Watching the Ivies: 9/30
Courtesy of Columbia Spectator
BROWN: Brown University will introduce a revised supplement to the Common Application for the 2013 to 2014 admissions cycle, according to the Brown Daily Herald. The new, shorter supplement removes one long essay and two short response questions from the previous supplement. Dean of Admissions Jim Miller said that Brown decided to shorten the supplement because last year’s “had grown a bit too long.”
COLUMBIA: A change in Columbia University housing policy now classifies any student without a campus housing assignment as a guest, the Columbia Daily Spectator reported. Commuter students and guests are now required to fill out a form in order to enter a residence hall. Previously, commuter students were able to gain swipe access to residence halls by filling out a form, which no longer exists. Administrators attribute to the policy change to seeking consistency in the treatment of General Studies, Barnard College and graduate students.
CORNELL: A member of Cornell’s Student Assembly is lobbying to secure funding for the Multicultural Greek Letter Council after it missed the application deadline, according to the Cornell Sun. The MGLC relies on this byline funding to support cultural programming for Cornell’s 14 culturally-based fraternities and sororities. The SA resolution, which will be brought to a vote this week, proposes a second deadline for organizations that miss the original funding deadline due to “extenuating circumstances.”
HARVARD: Harvard University’s former psychology professor Marc Hauser will release his first book since allegations of academic misconduct forced him to resign two years ago, according to The Crimson. The book, titled “Evilicious: Cruelty = Desire + Denial,” will explore the psychological rationale behind human cruelty. The book will be released on Oct. 15. Hauser resigned from Harvard in the summer of 2011 after an internal investigation found him guilty of academic misconduct in three of his published articles.
PRINCETON: Along with Harvard and Yale University, Princeton University was included on the list of Colleges Most Obsessed with Squirrels released by the Huffington Post last week. The story referenced Princeton’s ubiquitous black squirrels, rumored to have been created by a biology experiment at Princeton. According to the Daily Princetonian, another myth suggests that after black and orange squirrels were brought to Princeton in celebration of its colors, the black squirrels outlasted the orange ones.
UPENN: The University of Pennsylvania’s International Affairs Association hosted a talk by a North Korean defector last week, the Daily Pennsylvanian reported. Azalea Kim, a journalist who defected from North Korea’s communist regime, spoke to Penn students about her life in the North and experience selling medicines on the black market to survive famine. She currently lives in South Korea. The event prohibited videos and pictures in order to maintain Kim’s anonymity.
YALE: Rumors are circulating around Yale about a potential large donation to fund the construction of its two new residential colleges, according to the Yale Daily News. The two new residential colleges, which are currently under construction, will cost approximately $500 million in total, of which about $200 million has already been obtained officially. A significant gift covering some or all of the remaining $300 million is expected to be announced soon.