Streetcars getting back on track....Feds will pay for repairs, new buses
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
By Leslie Williams
Staff writer
The candy-apple red streetcars -- trashed by Hurricane Katrina -- likely will begin reappearing on the Canal Street tracks in the summer. And hybrid buses could be added to the Regional Transit Authority's fleet.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Tuesday that it has obligated $43 million to repair the Canal line's 24 water-damaged streetcars as well as replace some of the more than 200 buses ruined by floodwaters, RTA spokeswoman Rosalind Blanco Cook said.
'We're just so excited about having the money,' Cook said. 'Now we can get to work, repairing the streetcars and ordering the buses. We plan to soon start calling back some of the craftspeople we laid off.'
The return of the red streetcars will follow the restoration of a portion of the historic St. Charles Avenue streetcar line, which has been shut down since Katrina's high winds toppled trees, shredding the overhead electrical systems that powered the streetcars.
By Christmas, Cook said, the St. Charles line's Central Business District Loop -- the curling stretch of tracks along Lee Circle, Carondelet Street, Canal Street and St. Charles Avenue -- should be up and running.
FEMA said $21.6 million of the $43 million is for streetcar repair.
The remaining $21.4 million will be spent to buy new buses to replace some of the 205 RTA buses ruined by Katrina, Cook said.
'It's a good start,' but not enough money to replace all of the buses, she said. On average, a new diesel bus sells for about $325,000 and a hybrid bus"
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Monday, October 30, 2006
The Chronicle: Daily 10/30/2006 :Minority Enrollment Grew by More Than 50% From 1993 to 2003
Monday, October 30, 2006
Minority Enrollment Grew by More Than 50% From 1993 to 2003, Report Says
By JANE R. PORTER
Washington
Minority-student enrollment at colleges and universities increased by 51 percent in the decade ending in 2003, an improvement driven by growth in the number of Hispanic and minority-female students, according to a report scheduled for release today by the American Council on Education.
The report, "Minorities in Higher Education: Twenty-Second Annual Status Report," includes data on rates of high-school completion, college enrollment, college graduation, attainment of professional and doctoral degrees, and employment in higher education. It uses data collected by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau.
Over all, the number of minority students on American campuses grew by 50.7 percent during the decade, totaling 4.7 million undergraduate and graduate students by 2003. During the same period, the number of white students increased by 3.4 percent, reaching a total of 10.5 million white students in higher education.
Although the report notes rising enrollment and degree-attainment numbers for minority students, it says the proportion of African-American and Hispanic students enrolled in college was still not as high as that of white students. While 47.3 percent of white high-school graduates ages 18 to 24 attended college, 41.1 percent of African-American graduates and 35.2 percent of Hispanic graduates continued their education, according to data from 2002 to 2004.
Hispanic students accounted for the largest increase in undergraduate enrollment among minority groups, rising nearly 70 percent from 1993 to 2003. By contrast, African-American enrollment increased by 42.7 percent, Asian-American enrollment went up by 43.5 percent, and the number of American Indian students rose by 38.7 percent.
The increase in the number of Hispanic students in higher education can be credited mainly to overall population growth among Hispanics; the proportion of Hispanic high-school graduates ages 18 to 24 attending college increased only slightly from 1993 to 2003.
Hispanic students had the greatest increase in the rate of high-school completion over the 10-year period, with growth of 7.8 percent. White and African-American students' graduation rates went up by 2 percent and 2.2 percent, respectively.
According to the report, Hispanic students made up 41 percent of the decade's new minority students, compared with 37 percent who were African-American. The enrollment of students whose race and ethnicity were unknown increased by 114 percent, accounting for more than one million students.
The report attributed two-thirds of minority enrollment growth to women, with improvements in male enrollment trailing behind for all minority groups. Women earned 61 percent of new associate degrees, 58 percent of new bachelor's degrees, and 59 percent of new master's degrees.
At the doctoral level, the greatest increase in the number of degrees earned by minority students occurred in the health professions, up by 223.6 percent; in the physical sciences, up by 95.3 percent; and in education and the biological and life sciences, each up by more than 80 percent.
Minority faculty numbers increased by 50 percent from 1993 to 2003, rising from 65,000 to more than 97,000. That increase was led by Asian-American and Hispanic faculty members, with the number from each group rising by more than 60 percent in the 10-year period.
Copyright © 2006 by The Chronicle of Higher EducationSubscribe About The Chronicle Contact us Terms of use Privacy policy Help
Minority Enrollment Grew by More Than 50% From 1993 to 2003, Report Says
By JANE R. PORTER
Washington
Minority-student enrollment at colleges and universities increased by 51 percent in the decade ending in 2003, an improvement driven by growth in the number of Hispanic and minority-female students, according to a report scheduled for release today by the American Council on Education.
