“Budget cuts swell class sizes at University of Washington (700 ... - Democratic Underground.com” plus 3 more |
- Budget cuts swell class sizes at University of Washington (700 ... - Democratic Underground.com
- Today's headlines: Pictures of a naked Greg Oden prompt apologies from ... - Oregonian
- A-level Facebook protest widens - BBC UK News
- Get your hands wet, invasive algae needs to go - Honolulu Advertiser
| Budget cuts swell class sizes at University of Washington (700 ... - Democratic Underground.com Posted: 27 Jan 2010 08:15 AM PST Source: Seattle Times
They leafed through their textbooks, whispered, ate lunch, tapped on their laptops, played Sudoku. More than 500 students packed the main theater of Kane Hall at the University of Washington recently, waiting for class to begin. Nearly 200 more filled the balcony section. That's 700 students in all in this introductory biology class — more students than attended freshman Meagan Evans' entire high school last year, back in Wisconsin. "Take out your clickers and put away your cellphones, please," said the lone figure on stage, professor Toby Bradshaw. Biology 180 was under way. Last school year, this was a big class with 400 students. This year, as Bradshaw puts it, "it's a whopper." In response to state budget cuts, the biology department has axed a half-dozen courses, funneling 300 more students into Biology 180. It's one example of how budget cuts are playing out in university classrooms across the state. In 2009, lawmakers cut $500 million from higher education over two years as the state budget went into free fall. This year, the governor proposes to cut $90 million more. Federal stimulus money and 14 percent annual tuition hikes have helped offset some of those losses. Other sources of money, such as research grants and alumni gifts, have remained intact. But the cuts have still been deep. Over the past year, the UW has eliminated 850 staff positions, reduced its language offerings and cut its swimming program. Washington State University has cut theater and dance. And Western Washington University incurred the wrath of some alumni by dropping football. The UW hasn't yet reported the number of large classes it's hosting this year. But Kane Hall is booked solid every day and is regularly filled with 700 students, the maximum that can fit into any campus lecture hall. Read more: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010898... Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. | |
| Today's headlines: Pictures of a naked Greg Oden prompt apologies from ... - Oregonian Posted: 27 Jan 2010 07:40 AM PST "I've had better days," Trail Blazer Greg Oden told reporters Tuesday after pictures of a naked Oden surfaced on the Web. And so begins an embarrassing episode for the Portland Trail Blazers as Oden scrambled to explain and apologize for his decision to snap -- and send -- pictures of himself au naturale. Writes Oregonian sports columnist John Canzano: Ask some college students you know if it's cool if you sift through their cellular telephone photographs and I'll bet you get a look of horror in return. It's called "sexting" and, gasp, it turns out that Oden, 22, does it too. Call him foolish. Call him immature. But this error by Oden isn't dog fighting, or smoking pot in a yellow Hummer, or being caught with drugs by an airport metal detector. And if you can't tell the difference, you need to educate yourself. Oden got a painful education on Tuesday. He learned the difference between himself and the rest of America's 22-year olds who aren't celebrities. The young adults who heard about Oden's photos mostly shrugged. And hopefully, they thought hard about action and consequence and maybe even went to their telephones and started deleting. There have been questions about Oden's judgment before. Included, a birthday party he planned for himself that featured alcohol, and a promoter who was busy selling the naming rights to the party without Oden's knowledge. He canceled that event after his advisors learned about it. His decision to go public with an apology Tuesday was driven from his own embarrassment and conversations he had with the same people at BDA Sports Management, who are paid to protect and preserve Oden's image. Oden was right to get in front of this and make a public statement. People will forgive him. And we can soon get back to talking about his healing knee and future as a basketball player. There are politicians, celebrities and athletes who could learn from Oden's actions in the aftermath of his mistake. If University of Washington students thought packing 400 students into a biology class was a little much, we can only imagine what they think of this year's class sizes. This morning's Seattle Times reports on swelling class sizes at UW, highlighting bio professor Toby Bradshaw's intro-level class. The picture in the Times says it all.
