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26 Oct 2011 14:40

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Politics: Obama backs plan to alleviate crushing student loan debt

  • $24,000 average student debt in 2009 source
  • » Way down in the hole: The above figure represents the average student loan debt for a graduate of a four-year, non-profit university, as measured in 2009 by the Institute for College Access & Success. In an economy that’s stifling the job prospects of even accomplished college graduates, finding yourself in this level of debt can feel a bit like you’ve been scammed. President Obama is today promoting his plan to tweak the Income-Based Repayment Plan for student loans with changes that were meant to take effect in 2014 (Obama wants 2012). The percentage of one’s discretionary monthly income that must be paid would be lowered from 15% to 10%, and all debt would be forgiven after 20 years, as opposed to the program’s current 25.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 May 2011 14:10

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Biz, U.S.: Bubble watch: Is the student loan market about to crash?

  • $24k average amount of debt a graduating college student has
  • $800B amount in outstanding student debt — with 30% of it securitized
  • 40% number of student loans that are in default after 15 years; not good source
  • » This is huge. To put it in perspective: Student loans are the nation’s largest source of debt – even more than credit cards. Tuition has risen faster than inflation, and lenders are quick to help students. That’s because until 2009 the government had a program in place that purchased loans that weren’t paid back. That sounds a lot like the housing market, right? Couple all of that with the fact that college graduates are having harder times finding jobs, and you don’t get a very good picture over the long-term.
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Mar 2011 22:29

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U.S.: Harvard finally recognizes the ROTC again – four decades later

  • then The ROTC was blocked from Harvard’s campus at the height of the Vietnam War. Later, the group was blocked largely because of the military’s record on gay rights.
  • nowLargely because of the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” Harvard will now formally recognize the Naval ROTC. It only took 41 years for the change to happen. source
  • » Harvard’s take: “Our renewed relationship affirms the vital role that the members of our Armed Forces play in serving the nation and securing our freedoms, while also affirming inclusion and opportunity as powerful American ideals,” said university president Dr. Drew Gilpin Faust. She sounds very positive about the change, doesn’t she?
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Nov 2010 14:28

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U.S.: College suspends Iraq vet for frank paper about killing urges

  • lesson An Iraq War vet in college writes an English paper, frankly saying that how war gave him an addiction to killing and violent urges. He had previously only written privately about the war.
  • grade The teacher, who encouraged him to write about the subject, gave him an A and told him that he should get it printed in the school paper. It was printed a couple of weeks ago.
  • reaction Weeks after the paper was written, at the urging of other veterans on campus concerned about what he wrote, he was kicked out of school until he got a psychological evaluation. source
  • » Two conflicting cultural problems: What’s going on here is a bit of culture conflict. First, Charles Whittington takes medication and has received counseling on his issues. While in the paper he said that killing “is something that I do not just want but something I really need so I can feel like myself,” it’s clear that he’s trying to make an effort to move on. Meanwhile, his school, the Community College of Baltimore County in Catonsville, Md., is trying to prevent another Virginia Tech-style shooting. We feel that Whittington’s frankness is a clear signifier that those days are behind him – or at least he’s willing to try. (Thanks to pitusimz for the suggestion)
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Nov 2010 20:17

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Biz: College presidents make bank: Millionaires common among ranks

  • 30 college presidents made over $1 million in pay in calendar year 2008, in the wake of the evil recession
  • $4.8M the highest payout among any president, which went to Touro College’s now-deceased founder Bernard Lander
  • three of the eight Ivy League schools paid their president over $1 million; all eight paid over $650,000 that year  source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Oct 2010 13:05

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Tech: Voting board asks hackers to wreak havoc, hackers comply

  • invitation DC’s Board of Elections asked hackers to give their new online voting system their “best shot,” hoping to discover its weaknesses.
  • acceptance University of Michigan successfully broke into the system and made it play their college fight song after voters filled out their ballots. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Mar 2010 09:14

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World: Five American terror suspects charged in Pakistan

The five suspects, all college-age kids from the D.C. area, could face life in prison for the terror charges on which they were nailed. Sucks to be them. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

04 Mar 2010 20:05

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U.S.: Students protest California’s frustrating university budget cuts

  • My heart and my support are with everybody and anybody who wants to stand up for public education. I salute those who are making themselves heard today in a peaceful manner on behalf of a great cause.
  • University of California President Mark Yudof • Regarding the major protests being staged at his and other universities across California and in 17 other states. The protests are in the wake of massive budget cuts to the state’s educational institutions, which have the effect of lowering the quality of education and raising the cost of tuition. For his part, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says the cuts are terrible, but necessary, due to the state’s $20 billion budget deficit. Rock, meet hard place. In between? An education system. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Dec 2009 10:41

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Offbeat: Beating the odds: Yale offers a set of quadruplets early admission

Kenny, Martina, Ray and Carol Crouch are not only quadruplets – really smart ones at that – but were born over two months premature. Awesome. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Dec 2009 12:24

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Offbeat: Some guy thinks he’s clever, brings his typewriter to a lecture

  • Well, that’s one way to protest against jerks typing on their laptops during class. This kid brought his typewriter. And it was so loud that it annoyed the entire class. The lesson here, laptop jockeys? Type louder. This guy needs to be put in his place.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink
 
 
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