Reading Between the Blurred Lines of Fisher v. University of Texas

After more than eight months of anticipation and speculation, the Supreme Court finally issued its opinion in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin. Contrary to fears held by some and hopes held by others, the Court did not use the case as an opportunity to overrule Grutter v. Bollinger, thereby prohibiting the consideration of race in higher education admissions decisions. Instead, the Court vacated the Fifth Circuit’s decision upholding the University of Texas’ (“UT” or “University”) race-based admissions policy and remanded the case “for further proceedings consistent with [the] opinion.” At first glance, the majority opinion authored by Justice Anthony Kennedy appears to be a straight forward tutorial regarding the parameters of strict scrutiny by which courts are to examine the constitutionality of race-based admissions plans. After concluding that the Fifth Circuit failed to analyze the UT plan under the proper constitutional standard due to the deference shown to the University during its narrow tailoring analysis, the Court decided that “fairness to the litigants and the courts that heard the case requires that it be remanded so that the admissions process can be considered and judged under a correct analysis.” While the University and other affirmative action supporters may view the Court’s decision as an optimistic signpost for the future of race-based admissions policies, this Essay fears that, unfortunately, such optimism may be misplaced. It argues that a closer reading of the opinion reveals troubling language and sentiments that could detrimentally impact both the UT admissions plan, specifically, and the future of racial diversity in higher education, more broadly

Neuronal Effects of Cocaine in an Animal Model of Social Stress: Analysis of Neuronal Recordings

Studies that use Intermittent (episodic) Social Defeat (ISD) in rats demonstrate that ISD increases cocaine-self administration several weeks after the end of the adverse experience and suggest that a history of social stress makes individuals more vulnerable to substance abuse in the long term. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) plays a key role in regulating drug-seeking behavior. The present study investigates whether ISD enhances the response of mPFC neurons to cocaine. Male Long Evans rats (3-4 months) were implanted with electrode arrays in the mPFC (prelimbic area) and divided into two groups (Control, n= 4; Stress, n= 4). They were then exposed to ISD or handling (control group) once every three days for ten days (four stress episodes in total). Three weeks after the last stress episode, control and stressed rats were injected with either cocaine or saline (10 mg/kg, i.e.) and the resultant effects on mPFC neuronal activity and locomotion were assessed. The results show that cocaine injections increase locomotion in both groups. However, cocaine-induced locomotion was stronger in stressed rats compared to controls (data not shown). Our results also show that mPFC neurons decrease their activity in response to cocaine injections in both stressed and control rats. These results suggest that ISD does not change the effects of cocaine in the mPFC and therefore do not support a role of this area of the brain in stress-induced behavioral sensitization to cocaine. Supported by NIGMS-NIH P30GM1227

Retention and Student Success: It\u27s Everybody\u27s Business

Colleges and universities are challenged to move the needle on student retention and success, especially in online programs. Student success coaching is effective when working in collaboration with professors, support staff and tutors to ensure that students who are potentially at risk can succeed. Success coaches would follow academic alerts issued by instructors at the onset of an at risk student. At risk conditions include missing or low grades on assignments, lack of participation in class, and attendance alerts. Success coaches do not cause a hardship or disturb the classroom environment but can serve as a resource to students who are in danger of academic warnings, suspensions and dismissals. Once an instructor submits an academic alert on a student who is not responsive or in danger of failing, the success coach works to reach the student by phone to assess what their unique needs are and can link students to services such as tutoring and/or help them work out a study schedule to get back on track. The success coach model is reactive to academic alerts but proactive to reducing academic probations and suspensions. If a student is too far behind in their class, the success coach would be able to assess if the student needs to continue on or withdraw from the class. The success coach model will work best when done in unison with participating faculty. Retention and student success is everybody’s business!https://fuse.franklin.edu/ss2014/1019/thumbnail.jp

My Voice Matters: A Telling Case Study of Student Voice in Institutional Governance

Higher education institutions are complex institutions that are often difficult to navigate. Additionally, the policies and procedures that govern these institutions have the potential to exclude the student\u27s voice. Understanding the power relations and hierarchical structures that exist within the institutions presents another difficult avenue to navigate for students. It is imperative that institutions understand their role in educating students to be civic-minded individuals with the cognitive ability to assist in making informed decisions. Several scholars (Brubacher & Rudy, 1968; Vaccaro & Covert, 1969; Crane, 1969; McGrath, 1970; Morison, 1970; Baldridge, 1971; May, 2010) describe a time where student input was valued and deemed a necessity with curriculum reform, financial policies, and day to day operations of the institution. Utilizing Organizational Role Theory and Chickering\u27s Seven Vectors of Identity Development, this dissertation will explore how undergraduate students in a Student Government Association are participating in the informal and formal decision making process at their respective institution. Through a historical view of the literature surrounding student governance, student experiences and perceptions of roles will be explored while discussing the shift in student power throughout the history of higher education. I will conclude with recommendations to improve policy and practice

From the Schoolhouse to the Poorhouse: The Credit Card Act\u27s Failure to Adequately Protect Young Consumers

The article discusses the Credit Card Act of 2009 specifically its provisions aiming to protect college-aged consumers. The author cites the students\u27 high debt figures and discusses the negative impact on their academic, personal and future professional lives. He identifies loopholes that have enabled circumventions and deliberates on proposals which include increases in age and ability-to-pay requirements, limits to increasing credit limits and imposition of usury or interest rate caps

Clinical comparative effectiveness research through the lens of healthcare decisionmakers

Background: Healthcare expenditures in the United States exceed the healthcare expenditures of other countries, yet relatively unfavorable health outcomes persist. Despite the emergence of numerous evidence-based interventions, wide variations in clinical care have caused disparities in quality of care and cost. Comparative effectiveness and cost effectiveness research may better guide healthcare decisionmakers in determining which interventions work best, for which populations, under which conditions, and at what cost. Methods: This article reviews national health policies that promote comparative effectiveness research (CER), healthcare decisionmaker roles in CER, methodological approaches to CER, and future implications of CER. Results: This article provides a brief summary of CER health policy up to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and its establishment of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). Through PCORI, participatory methods for engaging healthcare decisionmakers in the entire CER process have gained momentum as a strategy for improving the relevance of research and expediting the translation of research into practice. Well-designed, methodologically rigorous observational studies and randomized trials conducted in real-world settings have the potential to improve the quality, generalizability, and transferability of study findings. Conclusion: Learning health systems and practice-based research networks provide the infrastructure for advancing CER methods, generating local solutions to high-quality cost-effective care, and transitioning research into implementation and dissemination science—all of which will ultimately guide health policy on clinical care, payment for care, and population health

Gender And Work: An Analysis Of Mid-Level Women Administrators In Student Affairs

Research has examined the experiences of women faculty in higher education. However, the experiences of non-faculty mid-level women administrators within higher education continues to be understudied. Women are often the majority in non-faculty positions, yet men dominate senior level positions. Instead, women are frequently clustered in entry and mid-level administrative roles within student affairs divisions or departments, often with limited access to career ladders. Drawing on the theoretical framework of gendered work organizations, this study explores the experiences of women working in non-academic departments, and analyzes how these experiences impact their career advancement at four-year public universities. More specifically, I examine workplace culture, elements of advancement, and student affairs as a helping profession as plausible factors that explain the disparate outcomes of non-faculty women working in higher education