WebProNews

Tag: college students

  • Judge Judy-Survey Reveals ‘Alarmingly Ignorant’ Responses From College Students

    Judge Judy – also known as Judy Sheindlin – the irrepressible legal TV icon, has become so popular among college graduates that they actually think she is a Supreme Court justice.

    Almost 10 percent of 1,000 college graduates surveyed believe that Sheindlin holds a position in the highest federal court of the United States.

    However, Judge Judy is actually an American attorney who plays the role of a judge in a court show that features small lawsuits being tried in a courtroom.

    The survey was conducted by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni back in 2015 but was released in January. They included in a statement that their survey revealed a “crisis in American civic education.”

    In addition, the group also pointed out that recent graduates are “alarmingly ignorant” of some very important information such as America’s heritage and history.

    Aside from facts about the identity of Judge Judy, the respondents were also asked some details about American politics and the Constitution.

    The survey said that about 28 percent of respondents were correct when they chose James Madison as the father of the Constitution, while 59 percent picked Thomas Jefferson, when in fact he was the one who penned the Declaration of Independence.

    The results of the survey also revealed that 60 percent of the graduates did not know any requirements in order to ratify an amendment in the Constitution. Meanwhile, 40 percent of the respondents also did not know that aside from the President, Congress can declare war as well.

    The report also explains why student groups are claiming that the government can ban freedom of speech if the message being conveyed is offensive to minority groups.

    The ACTA also proposed a possible solution to the problem.

    “Instead of demanding content-based coursework, our institutions have, in too many places, supplanted the rigorous study of history and government — the building blocks of civic engagement — with community-service activities,” they said in a statement.

  • ‘Blarney Blowout’ Party: 73 Arrested at UMass Amherst

    A massive college party over the weekend near the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus ended with several injured police officers and jail time for some students.

    The ‘Blarney Blowout,’ which is a pre-St. Patrick’s Day celebration held the Saturday before Spring Break, “gets worst every year”, according to one of Amherst’s police chiefs.

    “This can’t be in any way, shape or form be characterized as a party,” Amherst Capt. Christopher Pronovost said. “This is destruction of property (and) assaultive behavior.”

    The chaos started around 10 a.m. Saturday morning. But by 11 a.m., the crowd consisted of 4,000 drunk college students carrying out violent behavior.

    There were reportedly numerous vehicles damaged, including those that belonged to police officers.

    Twenty Amherst police officers along with state and campus law enforcement responded to the revelry.

    At one scene in particular, officers were attacked with glass bottles and snow balls at the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity House. It eventually resulted in pepper spraying the uncontrollable crowd.

    The local fire department reported that several partygoers were treated on scene for injuries to the head and limbs while a few were taken to the local hospital.

    Four police officers were also treated for minor injuries that didn’t require hospitalization.

    “The size and scope of these gatherings has led to many safety and quality of life issues, including violence and fights, injuries, severe alcohol intoxication, sexual assaults, excessive noise, property damage, and violence towards the police and community members,” the police department stated on its blog.

    UMass Amherst issued a statement beforehand warning students of the disciplinary action that would be taken if the celebration spiraled out of control.

    According to the Los Angeles Times, the letters were sent “…to students who had been disciplined for alcohol-related misconduct in the past year and to students who live in off-campus housing cited for noise or nuisance complaints reminding them of the possible consequences of bad behavior.”

    Obviously, they didn’t heed the warning. (image)

    Around 7:30 p.m., 43 people were arrested in connection to the mayhem. By Sunday, 73 were arrested on charges related to alcohol violations and assault.

    Additional charges range from 18 counts of inciting a riot, three counts of possessing a dangerous weapon, and one count of breaking and entering.

    Spokesman Ed Blaguszewski confirmed in a statement that the student dean would assess all arrests, and suspension or removal from the school would be enforced accordingly.

