College Shorts

Fraud Schemes Obtain $700,000 From Student Aid (Huffington Post)

21 people in California have been charged with fraud for attempting to steal federal college funding for nonexistent students. U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California Benjamin B. Wagner and Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Education Kathlenn Tighe announced on Tuesday, Sept. 18 that seven fraud schemes allegedly collected $770,000 in federal student aid. Such schemes typically prey on community colleges with online class options, where students receiving federal money may be more anonymous.

“Federal student aid exists so that individuals can make their dream of a higher education a reality, not for criminals to use as a personal slush fund,” said Inspector General Tighe.

 

Police Arrest Suspect For Phony Bomb Threat at LSU (Huffington Post)

On Monday, Sept. 17, an anonymous 911 phone call was made claiming that three bombs on the Louisiana State University (LSU) campus would detonate within the next two hours. Thousands of people were evacuated from campus, and students were only allowed to return to dormitories late Monday night. The police tracked down a suspect, William Bouvay Jr., 42, who admitted to making the calls upon questioning. He was taken into custody Tuesday night and, according to authorities, will be charged with communicating false information of a planned bombing, possibly along with other charges.

LSU Police Captain Cory Lalonde said that the police do not currently believe there is any connection between this threat and the bomb threats made that week at other universities — the University of Texas, North Dakota State University and Hiram College.

 

Chancellor of UNC Chapel Hill Steps Down (The Chronicle of Higher Education)

On Monday, Sept. 17, Holden Thorpe, the chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, announced that he will resign at the end of the academic year. This decision is widely viewed as a result of several controversies that occurred while he was in office and the pressure of serious public scrutiny. Just last week, the campus’ fundraiser Matt Kupec resigned following accusations that he and another employee used campus funds for their personal vacation. UNC Chapel Hill also suffered several controversies with the athletics program while Mr. Thorpe was in office. Thorpe has served as chancellor for four years, and now plans to return to his previous faculty position in the chemistry department. Several faculty members have expressed sorrow at his resignation.