The report, "Minorities in Higher Education: Twenty-Second Annual Status Report," includes data on rates of high-school completion, college enrollment, college graduation, attainment of professional and doctoral degrees, and employment in higher education. It uses data collected by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau.
Over all, the number of minority students on American campuses grew by 50.7 percent during the decade, totaling 4.7 million undergraduate and graduate students by 2003. During the same period, the number of white students increased by 3.4 percent, reaching a total of 10.5 million white students in higher education.
Although the report notes rising enrollment and degree-attainment numbers for minority students, it says the proportion of African-American and Hispanic students enrolled in college was still not as high as that of white students. While 47.3 percent of white high-school graduates ages 18 to 24 attended college, 41.1 percent of African-American graduates and 35.2 percent of Hispanic graduates continued their education, according to data from 2002 to 2004.
Hispanic students accounted for the largest increase in undergraduate enrollment among minority groups, rising nearly 70 percent from 1993 to 2003. By contrast, African-American enrollment increased by 42.7 percent, Asian-American enrollment went up by 43.5 percent, and the number of American Indian students rose by 38.7 percent.
The increase in the number of Hispanic students in higher education can be credited mainly to overall population growth among Hispanics; the proportion of Hispanic high-school graduates ages 18 to 24 attending college increased only slightly from 1993 to 2003.
Hispanic students had the greatest increase in the rate of high-school completion over the 10-year period, with growth of 7.8 percent. White and African-American students' graduation rates went up by 2 percent and 2.2 percent, respectively.
According to the report, Hispanic students made up 41 percent of the decade's new minority students, compared with 37 percent who were African-American. The enrollment of students whose race and ethnicity were unknown increased by 114 percent, accounting for more than one million students.
The report attributed two-thirds of minority enrollment growth to women, with improvements in male enrollment trailing behind for all minority groups. Women earned 61 percent of new associate degrees, 58 percent of new bachelor's degrees, and 59 percent of new master's degrees.
At the doctoral level, the greatest increase in the number of degrees earned by minority students occurred in the health professions, up by 223.6 percent; in the physical sciences, up by 95.3 percent; and in education and the biological and life sciences, each up by more than 80 percent.
Minority faculty numbers increased by 50 percent from 1993 to 2003, rising from 65,000 to more than 97,000. That increase was led by Asian-American and Hispanic faculty members, with the number from each group rising by more than 60 percent in the 10-year period.
Copyright © 2006 by The Chronicle of Higher EducationSubscribe About The Chronicle Contact us Terms of use Privacy policy Help
Friday, September 29, 2006
State Flagship Universities Do Poorly in Enrolling and Graduating Black Men, Report Says
By JANE R. PORTER
Black men are underrepresented at institutions of higher learning over all, and even more so at flagship universities in the 50 states, says a report released on Wednesday by a national research center.
The report, "Black Male Students at Public Flagship Universities in the U.S.: Status, Trends, and Implications for Policy and Practice," was written for the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies' Dellums Commission.
Led by former U.S. Rep. Ronald V. Dellums, Democrat of California, the commission focuses on public policies affecting the health of young African-American men.
The paper analyzed data from the U.S. Department of Education's Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System and other sources to review the status of black men in higher education, with an emphasis on public flagship universities in each of the 50 states.
In 2000 black men represented 7.9 percent of the 18- to 24-year-olds in the U.S. population, but in 2004, they constituted just 2.8 percent of undergraduate enrollments across the 50 flagship universities.
Thirty of the universities enrolled fewer than 500 black male undergraduates that year. And at 21 of the institutions, more than one of every five black men on campus was an athlete, the report says.
The findings "confirm that higher education is a public good that benefits far too few black men in America," writes the report's author, Shaun R. Harper, an assistant professor and research associate at Pennsylvania State University's Center for the Study of Higher Education.
"Given all of the institutional rhetoric regarding access to equity, multiculturalism, and social justice," Mr. Harper said in an interview on Thursday, "I just see next to no evidence of those espoused values being enacted on behalf of black male undergraduates."
Statistics cited in the report include the following:
In 2002 the proportion of all students enrolled in colleges and universities who were African-American men was the same -- 4.3 percent -- as it was in 1976.
Gender gaps in enrollment numbers within racial groups are widest among African-American students, with women outnumbering men by 27.2 percentage points.
Over a 26-year period beginning in 1977, the proportion of degree recipients who were African-American men increased by an average of 0.2 percentage points. The greatest improvement was seen on the associate-degree level.
