Students fear loans more than terrorism

More members of the first class of students to complete all four years of college since the terrorism attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, said they are most afraid of going into debt than those who named terrorism as their biggest fear, according to a new survey commissioned by Partnership for Public Service.

While 83 percent of graduating seniors described themselves as “patriotic,” almost a third said they were most fearful of encountering unsustainable debt, compared to just 13 percent who said they were afraid of a terrorist attack, even though more than two-thirds said they expected a major attack within the next five years. Being unemployed trailed debt as the second most feared option.

The results of the survey, Partnership for Public Service CEO and President Max Stier said, showed that patriotism alone was not enough to sustain public interest in government and public service.

“Our research shows that patriotism surrounding 9/11 did not give the government a free pass in recruiting talent,” Stier stated in the organization’s press release. “We need a new call to public service, one that balances young people’s patriotism with two factors that are just as important to them: pay and prestige.”

When asked when they thought the war on terror would end, almost 30 percent said never and another 27 percent said “not in my lifetime.”

In addition, though more than two-thirds said that the 9/11 terrorist attack made their view of the United States more positive, almost 86 percent said the war in Iraq did the opposite.

University of Missouri to settle lawsuit

A St. Louis County Circuit Court judge has given a tentative stamp of approval to a settlement reached between the University of Missouri and student plaintiffs in an eight-year-old class action lawsuit.

The suit charged that the university had violated a 1931 state law by charging students in-state tuition based on credit hours from 1995 until 2001, when the law was repealed.

The university has agreed to set up a $10 million scholarship that would fund qualifying students and their spouses and children.

“The University of Missouri is pleased that this matter is close to being resolved,” the university’s President Elson S. Floyd stated in a press release. “The settlement will benefit students who wish to further their education at the University of Missouri.”

In addition, the university will need to pay the students’ attorneys more than $1 million.

Fox to hold online chat with students

Chancellor Marye Anne Fox will hold an online chat with students, allowing them to ask her questions and offer their personal feedback about Fox’s first year at UCSD.

Scheduled from noon to 1 p.m. on May 24, students will be able to access the live Web talk athttp://chancellorschat.ucsd.edu.

Titled “What I Learned This Year and Other Topics,” the chat will focus on Fox’s experience at the campus and issues brought up by students.

Harvard to spend $50 million on diversity

In response to a report issued by a new task force on women faculty in science and engineering fields that called for large-scale improvements to the university’s recruitment policies, Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers has announced plans to invest $50 million over the next decade in efforts to increase the ranks of women and minority faculty at the campus.

Earlier this year, Summers received widespread criticism for his remarks suggesting that “intrinsic aptitude” differences between genders could be responsible for low numbers of women in science and engineering.

The centerpiece of the newly issued recommendations call for the appointment of a new senior vice provost for diversity and faculty development to oversee faculty appointment processes at the Ivy League campus.

“These recommendations will receive our most careful consideration,” Summers stated in a press release. “Because they address fundamental issues about the way we conduct our core academic business, they have the power to make Harvard not only more welcoming and diverse, but a stronger and more excellent university overall.”

Before spending the money, Summers said that the university would carry out “feasibility and cost analyses” of the proposals.