HIV/AIDS cases rise for women

According to the World Health Organization, AIDS is the leading cause of death among women between the ages of 15 and 44.
Originally, health officials thought HIV and AIDS mostly affected homosexual men. However, women have always suffered from the disease, too. A 2006 Centers for Disease Control report stated that young adults aged 13 to 29 accounted for the largest number of new HIV infections in the United States. Even though more men have HIV than women, women are catching up.
In fact, according to the CDC, if new HIV/AIDS infections continue at their current rate worldwide, women with HIV/AIDS may soon outnumber men.
"It's scary to know how young women are affected by this virus," PUC student Brittany Shepherd said. "No one ever thinks that HIV or AIDS can happen to them, but obviously it does."
Many people don't know or understand the difference between HIV and AIDS. According the CDC, HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. It is different from every other virus since it attacks the immune system. HIV finds and destroys a type of white blood cell that our immune system must have to fight diseases.
The CDC reports that AIDS is the final stage of HIV, meaning that the virus has weakened the immune system to the point to where it is difficult to fight diseases.
PUC Chronicle
Purdue University Calumet, Hammond, IN

Study finds interracial dorm roommates reduce prejudice

Students who live with a roommate of another race gain a new perspective, according to a recent study from The Ohio State University.
Russell Fazio, Ohio State professor of psychology, conducted several studies in 2008 with Natalie Shook, assistant psychology professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, about the effects of interracial roommate relationships on racial attitudes.
Freshmen interracial roommates showed more positive racial attitudes over time, according to the study. It examined only black and white interracial roommates.
Fazio said interracial roommates have reduced anxiety among groups of a different race, and this makes them more comfortable around other races.
KentNewsNet.com
Kent State University, Kent, OH

Education Department to Demand School Pay Data

Goal Is To Find Out How Spending Between Title I and Other Schools Differs
U.S. Department of Education officials plan to require districts receiving economic-stimulus aid to report school-level salaries—a sign, observers say, that the Obama administration might seek key changes to district accounting procedures for federal Title I funds.
The reporting—the first collection of its type undertaken by the federal government—could give a clearer picture about the extent to which district spending on salaries differs between schools that receive Title I dollars for disadvantaged students and those that do not.
The results of the data collection, which is to take place this winter, are likely to give more ammunition to school finance experts and lawmakers who maintain that the Elementary and Secondary Education Act should be changed to require districts to address such disparities before receiving the federal aid.
Education Week

Quantitative skills decline across country, not at Smith

Fewer university students in the United States are interested in math, science and internationalism, a recent report by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities concluded. The study argued that this decline could make U.S. college students less competitive on the international stage and decrease international enrollment on campuses.
While math and science professors nationwide are concerned about this development, these fears may have very little relevance to Smith.
The Sophian
Smith College, North Hampton, MA

Smith singled out for vegan, vegetarian options

Smith, along with many other colleges nationwide, has expanded its vegan and vegetarian meal options in recent years. This year, youth animal rights organization peta2 recognized these efforts by selecting Smith has one of the top 32 schools in the U.S. for providing vegan and vegetarian dining.
"Smith's success in offering great vegan options is good for students' health and for the school's bottom line," said peta2's Senior College Campaign Coordinator Ryan Huling in a press release. "More and more young people are learning that the best thing that they can do for animals, the planet and themselves is to go vegan."
For many students, Smith provides a supportive environment to make vegan or vegetarian food choices. Lillie Scheffey '13, for instance, praised Smith for including vegan protein substitutes at meals.
The Sophian
Smith College, North Hampton, MA

Should teachers put price tag on lesson plans?

Thousands of teachers are cashing in on a commodity they used to give away, selling lesson plans online for exercises as simple as M&M sorting and as sophisticated as William Shakespeare.
While some of this extra money is going to buy books and classroom supplies in a time of tight budgets, the new teacher-entrepreneurs are also spending it on dinners out, mortgage payments, credit-card bills, vacation travel and home renovation, leading some school officials to question who owns material developed for public-school classrooms.
Just about every imaginable lesson for preschool through college is up for sale, on individual teachers' blogs and commercial sites where buyers can review and grade the material.
Seattle Times

Tarleton told of $137,500 fine for inaccurate crime reporting

Tarleton State University's failure to disclose information about campus burglaries and drug and sex offenses has prompted the U.S. Department of Education to propose a $137,500 fine for violating The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act.
It is believed to be the first fine levied against a Texas university under the Clery Act.
In a prepared statement released this week, the university said it had "recognized that unintentional mistakes had been made in its reporting under the Clery Act."
The Clery Act is a federal law that requires universities to annually disclose information about serious crimes, such as murder, robbery, sex offenses and burglary.
A Department of Education report, released following a request by The J-TAC under the Texas Public Information Act, states that Tarleton underreported the number of forcible sex offenses, drug law violations and burglaries between 2003 and 2005.
The J-TAC
Tarleton State University, Stephenville, TX