Of those who received associate degrees in 1977, 3.8 percent were African-American men. By 2003 the proportion had grown to 4 percent.
But the proportion of doctoral-degree recipients who were African-American men fell from 2.3 percent to 2 percent over that same time period.
More than two-thirds of African-American male students who enroll in college do not graduate within six years, the lowest college completion rate across all racial groups and for both sexes.
In 2004, 30.5 percent of all male athletes in Division I college sports were African-American.
They made up 54.6 percent of football teams and 60.8 percent of basketball teams, while only 10.4 percent of all male undergraduates were black.
In a section of the report focused on implications for policy and practice, Mr. Harper recommends using affirmative action in admissions to help increase the number of African-American men at public flagship universities.
He also advocates an increase in institutional, state, and federal financial support for college-readiness programs geared toward black male students.
Legislators should also hold universities accountable for their progress in enrolling black males, he wrote in the report.
Mr. Harper also says in the report that university admissions officials should more aggressively recruit black male students for reasons other than sports -- a goal that could be achieved, he suggests, by creating a policy that links the number of black male athletes in a particular ratio with the number of African-American male students at the institution over all.
The report urges that the National Collegiate Athletic Association share in the responsibility for racial disparities in graduation rates by, for instance, financing support programs for black male athletes and barring institutions with low graduation rates for any racial group from competing in NCAA championship tournaments.
Placing an emphasis on increasing the number of black male faculty at these flagship institutions would also help raise the number of graduating black male students, Mr. Harper suggests in the report. "That's another area of tremendous institutional negligence," he said.
Universities should furthermore set a goal for the percentage of black male students expected to graduate each year, he suggests. Institutions that fail to meet these goals should be held accountable for "creating, implementing, and documenting improvement plans," according to the report.
Black men are underrepresented at institutions of higher learning over all, and even more so at flagship universities in the 50 states, says a report released on Wednesday by a national research center.
The report, "Black Male Students at Public Flagship Universities in the U.S.: Status, Trends, and Implications for Policy and Practice," was written for the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies' Dellums Commission.
Led by former U.S. Rep. Ronald V. Dellums, Democrat of California, the commission focuses on public policies affecting the health of young African-American men.
The paper analyzed data from the U.S. Department of Education's Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System and other sources to review the status of black men in higher education, with an emphasis on public flagship universities in each of the 50 states.
In 2000 black men represented 7.9 percent of the 18- to 24-year-olds in the U.S. population, but in 2004, they constituted just 2.8 percent of undergraduate enrollments across the 50 flagship universities.
Thirty of the universities enrolled fewer than 500 black male undergraduates that year. And at 21 of the institutions, more than one of every five black men on campus was an athlete, the report says.
The findings "confirm that higher education is a public good that benefits far too few black men in America," writes the report's author, Shaun R. Harper, an assistant professor and research associate at Pennsylvania State University's Center for the Study of Higher Education.
"Given all of the institutional rhetoric regarding access to equity, multiculturalism, and social justice," Mr. Harper said in an interview on Thursday, "I just see next to no evidence of those espoused values being enacted on behalf of black male undergraduates."
Statistics cited in the report include the following:
In 2002 the proportion of all students enrolled in colleges and universities who were African-American men was the same -- 4.3 percent -- as it was in 1976.
Gender gaps in enrollment numbers within racial groups are widest among African-American students, with women outnumbering men by 27.2 percentage points.
Over a 26-year period beginning in 1977, the proportion of degree recipients who were African-American men increased by an average of 0.2 percentage points. The greatest improvement was seen on the associate-degree level.
Of those who received associate degrees in 1977, 3.8 percent were African-American men. By 2003 the proportion had grown to 4 percent.
But the proportion of doctoral-degree recipients who were African-American men fell from 2.3 percent to 2 percent over that same time period.
More than two-thirds of African-American male students who enroll in college do not graduate within six years, the lowest college completion rate across all racial groups and for both sexes.
In 2004, 30.5 percent of all male athletes in Division I college sports were African-American.
They made up 54.6 percent of football teams and 60.8 percent of basketball teams, while only 10.4 percent of all male undergraduates were black.
In a section of the report focused on implications for policy and practice, Mr. Harper recommends using affirmative action in admissions to help increase the number of African-American men at public flagship universities.
He also advocates an increase in institutional, state, and federal financial support for college-readiness programs geared toward black male students.
Legislators should also hold universities accountable for their progress in enrolling black males, he wrote in the report.
Mr. Harper also says in the report that university admissions officials should more aggressively recruit black male students for reasons other than sports -- a goal that could be achieved, he suggests, by creating a policy that links the number of black male athletes in a particular ratio with the number of African-American male students at the institution over all.
