Category: What We’re Reading

Here’s a selection of articles Federal Relations is reading this week.

Good Response – A reaction of how University of Oklahoma is reacting to video that surfaced of a fraternity signing a racist song. Read more at the Washington Post.

Ready? Set? Go? – A look into colleges being ready to accept students who have passed Common Core. An interesting discussion on what is college ready and how that definitions vary per college. Read it at Politico.

I’ll Raise You – China has raised their military budget by 10.1 percent this year. Read about it at Reuters.

Totally Different – Ed Central examines why student loans are different types of loans, and why they shouldn’t be forgiven in bankruptcy. Read more at New America.

Here’s a selection of articles of interest by the Office of Federal Relations.

Bump, Bump – An outline on the impending federal fiscal speed bumps the Congress must address this year. Read more at the CFPB Blog.

Check, Check – The most popular facts checked by The Washington Post in February. Read more at WaPo.

Power Ranking – Elizabeth Warren is positioning herself to be one of the most powerful Democrats in the country, much like her predecessor Ted Kennedy. Read a profile here at Politico.

Most Viral Video – One of the most viral videos today is a TED-like talk about China’s air pollution problem. Read about it at Legal Planet. 

100+ – The number of colleges being investigated about their sexual assault compliance is now over 100. Read about it at The Chronicle.

Where to Begin? – To truly prevent sexual assault, we need to start talking about this in elementary and high schools. Read more at Governing. 

Cut off at the knees – A long form piece on the efforts of John Boehner and how the very right element of his caucus undermines him. Read more at Politico.

Further Investigations – Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee, sent letters to seven research universities requesting information on funding sources, testimony, and related communications of specific academics who have testified before congress on climate change. Read more at the Committee. 

Biomed R&D – United for Medical Research and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation teamed up to produce a new report that examines the implications of reduced federal commitment to NIH-funded research as well as options for altering the budget process to enable continued government investment in biomedical R&D. Read the report here.

Here’s a selection of articles we have been reading this week.

Gone – The Washington Post goes over what exactly will happen if Congress does not pass funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Read more here.

Pick Me!! – An article on why universities vie for Presidential Libraries. Read more at The Washington Post.

Perfect Storm – An article about the tough roads ahead for the higher education community in general including, potentally, shutting down. Read more at Time.

Dried Up – An article about universities concerns about the lack of champions for federal research funding. Read more at The Washington Post. 

Once, When It Worked – A long form story about when Congress (both House and Senate) came together and worked to solve a national problem (of their own making) and avert a government shutdown. Read more at Politico.

Here’s a selection or articles Federal Relations is reading this week.

Plane and Simple Motives – Obama has been using Air Force One as a means to engage more with Congressional leaders, and the Leaders have been using it as a means to shape Administration policy. Read more at Politico.

Um, No…- Community colleges have come out against the Administration’s latest effort to rate colleges because of the future intention to tie this to federal student aid funding. Read it at the Wall Street Journal.

College Dropout – All look at what happened to the Peter Theil Fellows since it was announced five years ago. Read it at the Chronicle for Higher Education.

Mind the Gap – The LA Times loos at the difference, and increases, out of state students are paying at some of the country’s most prestigious public, flagship institutions. Specifically, the article ponders the question: should and can the California Legislature continue to raise the price of tuition on out of state students for schools within the UC System? UW is cited. Read it at the LA Times.

Student Debt = More National Debt? – An article on the US amassing debt from Income Based Repayment (IBR) plans. The article also touches on accounting methods of the federal loan portfolio and if the US is, in fact, making money on student loans. Read more at The New York Times.

Shut It Down – An overview of what happens if Congress fails to pass Homeland Security appropriations for FY16. Read it at Yahoo.

Here’s a selection or articles we are reading this week.

Hitting Home – What does Obama’s 2016 Budget Means for States and Localities? The president’s budget would be a boon in a host of areas (infrastructure, certain block grants) but also includes cuts to popular programs. Read it at Governing.

Agreed! – Five Things Republicans can Agree to in Obama’a Budget: simplifying student aid makes the list. Read it at The Washington Post.

Growing Locally – Brookings released a report of the three sectors of advanced industry that will sustain a region’s local economy. Read an overview at Governing. View an interactive map showing growth and loss of these sectors. Read the Brookings report here.

Follow the $$ – Every year, groups release reports and charts of the college majors that make the most money. The message is clear: here are the subjects you should major in if you want to get rich quick (or at least pay off your student loans). The answer is “you should major in petroleum engineering,” almost always. Read about it at Vox.

Student Loan Stress – As the use of student loans escalates, so too do conversations about the possible ramifications of increasingly-high debt for young Americans. It’s widely known that inability to pay student debt can result in a host of problems, like damaged credit or garnished wages, but a new study from the University of South Carolina suggests that some ill effects, such as increased stress levels or feelings of depleted health, can surface just from accumulating student-loan debt. Read about it at The Atlantic.

Ch-ch-cha-changes! – Preparing campus for the new FAFSA. Read about it at University Business.

Helping Hand – Burried in the FY16 President’s Budget Request is a little known $21.8 billion shortfall. The main cause of the shortfall was President Barack Obama’s recent efforts to provide relief for borrowers drowning in student debt. Read more at Politico.

Disenfranchising – One central complaint about the Administration’s proposed college rating system is the unintended consequences of select universities being less inclusive and more exclusive to rate better. Read more at diversityeducation.com.

?uestions – Key questions on President Obama’s Budget Request for FY16. Read more at Ed Central.