Around the Ivies
BROWNUNIVERSITY:The second-largest applicant pool in the university’s history applied for the Class of 2018, the Brown Daily Herald reported. About 30,200 students applied, a 4 percent increase from last year. The Class of 2015 saw the applicant pool’s all-time high of 30,900.
COLUMBIAUNIVERSITY:Community members commemorated the death of Karen Blank, who served as Barnard College’s dean of studies for nearly two decades. Blank’s death was announced to students in an email on Jan. 2. As dean of studies, Blank administered a review of Barnard’s general education requirements, advised an honor code oversight board and worked to enhance communication between Barnard and Columbia.
CORNELLUNIVERSITY:Joel Malina will serve as Cornell’s new vice president for university relations, the Cornell Daily Sun reported. Malina currently works as the CEO and general manager of the Washington, D.C., lobbying firm Wexler and Walker Public Policy Associates and has past experience in political advertising, campaign fundraising and musical theater. He will take office on March 31.
HARVARDUNIVERSITY:A student charged in connection with a campus bomb scare last December is currently awaiting grand jury indictment, according to The Crimson. Eldo Kim allegedly sent emails to the Harvard University Police Department and various administrators claiming to have placed bombs in several campus buildings in order to avoid taking a final exam. Kim, a member of Harvard’s Class of 2016, was released from federal custody on Dec. 18.
PRINCETONUNIVERISTY:Members of Princeton’s eating clubs can now take an online course about power-based personal violence, according to the Daily Princetonian. The course, called Agent of Change, addresses topics such as domestic violence, stalking and sexual assault and features 10 levels of an avatar-based game. The program is currently in its pilot phase and plans to expand its reach across campus in the coming months.
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA:“Orange is the New Black” star Laverne Cox will speak at QPenn, an annual event celebrating LGBTQ culture, according to The Daily Pennsylvanian. Cox, a transgender actress known for her role as Sophia Burset on the Netflix series, will deliver the event’s keynote address in March. Cox’s talk will aim to highlight lesser-known issues within the LGBTQ community.
YALEUNIVERSITY:Students have reestablished a chapter of Chi Psi fraternity on campus, the Yale Daily News reported. The fraternity received its official charter on Nov. 16 and will conduct recruitment this semester. “It’s not your ‘Animal House’-style party frat,” sophomore Jordan Bravin, Chi Psi vice president, told the Yale Daily News.