The report urges that the National Collegiate Athletic Association share in the responsibility for racial disparities in graduation rates by, for instance, financing support programs for black male athletes and barring institutions with low graduation rates for any racial group from competing in NCAA championship tournaments.
Placing an emphasis on increasing the number of black male faculty at these flagship institutions would also help raise the number of graduating black male students, Mr. Harper suggests in the report. "That's another area of tremendous institutional negligence," he said.
Universities should furthermore set a goal for the percentage of black male students expected to graduate each year, he suggests. Institutions that fail to meet these goals should be held accountable for "creating, implementing, and documenting improvement plans," according to the report.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
U. of Phoenix Buys Naming Rights to a Pro-Football Stadium
By GOLDIE BLUMENSTYK
Following in the path of Gillette, FedEx, and Reliant, the University of Phoenix has bought the naming rights to a National Football League stadium, it announced on Tuesday.
Phoenix's $154-million, 20-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals makes it the first university to strike a stadium deal in which the university is paying out the millions rather than receiving them.
The deal is the second-most-lucrative in the NFL, after the Houston Texans' 30-year, $300-million deal with Reliant Energy. Still, even with Phoenix making average annual payments of $7.7-million a year, the expense will amount to only about 3 percent of the $250-million the university's parent company spends annually for advertising and promotion. It spends about the same on recruiting students. Its overall revenues exceed $2-billion.
Following in the path of Gillette, FedEx, and Reliant, the University of Phoenix has bought the naming rights to a National Football League stadium, it announced on Tuesday.
Phoenix's $154-million, 20-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals makes it the first university to strike a stadium deal in which the university is paying out the millions rather than receiving them.
The deal is the second-most-lucrative in the NFL, after the Houston Texans' 30-year, $300-million deal with Reliant Energy. Still, even with Phoenix making average annual payments of $7.7-million a year, the expense will amount to only about 3 percent of the $250-million the university's parent company spends annually for advertising and promotion. It spends about the same on recruiting students. Its overall revenues exceed $2-billion.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Reggie Bush donates turf
Built in the 1930s...Tad Gormely Stadium is an icon for high school football...and is often referred to simply as "Tad" or "the Cathedral" by local New Orleanians....
Saints Running Back...Reggie Bush...donated funds to replace the turf destroyed by the floodwaters a year ago...
Thank You...Reggie !!
cgw
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
YALE ONLINE
Yale U. Plans to Offer Some Course Materials, Including Lecture Videos, Free Online
By JEFFREY R. YOUNG
Cameras are rolling in Yale University classrooms this fall, as part of a project to make video recordings of several courses available free for anyone to view online.
Yale is the latest institution to pledge to create 'open courseware,' in which detailed material from courses is placed online in the hopes that it will be used by educators and students elsewhere. Open courseware was pioneered by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which in 2001 announced plans to put material for nearly all of its courses online.
Yale plans to start out slowly, publishing materials from seven courses by the fall of 2007. After that, the project might expand if it is deemed a success. The effort is supported by a $755,000 grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
Ramamurti Shankar, a professor of physics who is teaching one of the courses, said knowing that his lecture might be watched online by a wide audience keeps him on his toes. 'I have to be a little more careful than I usually am,' he said.
Even so, he was 'caught on candid camera' last week when he made a mistake writing an equation on the board, and a student had to correct him. He said he hoped that if 'some kid is watching this in another part of the world where you're not supposed to question your professors,' the student would see the value of questioning authority.
In an announcement on Tuesday, Yale officials said that the university would be the first to offer complete"
By JEFFREY R. YOUNG
Cameras are rolling in Yale University classrooms this fall, as part of a project to make video recordings of several courses available free for anyone to view online.
Yale is the latest institution to pledge to create 'open courseware,' in which detailed material from courses is placed online in the hopes that it will be used by educators and students elsewhere. Open courseware was pioneered by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which in 2001 announced plans to put material for nearly all of its courses online.
Yale plans to start out slowly, publishing materials from seven courses by the fall of 2007. After that, the project might expand if it is deemed a success. The effort is supported by a $755,000 grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
Ramamurti Shankar, a professor of physics who is teaching one of the courses, said knowing that his lecture might be watched online by a wide audience keeps him on his toes. 'I have to be a little more careful than I usually am,' he said.
Even so, he was 'caught on candid camera' last week when he made a mistake writing an equation on the board, and a student had to correct him. He said he hoped that if 'some kid is watching this in another part of the world where you're not supposed to question your professors,' the student would see the value of questioning authority.
