and others who use these sites to explain why it is that they feel comfortable opening up online to strangers. Also, I'm wondering how much time you all out there spend on these sites. Facebook reports that its users spend an average of 20 minutes on its site per day. June 26, 2006Newbie in townGreetings: My name is Amy L. Kovac, and I recently joined The Roanoke Times to cover Radford University and college life. Greg Esposito has graciously allowed me to join in on the blogging fun, and I aim to be a fresh eye on the college scene in these parts and beyond. A little bit about me: I grew up in a small, retirement town in Southern California called Hemet. After 17 years there, I migrated northward to Stanford University, where I stayed for five years and got two degrees: a bachelor’s and a master’s. In 2000, I moved again, this time eastward to Washington, D.C., where I worked for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and Foreign Policy magazine. Three years and another move later, I lived in New York City and got another master’s at the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University. My first “real world” reporting job was at the Herald News in West Paterson, N.J., where I covered towns, schools and colleges. I moved to Virginia this spring and am happy to focus my reporting on higher education -– which is where you all come in. I’d like to spice up the blog a bit and hope to bring you all into a larger conversation about higher ed. Greg and I are both interested in hearing your thoughts on our stories, but we also want to hear what you think we should be writing about. So, tell us what’s on your mind. And one of us will respond as quickly as we can. We might even contact you as a source for an upcoming story. To get a new conversation started, I heard about a $6 million gift to the University of Virginia this morning on the radio. (I’m a big public radio fan.) In the office the other day, some of us were talking about universities with large endowments, and one of my colleagues asked why alums give money to their alma maters –- especially those with hefty $3.5 billion ones like UVa’s –- when there are people out there that are more in need, like those affected by Hurricane Katrina. My response was that I give a little something to Stanford every year, because I feel a strong bond with the school and want current students to benefit from opportunities that I had when I was there. If you're a current college student, will you give money to your school when you graduate or not? Why? If you're old like I am, why do you give money to your college? Or, why don’t you? Let the comments begin... June 5, 2006July 1 deadline looms as student loans set to skyrocketThe St. Petersburg Times had a story last week on student loan rates going way up. Parents and students paying attention to the debate in Congress over this decision have had awhile to consolidate their loans and potentially save thousands. I've blogged about this topic before on multiple occassions and wrote a story in February about Virginia Tech students looking for ways to afford college. Those who haven't paid attention still have until July 1 to save money by consolidating. |
About this blog
Rhode Island native and Virginia Tech reporter Greg Esposito posts on everyday college life, trends and issues affecting the 35,000-plus students in the New River Valley and beyond.
Tim Thornton, who is old enough to have children attending college, is still taking classes and is still fascinated by colleges, the students who populate them and the bureaucrats who operate them. His reporting beat is Radford University.
West Virginia native Anna Mallory blogs on student life topics at Virginia Tech, Radford University, New River Valley Community College -- and beyond.
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