    Image via YouTube

  • Harvard University Reopens Evacuated Buildings Following Bomb Threat

    Early Monday morning around 8:40 a.m., Harvard University evacuated three to four buildings after an email was sent to the police department that “explosives may have been hidden in the three academic buildings — the Harvard Science Center, Sever Hall and Emerson Hall — and a freshman dormitory, Thayer Hall.”

    The school reopened the doors earlier in the afternoon after what law enforcement has confirmed to be a hoax.

    The threat came at a time when students were taking end of the semester final exams, which resulted in cancelation or rescheduling.

    Some assume that a student who needed more time to study may have sent in the threat.

    Harvard sent out alert emails, text messages and voicemails around 9 a.m. ordering students to evacuate certain locations on the campus. Pedestrians near the Harvard Yard were turned away whereas those with campus identification were allowed to enter.

     

    In a message to the Ivy League community, Katie Lapp, a university executive vice president, assured students and staff that it was okay to return to the campus’ premises.

    “I am relieved to report that no suspicious devices were found,” she said. “At this time, we know of no specific threat to campus and activities are returning to normal.”

     

    Harvard students were advised to continue with their examinations and class work according to the directions given by their professors.

    Harvard’s locked down and evacuation is among some of the many campus scares that have occurred within the past year.

    According to a report by NBC News, “Last month, another Ivy League school, Yale University, was locked down for almost six hours after a report that an armed man was heading to the school. Authorities later said it was believed to be a hoax.”

    Image Credit: Youtube, WorldNews via Associated Press

  • Kindle Fire HD Discounted $50 For Students

    One of the promises that came with the growing tablet market was an end-run around college textbook price-gouging. Students everywhere were supposed to be using interactive textbooks and doing homework within social class apps by now. Obviously, that hasn’t happened yet, but Amazon is still pushing to make sure it’s tablets are in the hands of students.

    Slashgear is reporting that Amazon has launched a $50 off promotion for its Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ tablets – but only for students. Anyone who is signed up with Amazon Student (using a .edu email address) for a discounted Amazon Prime membership has access to the deal. Both the Wi-Fi and 4G LTE versions of the Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ are eligible for the sale price, and the deal lasts throughout the month of January.

    Amazon is encouraging Kindle owners to use their devices as learning tools. Amazon Student members can subscribe to Amazon Prime for $39 a year, which is slightly less than half the normal price. In addition, Amazon allows textbook rental through its Kindle tablets, and recently introduced the X-Ray feature for textbooks. X-Ray is an integrated glossary allows users to cross-reference words and passages throughout a book and on the web through Wikipedia and YouTube.

  • Student Loans With Fixed Rates Could Help Lenders

    The Fitch Group announced this week that it believes fixed-rate private student loans just might be the answer to kick-starting the loan industry. The company, though, does temper this advice with the warning that competition from variable-rate private loans and fixed-rate government loans could be a stumbling block.

    The Fitch Group is one of the “big three” credit rating agencies that control nearly all of the credit rating market. The company made its student loan proclamation on its Fitch Wire credit market commentary page, where it cited new fixed-rate private loan offers from Sallie Mae and Discover Financial Services as evidence that those types of loans can fuel loan growth. Sallie Mae’s new loans are offered with interest rates ranging from 5.75% to 12.875%, depending on credit score. Discover’s loans will be offered at a starting interest rate of 6.79% From the Fitch Wire statement:

    These rates compare favorably to the 6.8% rate offered on a government Stafford unsubsidized student loan and the 7.9% rate offered on a government PLUS loan, both of which also come with origination fees. Additionally, while the new loans have a higher cost than the current 3.4% rate on government subsidized Stafford loans, that rate is scheduled to double, absent Congressional extension, to 6.8% on July 1, 2012 as part of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007.

    This loan increase, which is distressing students, could make private loans very attractive in the future. There has been talk in congress, however, that student loan debt is so out of control that it might need to be waived for some students. Not even a bankruptcy can currently relieve a former student from student loan debt. Fitch warned in its message, though, that it believes pardoning student loans would inevitably increase the price of private loans.