In an announcement on Tuesday, Yale officials said that the university would be the first to offer complete"
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Tuesday, September 28, 2006
Progress Report
As we see the Saints come marching in on Monday Night Football next week, one wonders what will be the reaction of the media onslaught which grows by the day....al Jazeria TV has signed up to cover the game...giving the terrorists a full view of a target for their next suicide mission...just great...like anyone in Asia or the Middle East cares about football in New Orleans...knowing that the Dome will be sold out and full of "targets."
But enough of the grim, dark side of things...onto brighter stuff...like the beautiful weather we will enjoy for the next couple of days...and the weather patterns which will make another week of hurricane season bearable...it is like the Great Spirit which controls things decided to give us this year off to recover.
I pray for those folks still in exile...who are not part of the problems in other cities...particularly Houston...where ambitious drug dealers have moved up to the next level of killing and selling...but demand drives supply...as we all well know.
So let's chant aloud for a week...while await the Falcons of Atlanta!
As we see the Saints come marching in on Monday Night Football next week, one wonders what will be the reaction of the media onslaught which grows by the day....al Jazeria TV has signed up to cover the game...giving the terrorists a full view of a target for their next suicide mission...just great...like anyone in Asia or the Middle East cares about football in New Orleans...knowing that the Dome will be sold out and full of "targets."
But enough of the grim, dark side of things...onto brighter stuff...like the beautiful weather we will enjoy for the next couple of days...and the weather patterns which will make another week of hurricane season bearable...it is like the Great Spirit which controls things decided to give us this year off to recover.
I pray for those folks still in exile...who are not part of the problems in other cities...particularly Houston...where ambitious drug dealers have moved up to the next level of killing and selling...but demand drives supply...as we all well know.
So let's chant aloud for a week...while await the Falcons of Atlanta!
Monday, September 18, 2006
The Chronicle: Daily news: 09/18/2006 -- 04
Monday, September 18, 2006
Colleges Hit by Hurricanes in 2005 to Receive $50-Million in New Federal Grants
By KELLY FIELD
Forty-two colleges that were forced to close, relocate, or scale back operations as a result of last year's hurricanes will receive grants of up to $7.5-million each, the colleges learned on Friday.
The bulk of the total of $50-million in grants will go to institutions in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi that were hit during Hurricane Katrina, though some of the money will go to colleges in Florida, Louisiana, and Texas that were damaged in other Gulf Coast cyclones, including Hurricane Rita.
Some lobbyists had hoped that the money would be restricted to institutions damaged by Hurricane Katrina, but Congress decided to open the competition to other colleges as well. The largest grants, however, went to institutions that were devastated by Katrina, including Dillard University, Tulane University, and the University of Southern Mississippi, each of which will receive the maximum grant of $7.5-million. Xavier University of Louisiana will get $5.3-million.
Cynthia A. Littlefield, director of federal relations for the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, said that while she was "disappointed" that Congress did not limit the grants to Katrina-affected institutions, the Department of Education "did a pretty good job of figuring out who had the most extensive damage."
Over the last year, colleges have received more than $250-million in federal aid to help cover the costs of hurricane reconstruction and repair. The latest infusion came in an emergency supplemental spending bill signed by President Bush last June. Forty-eight institutions applied for the money, but six were rejected because they were not recognized under federal law or because they had failed to provide all the required information.
The Department of Education notified the remaining colleges of their tentative award amounts Friday; the colleges must submit formal applications detailing how they will spend the grants before the money is disbursed.
Colleges Hit by Hurricanes in 2005 to Receive $50-Million in New Federal Grants
By KELLY FIELD
Forty-two colleges that were forced to close, relocate, or scale back operations as a result of last year's hurricanes will receive grants of up to $7.5-million each, the colleges learned on Friday.
The bulk of the total of $50-million in grants will go to institutions in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi that were hit during Hurricane Katrina, though some of the money will go to colleges in Florida, Louisiana, and Texas that were damaged in other Gulf Coast cyclones, including Hurricane Rita.
Some lobbyists had hoped that the money would be restricted to institutions damaged by Hurricane Katrina, but Congress decided to open the competition to other colleges as well. The largest grants, however, went to institutions that were devastated by Katrina, including Dillard University, Tulane University, and the University of Southern Mississippi, each of which will receive the maximum grant of $7.5-million. Xavier University of Louisiana will get $5.3-million.
Cynthia A. Littlefield, director of federal relations for the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, said that while she was "disappointed" that Congress did not limit the grants to Katrina-affected institutions, the Department of Education "did a pretty good job of figuring out who had the most extensive damage."
