College Shorts Stem Cells, Jail Cells

Author: Andrea Gissing

U. Pittsburgh Receives Embryonic Stem Cells

University of Pittsburgh researchers recently received human embryonic stem cell lines, one of the few universities to do so after President Bush said in August 2001 that only 78 already existing embryonic stem cell lines would be approved for research.
Head of the Pittsburgh Development Center Gerald Schatten applied for the grant, which was approved in April 2002. The development center, which is part of the Magee-Women's Research Institute at the University of Pittsburgh, received the cell lines from the University of California-San Francisco in September.
The Pittsburgh Development Center plans to focus on studying the basic biology of the cells, researching topics like what stem cell expresses what protein, as well as comparing the human embryonic stem cells to that of mice embryonic stem cells.
Source: U-Wire

Dying to Dodge Debts?

David Michael Venezia recently settled a civil court case for student loan fraud after attempting to fake his own death so he could avoid repaying student loans. The Boston University (BU) graduate is also alleged to have kept money he received for education, both from the U.S. Army as well as from the schools he attended.
A Massachusetts death certificate was submitted to clear Venezia's $23,000 in outstanding student loans. However, investigators discovered that the certificate claiming Venezia had died in a motorcycle accident in Canton on May 25, 1991, was for a woman who passed away Sept. 1991.
Prosecutors estimate Venezia had taken $32,911.98 from the government. Venezia obtained $17,000 from the Army Professional Development Program while receiving two education grants totaling $13,000 from BU.
Before attending BU's master's program, Venezia attended Brandeis University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Northeastern University between 1982 and 1989 when he received $23,000 in student loans.

Source: U-Wire

University of Arizona Student Kills Three

A University of Arizona nursing school student killed three instructors and then himself on the morning of Oct. 28. The university's medical complex was locked down while Tucson police and bomb squad officers searched the area for explosives.
Robert S. Flores Jr., 41, a man described by fellow students as "belligerent and potentially dangerous," was identified as the gunman. According to college officials, he was failing his course work. An alarm that he was depressed and capable of violence was raised over a year ago, but no subsequent action was taken, said the chief of the university's police force.
The three victims were Robin E. Rogers, Barbara Monroe and Cheryl McGaffic.
Flores, a licensed practical nurse, worked part time at the Southern Arizona Veterans Administration Health Care System. He was studying for a more advanced nursing degree.
Police worried about the possibility of explosives because a bomb dog responded to some substance in Flores' car. No explosives were found in the vehicle, however.

Source: The New York Times

As Financing is Cut, Public College Tuitions Rise

According to a College Board survey, tuitions at public colleges and universities increased almost 10 percent this year after government budget cuts. Tuition at private colleges and universities increased by almost six percent. Over the last decade, tuitions at both public and private institutions have increased 38 percent.
Approximately 75 percent of American undergraduate students attend public schools. As net family worth declines as tuitions increase, middle-class families have sought increasing amounts of financial aid.
Public colleges and universities, having the ability to increase tuition, are more at risk for budget cuts than elementary and secondary schools. Institutions are feeling the effects of stock market declines and negative economic forecasts that have cut revenues states collect from capital gains and income taxes. Endowment returns and donations to the schools are down, and the debt carried by public institutions is higher than ever.
While the price of tuition increases, the percentage of students paying full tuition is declining. Only eight percent of all college students pay full tuition. Much of the financial aid given, however, is in the form of student loans with the average college graduate's debt being $18,000. This amount is likely to increase with the financial trend facing public institutions.

Source: The New York Times