Quick Takes
Student Drinking and Drinking-Related Deaths Are Increasing
The rates at which college students engage in binge drinking and drunk driving and die in alcohol-related incidents are all on the rise, according to data being released today in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. Researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reported that drinking-related accidental deaths among 18- to 24-year-old students have been edging up -- from 1,440 in 1998 to 1,825 in 2005. Further, they found that the proportion of students who reported recent binge drinking increased from 42 percent to 45 percent, and that the proportion who admitted to drinking and driving in the past year increased from 26.5 percent to 29 percent.
Student Coalition Forms to Back Open Access
Several student groups have issued a statement to jointly back the open access movement in which scholarly research is shared online and free. Some journals and researchers are moving to this model on their own, and others have been forced to do so by federal requirements. Some in Congress, with backing from publishers, are trying to end those requirements. The student statement argues for open access as the best way to share knowledge. "Scholarly knowledge is part of the common wealth of humanity," says the statement. "Unfortunately, not everyone has access to the scholarly literature, despite advances in communications technology. The high cost of academic journals restricts access to knowledge; in some fields, prices can reach $20,000 for a single journal subscription or $30 for an individual article. Despite these high prices, authors of scholarly articles are not paid for their work. The profits from these publications go solely to the publishers of the journals. A vast amount of research is funded from public sources – yet taxpayers are locked out by the cost of access." The statement was endorsed by the American Medical Student Association, Student PIRGs, Students for Free Culture, Universities Allied for Essential Medicines, the California Institute of Technology Graduate Student Council and the Trinity University Association of Student Representatives.
Fiscal Emergency Declared for Washington State 2-Year Colleges
The Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges on Thursday declared a state of financial emergency, citing cuts in state funding. The move makes it easier for the community colleges in the state to terminate tenure-track or tenured faculty members. A spokeswoman for the state board noted that no college has indicated that it will use that authority at this time. The Washington State branch of the American Federation of Teachers issued a statement denouncing the board's action as one that is not needed. Sandra Schroeder, AFT Washington president, said in the statement: “The financial emergency declaration is an unnecessary blunt object that will allow college presidents an easy way to resolve their bad management decisions on the backs of faculty and will impact the students’ success in achieving their degrees.”
Casteen to Retire From Virginia Presidency
John T. Casteen III announced Friday that he will retire next year from the presidency of the University of Virginia, having then served 20 years in the position -- an unusually long period for presidents of public flagships these days. Under Casteen, Virginia has pushed to diversify its student body and new financial aid programs have specifically led to increased enrollment of low-income students. Casteen -- frequently noting the mixed record of Virginia lawmakers in providing adequate financial support for higher education -- has also been a highly successful fund raiser, and is currently leading a $3 billion campaign.
Nursing Grad Saves a Dean's Life at Commencement
Charity Townsend Caldwell was walking into her commencement ceremonies to graduate from the nursing program at Southwest Tennessee Community College last month when she saw a crowd of people around a man. As The Memphis Commercial Appeal reported, Caldwell used her nursing skills on the spot -- using chest compressions to revive the man, who turned out the college's dean of health sciences. He suffered a heart attack and has since recovered, but officials say that but for Caldwell's intervention, he likely would not have survived.
Breastfed Babies Are More Likely to Reach College, Study Finds
Babies who are breastfed are more likely to enroll in college later, a new study has found. The research -- discussed in an article by Reuters -- was based on 126 children from 59 families -- and compared siblings who were breastfed as infants to siblings who were fed from bottles. The study found that breastfed infants earned better grades in high school and then went on to college at higher rates. By focusing on siblings, the researchers hoped to isolate the role of breastfeeding, assuming that the siblings were raised in similar socioeconomic circumstances. The lead researchers were Joseph Sabia of American University and Daniel Rees of the University of Colorado at Denver and their findings are published in the Journal of Human Capital,