Over the last year, colleges have received more than $250-million in federal aid to help cover the costs of hurricane reconstruction and repair. The latest infusion came in an emergency supplemental spending bill signed by President Bush last June. Forty-eight institutions applied for the money, but six were rejected because they were not recognized under federal law or because they had failed to provide all the required information.
The Department of Education notified the remaining colleges of their tentative award amounts Friday; the colleges must submit formal applications detailing how they will spend the grants before the money is disbursed.
Friday, September 15, 2006
The Chronicle: Daily News Blog
The Chronicle: Daily News Blog: "Stanford U. Cracks Down on Delinquent Band
Stanford University has put its marching band on “indefinite provisional status” and placed it under the direct supervision of an associate dean, in response to band members’ role in trashing a practice center over the summer. According to a statement released by the university, band members did as much as $50,000 worth of damage to the Band Shak, a temporary structure used while a permanent practice facility was built.
The band, which has a tradition of shunning marching formations and preferring off-beat presentations, made an unparalleled performance in July at the Band Shak. As the university statement put it, “The vandalism included using a sledgehammer to create extensive damage to the walls. Windows were broken, equipment was destroyed, much of the ceiling was torn down, and the walls were spray-painted and covered with food.” Not what you’d expect in a half-time show.
A criminal inquiry is in progress, and the university cited the band’s “history of misconduct” in imposing the penalties. Among other things, the band will be barred from performing for at least a month, and will be forbidden to travel for a year.Stanford U. Cracks Down on Delinquent Band
Stanford University has put its marching band on “indefinite provisional status” and placed it under the direct supervision of an associate dean, in response to band members’ role in trashing a practice center over the summer. According to a statement released by the university, band members did as much as $50,000 worth of damage to the Band Shak, a temporary structure used while a permanent practice facility was built.
The band, which has a tradition of shunning marching formations and preferring off-beat presentations, made an unpara"
Stanford University has put its marching band on “indefinite provisional status” and placed it under the direct supervision of an associate dean, in response to band members’ role in trashing a practice center over the summer. According to a statement released by the university, band members did as much as $50,000 worth of damage to the Band Shak, a temporary structure used while a permanent practice facility was built.
The band, which has a tradition of shunning marching formations and preferring off-beat presentations, made an unparalleled performance in July at the Band Shak. As the university statement put it, “The vandalism included using a sledgehammer to create extensive damage to the walls. Windows were broken, equipment was destroyed, much of the ceiling was torn down, and the walls were spray-painted and covered with food.” Not what you’d expect in a half-time show.
A criminal inquiry is in progress, and the university cited the band’s “history of misconduct” in imposing the penalties. Among other things, the band will be barred from performing for at least a month, and will be forbidden to travel for a year.Stanford U. Cracks Down on Delinquent Band
Stanford University has put its marching band on “indefinite provisional status” and placed it under the direct supervision of an associate dean, in response to band members’ role in trashing a practice center over the summer. According to a statement released by the university, band members did as much as $50,000 worth of damage to the Band Shak, a temporary structure used while a permanent practice facility was built.
The band, which has a tradition of shunning marching formations and preferring off-beat presentations, made an unpara"
The Chronicle: Daily News Blog
The Chronicle: Daily News Blog: "Stanford U. Cracks Down on Delinquent Band
Stanford University has put its marching band on “indefinite provisional status” and placed it under the direct supervision of an associate dean, in response to band members’ role in trashing a practice center over the summer. According to a statement released by the university, band members did as much as $50,000 worth of damage to the Band Shak, a temporary structure used while a permanent practice facility was built.
The band, which has a tradition of shunning marching formations and preferring off-beat presentations, made an unparalleled performance in July at the Band Shak. As the university statement put it, “The vandalism included using a sledgehammer to create extensive damage to the walls. Windows were broken, equipment was destroyed, much of the ceiling was torn down, and the walls were spray-painted and covered with food.” Not what you’d expect in a half-time show.
A criminal inquiry is in progress, and the university cited the band’s “history of misconduct” in imposing the penalties. Among other things, the band will be barred from performing for at least a month, and will be forbidden to travel for a year.Stanford U. Cracks Down on Delinquent Band
Stanford University has put its marching band on “indefinite provisional status” and placed it under the direct supervision of an associate dean, in response to band members’ role in trashing a practice center over the summer. According to a statement released by the university, band members did as much as $50,000 worth of damage to the Band Shak, a temporary structure used while a permanent practice facility was built.
The band, which has a tradition of shunning marching formations and preferring off-beat presentations, made an unpara"
Stanford University has put its marching band on “indefinite provisional status” and placed it under the direct supervision of an associate dean, in response to band members’ role in trashing a practice center over the summer. According to a statement released by the university, band members did as much as $50,000 worth of damage to the Band Shak, a temporary structure used while a permanent practice facility was built.
