5/18
Penn in the News
A round-up of Penn mentions in local, national, and international media.
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Penn In the News
Yale Graduate Students’ ‘Microunit’ Unionization Strategy Could Have Nationwide Implications
A quarter-century-long fight for a graduate-assistant union at Yale University has taken a new twist that could make it easier for unions to gain a foothold on campuses. Unite Here Local 33 has filed petitions for union elections in nine academic departments, focusing on those where union support is strong. The formation of graduate unions in departmental "microunits" is a test case for higher education, several labor-law experts said.
Penn In the News
Micro-Barriers Loom Larger for First-Generation Students
By the time J.D. Vance got ready to apply for law school, he’d already survived an abusive and chaotic childhood, made it through Marine Corps boot camp and a deployment to Iraq, and galloped through a bachelor’s degree at Ohio State in less than two years. But as he looked over the application for Stanford law, he found himself stymied by a simple requirement — a signature from his dean. "I didn’t know the dean of my college at Ohio State," Vance writes in his best-selling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy. "I’m sure she is a lovely person, and the form was clearly little more than a formality.
Penn In the News
Education Dept. Details New Measures on How Defrauded Borrowers Can Seek Relief
The U.S. Education Department has released its long-awaited defense-to-repayment rules, which codify how borrowers who are defrauded by predatory colleges can obtain relief from the federal government. The rules, released on Friday at 12 a.m., were spawned by the collapse of the for-profit Corinthian Colleges and the subsequent masses of students who petitioned the department for loan forgiveness.
Penn In the News
When a Grad Student Called on Black Academics to Vent, Hundreds Answered
Penn In the News
Tom Hayden’s Reforms and Today’s Protesters
Jonathan Zimmerman of the Graduate School of Education writes about Tom Hayden and protesting.
Penn In the News
Resident Assistants Find Themselves on the Front Lines of Title IX Compliance
When Rachel Nelson, a biochemistry major at Hamline University, became a resident assistant, in August 2014, she went through training on the federal gender-discrimination law known as Title IX. As an RA, she was told, she was a mandatory reporter, a designation given to some staff and faculty members who are obligated to report any potential Title IX violations brought to their attention. Sometimes the violation takes the form of a harassing remark or concern about another student’s relationship; often, it’s unwanted sexual contact. "It’s an interesting dynamic," Ms. Nelson said.
Penn In the News
When the Teaching Assistant Is a Robot
Last spring, Ashok K. Goel pulled off one of the great pranks in the history of artificial intelligence. In an online course, Mr. Goel, a computer-science professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, relied on nine teaching assistants, including one named Jill Watson, to handle questions from the 300 students. Near the end of the term, Mr. Goel revealed to students that Jill was in fact a computerized assistant, powered by IBM’s Watson technology, which is designed to answer questions. A few students had suspicions about Jill along the way, but one thought Mr.
Penn In the News
Admissions Offices Scramble to Comply With New Overtime Rule
An appetite for long hours, a stomach for low pay. Those are unofficial requirements to enter the college-admissions field, where 12-hour days are common and starting salaries meager. But a new federal rule is changing the landscape. A recent update of the Fair Labor Standards Act makes more full-time salaried workers eligible for overtime pay. Starting in December, campus employees who earn less than $47,476 a year and work more than 40 hours a week must be compensated for overtime.
Penn In the News
To Improve Student Success, a University Confronts the Email Deluge
In the spring of 2015, two dozen administrators from across Michigan State University gathered in the MSU Union to face what they knew was a significant challenge. Representatives from admissions, student affairs, and other departments were armed with sticky notes — a different color for each office.
Penn In the News
How the Harvard Strike Fits Into the Equality Conversation
Dining-hall workers at Harvard University have been on strike for two weeks, and no sign of a resolution appears in sight. What might have been a simple labor dispute at another institution has become more contentious — and drawn more attention — thanks to Harvard’s elite reputation and enormous wealth. The university faces a test of wills, and a problem of appearances: How does the richest university in the world negotiate with some of its lowest-paid workers?