"Take out your clickers and put away your cellphones, please," said the lone figure on stage, professor Toby Bradshaw. Biology 180 was under way. Last school year, this was a big class with 400 students. This year, as Bradshaw puts it, "it's a whopper." In response to state budget cuts, the biology department has axed a half-dozen courses, funneling 300 more students into Biology 180. It's one example of how budget cuts are playing out in university classrooms across the state. In 2009, lawmakers cut $500 million from higher education over two years as the state budget went into free fall. This year, the governor proposes to cut $90 million more. Federal stimulus money and 14 percent annual tuition hikes have helped offset some of those losses. Other sources of money, such as research grants and alumni gifts, have remained intact. But the cuts have still been deep. Check out Northwest front pages here, and stories from today's Oregonian here. And go here to stay on top of our picks from Northwest news source.-- The Oregonian Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. | |
| A-level Facebook protest widens - BBC UK News Posted: 27 Jan 2010 04:48 AM PST | Facebook protest groups against A-level exams taken this week have spread - with complaints about a biology paper from another exam board. The AQA biology exam taken on Monday prompted an instant online protest with claims that the questions were unfair. Another protest on the social networking website is now raising concerns about an OCR A-level biology also taken on Monday. The Ofqual qualifications watchdog has called for a report on the concerns. Students complaining about the two biology exams have expressed fears that they will miss out on university places. Marking These include students hoping to study medicine and dentistry, who are anxious that dropping a grade will damage their career ambitions. They have claimed that the questions did not match the course that they had studied. The OCR exam board says it is not aware of any problems with the biology paper - but a spokeswoman says if candidates have any concerns they should raise them with their exam centres. On Tuesday, the AQA exam board had promised that the marking and grading process would take into the concerns being raised by candidates. Both of these exam papers are new specifications being taken for the first time - and thousands of pupils taking them have left angry messages on Facebook and other websites. "How are we meant to get the required grade for uni when they don't even ask us relevant questions," asked a student in a Facebook group, with more than 2,500 members, complaining about the OCR biology. "I've spent six months working hard... and only one out of the eight questions had any relevance," writes one student about the AQA exam, in a Facebook group with more than 9,000 members. 'Robbed' "We all feel we've been robbed of our time (during lessons and revising) and our university places," says another pupil. However there are also comments from pupils who say they had no disagreement with the questions - and that "everyone should stop whining because nothing can be done now". Many of the protests against the AQA paper make their points in strong language - and include doctored images making fun of the exam paper. Ofqual, which ensures the quality of qualifications, says it has asked the AQA exam board for a report on the biology paper and "the actions they are taking in response to the concerns raised". "We are not aware of any significant issues being raised with other papers sat so far during the January exam series," said an Ofqual spokeswoman. A spokeswoman for the AQA exam board said they had not previously seen such an online protest about an exam. But she said that the exam board was "aware of concern amongst some candidates for this examination that the exam has not allowed them to fully demonstrate their understanding and abilities". "We will take account of these concerns when marking the examination. The concerns will also be considered at the awarding meeting where we make final decisions regarding the award of grades." Print Sponsor Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Get your hands wet, invasive algae needs to go - Honolulu Advertiser Posted: 27 Jan 2010 06:14 AM PST In its second semester as a partnership with The Nature Conservancy and Malama Maunalua, the ecology and environment lab (BIOL 124) has been reported to be very successful. The partnership allows students to be able to have not only the academic side of science, but real-world experiences. The lab is to introduce the students to ecological techniques and some environmental issues, explained Wendy Kuntz, biology/ecology instructor for BIOL 124 lab. A way to get students physically involved is when the invasive algae removal project at Maunalua Bay comes into play. Students work Maunalua bay and do algae-monitoring removal labor and collect data. At the end of the semester, the students present the data analysis to the community. The presentations are also open to the public and the members from the two other companies. The companies might even use the information that is collected because they do not have much time on their hands to go out and collect data. It is a way to show that the students' contribution to the partnership is recognized. Not only will companies use their work, but also students will get a grade for the class. In result of taking the class, Kuntz mentioned that the presentations showed a depth of knowledge and understanding of invasive marine algae on the student's behalf. The mission between the three groups is to support the communities' goals in recovering the health of Maunalua Bay. "Our KCC students have an opportunity to work on a real-world conservation issue and contribute to the community," Kuntz said. Each partner is able to gain from the collaboration. The students are able to not only learn how to conduct ecological monitoring, but to physically be able to experience first hand. "The opportunity to actually be there in person really enhances your learning experience by being able to use all of your senses," wrote Scott Chulakote, 22, environmental studies and biology major. "This allows you to be more engaged and present." Kuntz shares that as a reward for their work during the semester, the area in which the students conducted their work became part of the federal stimulus grant project; this means that some students might join the project and become a paid employee. Though the partnership is only entering its second semester, the plans are to continue working with the two companies through the future. It's a real partnership, and Marion Ano, who is part of The Nature Conservancy, worked with Kuntz and the students to help bring this project to life. As a result of all of the work that was done, KCC created a plot in the bay where students will be able to return and conduct long-term monitoring of algae removal. According to Kuntz, the students who worked on this project found that working on a real solution in a community was extremely gratifying and helps them to get excited about achieving the planned goals. "I highly recommend this class for anybody interested in the environment or biology," said Chulakote. The chance to be able to do some of the work that is practiced by consvervation professionals is very valuable for students. The class also has had the opportunity to go on other field trips as well, including a trip to the Hakalau refuge on the Big Island. To check out some of the students' posters and photos, go to the STEM center located in Koki'o 202. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
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