The band, which has a tradition of shunning marching formations and preferring off-beat presentations, made an unparalleled performance in July at the Band Shak. As the university statement put it, “The vandalism included using a sledgehammer to create extensive damage to the walls. Windows were broken, equipment was destroyed, much of the ceiling was torn down, and the walls were spray-painted and covered with food.” Not what you’d expect in a half-time show.
A criminal inquiry is in progress, and the university cited the band’s “history of misconduct” in imposing the penalties. Among other things, the band will be barred from performing for at least a month, and will be forbidden to travel for a year.Stanford U. Cracks Down on Delinquent Band
Stanford University has put its marching band on “indefinite provisional status” and placed it under the direct supervision of an associate dean, in response to band members’ role in trashing a practice center over the summer. According to a statement released by the university, band members did as much as $50,000 worth of damage to the Band Shak, a temporary structure used while a permanent practice facility was built.
The band, which has a tradition of shunning marching formations and preferring off-beat presentations, made an unpara"
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
ACT Score Trends
http://chronicle.com/daily/2006/08/2006081601n.htm
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Average ACT Scores Rise, But Many Students Still Lack Preparation for College
By ELIZABETH F. FARRELL
The average score of high-school seniors who took the ACT exam in 2005-6 rose two-tenths of a point, to 21.1, the biggest one-year increase in scores over the past two decades, ACT officials said Tuesday.
But even though scores have reached their highest level since 1991, and a record number of members of the Class of 2006 took the test, ACT officials said many students were still not adequately prepared for college-level course work. The results were released Tuesday in the test service's annual "ACT High School Profile" report.
Scores for both men and women rose one-tenth of a point, with the average score for men at 21.2, slightly higher than the average of 21 for women. All racial and ethnic groups except Hispanics also raised their average scores.
Asian-American students scored 22.3, up .2; white students scored 22, up .1; and scores for African-American and Native American students both rose .1, to 17.1 and 18.8 respectively. Average scores for Hispanic students remained unchanged at 18.6.
The ACT exam consists of four sections: English, mathematics, reading, and science, and each section is scored on a scale of 1 to 36. Those four scores are averaged for the total score. Beginning in February 2005, the test added an optional 30-minute writing section, graded on a scale of 2 to 12. Only 36 percent of students took this portion of the test, and the average score was 7.7.
Students with scores above a certain level on each section are considered likely to earn at least a C in related college course work. Only 21 percent of test takers in the Class of 2006 reached the recommended threshold in every section, the same proportion as last year.
Over all, students did best on the English test, with 69 percent reaching the minimum threshold score of 18. While 53 percent of students met a similar benchmark on the reading test, only 42 percent scored high enough to reach the threshold on the math portion. The science test had the lowest rate of students reaching the threshold, with 27 percent of students meeting the minimum score of 24.
"This doesn't mean those students won't succeed in college," said Richard L. Ferguson, ACT's chief executive, in a news conference. "But it does mean there's a higher likelihood that they'll struggle or need help along the way."
Mr. Ferguson also said high schools needed to encourage more students to take challenging courses. The ACT endorses a curriculum that includes four years of English and three years each of math, science, and social studies.
But the ACT's own data suggest that following such a curriculum does not help all students equally. According to the 2006 data, white students who took fewer courses than recommended by the ACT scored an average of 20.6, while African-American students who took a more challenging curriculum had a 17.8 average score. Hispanic and Native American students with the recommend classes also scored lower than the white students, at 19.5 and 20.2, respectively.
"One part of the problem does lie in the rigor of the courses at our schools," said Mr. Ferguson. "Many of the courses students are taking are not up to the standards they need to learn the skills they need. ... We have an enormous task in shoring up our school systems."
Other data released by ACT suggest that the test is becoming more popular as an alternative to the SAT. In the past, the ACT was primarily taken by students in the Midwest, but this year the number of test takers rose by double-digit percentages in several states outside that region, including New Jersey (33 percent), Connecticut (26 percent), and Vermont (16 percent). In Florida the percentage rose by 14 percent, and 45 percent of all graduating seniors in that state took the ACT.
According to Ed Colby, a spokesman for ACT, the number of students taking the test in those states -- as well as in California, Ohio, and Georgia -- has been steadily increasing over the past 10 years as his company has more heavily promoted the use of the test in new markets.
Other factors may also be driving the surge in ACT test takers, however. Recent changes in the SAT, including a mandatory essay section and fill-in-the-blanks math questions, could also add to the appeal of the ACT, which has only multiple-choice questions and does not require students to write an essay.
