October 26, 2006Caribbean conference on financial aid cancelledIt looks like Virginia Tech financial aid employee Tony Sutphin isn't the only person whose plans to attend a conference in the Caribbean sponsored by private lender EduCap were nixed this week. The student lender, which does business as Loan to Learn, cancelled its all-expenses paid, financial aid conference scheduled for February in the wake of media criticism of the event. In a letter sent to invitees, EduCap Senior Vice President George Pappas blamed the cancellation on "inaccurate reports in the media regarding the financial aid community and the unfortunate perception these reports have created." The conference's location -- at a $655-a-night luxury resort in the West Indies -- along with the growth of the private student loan industry, brought the company and Sutphin under scrutiny because of the obvious conflict-of-interest implications. "I'm sure you will find it noteworthy that more than 80 percent of summit attendees are not members of the financial aid community," Pappas letter says in an attempt to refute the implications. "Furthermore, Loan to Learn reaches nearly all of the students it serves directly, without reliance on referrals or 'preferred lender lists' from colleges and universities. October 25, 2006Cost of college going upInside Higher Ed has a nice breakdown of a report by the College Board Tuesday on the expense of higher education. Four year public colleges increased tuition 6.3 percent on average this year. Compare that to the 8.3 percent hike for in-state students at Virginia Tech and the 12 percent jump at Radford University. But the cost of tuition, fees and room and board at both Radford ($12,050) and Tech ($11,739) is still lower than the national average for four-year publics ($12,796). October 24, 2006Virginia colleges get mixed reviews in progress reportThe State Council of Higher Education for Virginia just released this progress report for the state's colleges. The report shows that public four-year colleges in the state are well on their way towards a 2002 goal to enroll an additional 61,000 students by 2010. Faculty salaries at state colleges are also on the way up after a dip due to the state budget crisis. The picture for the state's national standing in sponsored research is less clear however. Four of the six public research institutions in Virginia have actually dropped in the annual rankings of research universities published by the National Science Foundation. Virginia remains stuck at 37th in the nation in per-capita funding for reasearch expenditures. October 23, 2006College students create "Fantasy Congress" gameCheck out this story in The New York Times today about college students at Claremont McKenna College, creating a "Fantasy Congress" game similar to the hundreds of versions of fantasy sports games offered on the Internet. While I would venture to guess that Sen. John Warner has an easier time going out in public without being mobbed than Michael Vick, I'm sure this site will appeal to some, particularly with elections just around the corner. (Incidentally, Warner is the leading scorer in the Fantasy Congress game while Vick, despite his great game this weekend, is nowhere near the leaderboard in Fantasy Football.) October 19, 2006Hokies at Home on Roanoke.com
See a slideshow of Hokie cheerleaders with running audio at roanoke.com We've covered a wide range of game day activities, from pre-game drinking outside the stadium to post-game drinking inside of bars -- how's that for variety? Seriously, though, we've covered the game from the point of view of cheerleaders, big-shot alums in the luxury suites and the folks in those RV's that surround the stadium. And there's more to come. October 11, 2006Fiji run to raise money for the V FoundationI heard last night that everything is in place for the fourth annual "Run Across Virginia" for the UVa and Virginia Tech chapters of Phi Gamma Delta. The event involves a relay run of a football from Charlottesville to Blacksburg this year, ending at Lane Stadium in time for the Tech-UVa football game. As in past years, donations for this year's run will go to fight cancer through the V Foundation. For more about the event or to donate, go here. October 10, 2006College sex column faces criticismA colleague came across this story in last Tuesday's Hattiesburg American. It's a pretty straightforward piece on objections from the president of the University of Southern Mississippi to a sex column in the school's newspaper. The president, Shelby Thames, has conceded that the First Amendment protects the paper from censorship but that didn't stop him from condemning the "Pillow Talk" column. I haven't seen a sex column in the Collegiate Times, though I'd say this "He Said, She Said" column in Tech's student newspaper would probably draw Thames' ire. What do you think? Where should the line be drawn when it comes to freedom of speech and columns or articles that some people find offensive? October 6, 2006You know you went to Radford University if...I just got a fun forward from a friend of mine who attended Radford University. Every university has something like this, but I thought I'd put this one out here for all our RU readers. If anyone has a similar one for Virginia Tech or any of the other schools in the area, please write them in the comments area for all to see. And if any of you RU alums or students take issue with any of these or want to explain the inside joke to those of us who didn't go to RU, please tell us those things, too. You know you went to Radford University if:
October 5, 2006Changing atmosphere at Virginia Tech football games?
The Hokie Bird makes appeareances on the jumbotron to tell fans to be respectful during games Well it is according to Virginia Tech junior Leo Charles. He wrote a letter to the editor that appeared in the Collegiate Times today. He's worried that the focus on good behavior at games is taking away from Tech's homefield advantage and says people who don't want to deal with cursing, screaming, drunkenesss and occassional vomiting by fellow fans should stay out of Lane Stadium's North Endzone. Hokie Respect started in 2003 with the expressed intent to create a more fan-friendly, yet still imposing atmosphere. While there have been reports of incidents at some events (ask J.J. Redick's family) I've never seen any deplorable behavior at the 4 or 5 football games I've been to over the last several years. But then again, I've stayed out of the North Endzone. Continue reading "Changing atmosphere at Virginia Tech football games?" » |
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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