Penn in the News

Marybeth Gasman and Shaun Harper of the Graduate School of Education share their thoughts on how linking the “quality” of colleges to the earning of its alumni or the school’s student loan default rate is problematic.

The federal gender-equity law known as Title IX has largely become known for two issues in higher education: requiring equity in opportunities for women in college sports and, more recently, a nationwide wave of demands for colleges to crack down on sexual harassment and rape. In fact, the law's reach goes much further than those specific issues, barring all forms of discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation in "all aspects of education programs or activities operated by recipients of federal financial assistance," according to an explanation of the law from the U.S.

Elaine Holt of the School of Veterinary Medicine is profiled.

Witold Rybczynski of the School of Design talks about the purpose of bollards and protecting pedestrians from vehicles driving on the sidewalk.

Last January, an undergraduate student at Yale posted a suicide note to Facebook and jumped to her death. In her note, she stated that she knew she was depressed, but she was afraid of being forced to leave school as a result. “Dear Yale: I loved being here. I only wish I could’ve had some time. I needed time to work things out and to wait for new medication to kick in, but I couldn’t do it in school…” This example, while devastating, is not an anomaly. Suicide is the leading cause of death among college students. Nearly half of all adults in the U.S.

Oriel College of Britain's University of Oxford has announced that it is starting the process of removing a plaque that honors Cecil Rhodes, the British imperialist whose bequest created Rhodes Scholarships. Minority students have been pushing the college to remove the plaque and also a statue of Rhodes. The college announced it is seeking local authorities' approval to remove the plaque, explaining that "this plaque was erected in 1906 by a private individual.

Some colleges put significant resources into recruiting and financially supporting low-income students. But how colleges describe those programs also matters, according to a new paper. If messages from a college suggest that it is "warm" toward students like them, the authors found, low-income students’ academic confidence and identification as high achievers are stronger than if the messages suggest that it is "chilly" — that the needs of students like them are ignored or overlooked. We talked with the paper’s lead author, Alexander S.

Mitchell Orenstein of the School of Arts & Sciences is cited.

Some students at Oberlin College are taking their demands for diversity and racial inclusion to the dining hall, asking for more traditional meals and criticizing what they consider poor efforts at multicultural cooking. It is the latest skirmish in a year marked by protests and other actions by college students to challenge the cultural and racial status quo on campuses across America.

Lisa Murphy and Kenneth Drobatz of the School of Veterinary Medicine answer questions about how to keep pets safe during the holidays.