"Part of it might be that the SAT has a pretty extended fight on its hands in terms of public perception," said David Hawkins, director of public policy for the National Association for College Admission Counseling. "There are other trends as well, though, including that more students are taking these tests in general and more colleges now accept the ACT as well as the SAT."
Copyright © 2006 by The Chronicle of Higher Education
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Average ACT Scores Rise, But Many Students Still Lack Preparation for College
By ELIZABETH F. FARRELL
The average score of high-school seniors who took the ACT exam in 2005-6 rose two-tenths of a point, to 21.1, the biggest one-year increase in scores over the past two decades, ACT officials said Tuesday.
But even though scores have reached their highest level since 1991, and a record number of members of the Class of 2006 took the test, ACT officials said many students were still not adequately prepared for college-level course work. The results were released Tuesday in the test service's annual "ACT High School Profile" report.
Scores for both men and women rose one-tenth of a point, with the average score for men at 21.2, slightly higher than the average of 21 for women. All racial and ethnic groups except Hispanics also raised their average scores.
Asian-American students scored 22.3, up .2; white students scored 22, up .1; and scores for African-American and Native American students both rose .1, to 17.1 and 18.8 respectively. Average scores for Hispanic students remained unchanged at 18.6.
The ACT exam consists of four sections: English, mathematics, reading, and science, and each section is scored on a scale of 1 to 36. Those four scores are averaged for the total score. Beginning in February 2005, the test added an optional 30-minute writing section, graded on a scale of 2 to 12. Only 36 percent of students took this portion of the test, and the average score was 7.7.
Students with scores above a certain level on each section are considered likely to earn at least a C in related college course work. Only 21 percent of test takers in the Class of 2006 reached the recommended threshold in every section, the same proportion as last year.
Over all, students did best on the English test, with 69 percent reaching the minimum threshold score of 18. While 53 percent of students met a similar benchmark on the reading test, only 42 percent scored high enough to reach the threshold on the math portion. The science test had the lowest rate of students reaching the threshold, with 27 percent of students meeting the minimum score of 24.
"This doesn't mean those students won't succeed in college," said Richard L. Ferguson, ACT's chief executive, in a news conference. "But it does mean there's a higher likelihood that they'll struggle or need help along the way."
Mr. Ferguson also said high schools needed to encourage more students to take challenging courses. The ACT endorses a curriculum that includes four years of English and three years each of math, science, and social studies.
But the ACT's own data suggest that following such a curriculum does not help all students equally. According to the 2006 data, white students who took fewer courses than recommended by the ACT scored an average of 20.6, while African-American students who took a more challenging curriculum had a 17.8 average score. Hispanic and Native American students with the recommend classes also scored lower than the white students, at 19.5 and 20.2, respectively.
"One part of the problem does lie in the rigor of the courses at our schools," said Mr. Ferguson. "Many of the courses students are taking are not up to the standards they need to learn the skills they need. ... We have an enormous task in shoring up our school systems."
Other data released by ACT suggest that the test is becoming more popular as an alternative to the SAT. In the past, the ACT was primarily taken by students in the Midwest, but this year the number of test takers rose by double-digit percentages in several states outside that region, including New Jersey (33 percent), Connecticut (26 percent), and Vermont (16 percent). In Florida the percentage rose by 14 percent, and 45 percent of all graduating seniors in that state took the ACT.
According to Ed Colby, a spokesman for ACT, the number of students taking the test in those states -- as well as in California, Ohio, and Georgia -- has been steadily increasing over the past 10 years as his company has more heavily promoted the use of the test in new markets.
Other factors may also be driving the surge in ACT test takers, however. Recent changes in the SAT, including a mandatory essay section and fill-in-the-blanks math questions, could also add to the appeal of the ACT, which has only multiple-choice questions and does not require students to write an essay.
"Part of it might be that the SAT has a pretty extended fight on its hands in terms of public perception," said David Hawkins, director of public policy for the National Association for College Admission Counseling. "There are other trends as well, though, including that more students are taking these tests in general and more colleges now accept the ACT as well as the SAT."
Copyright © 2006 by The Chronicle of Higher Education
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Back to School
Today is the first day for official registration at Southern U at New Orleans !!
Now let's see who comes back...how many...not as many as first thought...for things are moving slowly...and the Gulf is always on our minds these days...Contra-Flow...is just a Govenor's call away...let's hope we can get our folks back in school.
/wag
Now let's see who comes back...how many...not as many as first thought...for things are moving slowly...and the Gulf is always on our minds these days...Contra-Flow...is just a Govenor's call away...let's hope we can get our folks back in school.
/wag
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