| Schools unhurt by admissions change
Four prominent universities that ditched their early admissions programs have answered questions about whether the move would hurt their popularity. That answer is no. All are reporting record applications this year. Harvard, Princeton and the University of Virginia attracted widespread attention with announcements in 2006 that they would stop holding a separate, early round of admissions in the fall. They argued the practice contributes to anxiety and disadvantages students who need financial aid. This year, they began considering all applicants in a single pool with a January deadline. The University of Florida later made a similar announcement and moved to a single deadline of Nov. 1. Most selective schools kept some form of early admissions. Now, the results are in.
Contractor loses La. scholarship account data dating back to 1998
BATON ROUGE, La. -- A Boston-based contractor hired to store and safeguard state scholarship and college savings account data lost most of those records _ including bank account numbers and student and parent Social Security numbers _ during a move, officials say. "We certainly don't want to create any panic. But people should be aware and take the necessary steps," said Melanie Amrhein, executive director of the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance. "This is backup data off of a mainframe that contains sensitive personal information." Special equipment and software and "sophisticated computer skills" would be needed to get the compressed records from the TOPS scholarship program, START Saving Program, and Free Application for Federal Student Aid, according to a notice posted on the Internet.
Primaries post most agonizing choices
If it's any consolation, this is the hard part. When it comes time for the general election campaign, voters will be faced with a clear choice on the major issues. The primaries, meanwhile, are forcing us to figure out not just who the candidates are, but who we are as well. On what is now the issue of greatest concern, according to surveys -- the flagging economy -- Democrats and Republicans truly seem to live in different solar systems. All three leading Democratic contenders have set forth elaborate stimulus plans, all three have ideas for rescuing families caught in the subprime mortgage trap, and all three serve up their proposals with great heaping buckets of empathy. Message: They care. On the Republican side, Mike Huckabee does the empathy part but then shifts quickly to his weird idea about replacing the income tax with a consumption tax.
Hand-me-down firetruck proves to be a lifesaver
Fire Chief Dennis Massey is proud of the volunteer fire department's 1959 Chevy Spartan firetruck. Massey has been a part of the Village of Palisades firefighting force almost since the beginning in 1996. The all-volunteer department uses hand-me-downs and what they can get on a small budget. .
Danes seek sun, cultural ties to U.S. Virgin Islands
CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands — The Danish owned these tropical islands for centuries, but about the only people speaking their language here these days are tourists. History buffs and sun-seekers are flocking here from Denmark, coming in greater numbers than their colonial forebears ever did as the tiny Scandinavian country revives cultural ties with its old Caribbean possession. As Danes rediscover the one-time trading hub as a beach haven, some find themselves asking why their government sold the islands to the United States in 1917. "It was a mistake," joked Karen Larsen, a 60-year-old teacher from Blokhus, Denmark, as she relaxed at a seaside hotel after taking a Danish-language tour through the lush mountain greenery and colonial architecture of St.
LCC registration system produces more headaches for students, staff
Midway through the first week of classes at Lansing Community College, Reba Milow still was trying to register. The school's online registration system hadn't been working, and the East Lansing 18-year-old, who had come to campus to get her schedule worked out with an actual person, was frustrated. "I cannot drop classes. I cannot register for classes," she said. "The furthest I can go is to log into my account, but, as far as registration or anything like that, it won't even open up." .
Build a firm foundation
The city schools need the extra support, said Superintendent Gerald D. Dawkins, a non-voting member of the foundation board. Budget reductions have led to cuts in music, arts, physical education and foreign language instruction in the district, especially in elementary schools. Foundation supporters hope to bolster those offerings and others. "What's in front of us is an awful lot of potential," Dawkins said. School districts in some large cities, such as Tampa and San Francisco, generate millions of dollars per year with full-time staff devoted to raising funds. Despite their initial efforts in mid-Michigan, an executive for the National School Foundation Association says fundraising in urban areas with struggling economies is tough.
Senate Scrutiny for Endowments
In the world of tax legislation, hedge funds are the hot topic. The same could be said for the world of university endowment portfolios. Both were scrutinized in a hearing on Wednesday as the Senate Committee on Finance set its sights on the insurance and reinsurance industries, offshore tax havens and, of course, the high-yield but potentially volatile financial products. .
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