Watching the Ivies: 1/28
BROWN: A new sorority may soon come to Brown University, according to The Brown Daily Herald. After much demand from the two existing sororities on campus and the school’s female student body, a committee at Brown has been working on the yearlong process to bring a new sorority to campus. Art House, an affinity program, will vacate their current space by the end of the semester. If approved, the chosen sorority may occupy this space.
CORNELL: Gannett Health Services at Cornell University estimates that a record-high half of campus has been vaccinated against the flu. According to The Cornell Daily Sun, the influx of students, staff and faculty seeking protection from the virus has led to a depletion of the vaccine stock. Many at the school attribute the recent wave of flu to fraternity and sorority recruitment, which involves many students stuck indoors in closed quarters. Health service providers around the country have similarly faced a shortage of flu vaccines this year, The Daily Sun reported.
HARVARD: The Harvard Theological Review is continuing to study a scrap of papyrus that, if authentic, would demonstrate that some Christians in the 4th century believed Jesus was married. Announced last September at a conference by a Harvard Divinity School professor, the scrap, currently known as the “Gospel of Jesus’ Wife,” is undergoing scientific analysis to verify the ink on the papyrus, The Harvard Crimson reported. It has proved difficult to authenticate the fragment because it was acquired from the collection of an anonymous donor, not uncovered at an archaeological dig.
PRINCETON: The Whig-Cliosophic Society teamed up with the College Democrats at Princeton University to offer free round-trip bus tickets to attend the presidential inauguration last Monday. Fifty-four students took advantage of this opportunity, which was offered to members of either organization. According to The Daily Princetonian, some students obtained tickets for a closer view of the ceremony. Students in attendance said they were touched by President Barack Obama’s speech and the atmosphere of the event.
UPENN: The University of Pennsylvania’s university communications vice president ruled on Friday the death of student Tom Hartford to be an accident. The Daily Pennsylvanian reported that Hartford, a senior, was taken off of life support after being in a coma for two weeks. A doctor told Hartford’s father that his injuries may have resulted from a 15 to 20-foot fall.
YALE: In an email from the Yale College dean, the university introduced a mandatory 75-minute bystander intervention workshop in hopes of reducing instances of sexual assault, the Yale Daily News reported. From Jan. 31 through Feb. 3, there will be more than 90 training sessions. Each session will show a video of an imaginary scenario, discussion on possible responses and “an overview of the ideas behind bystander intervention.” Yale modeled this program from successful versions at the University of New Hampshire and the University of Kentucky.