Welcome to the DailyDose of Higher Education from BreakDrink.com. This is the Thursday, November 1st edition and I’m Shawn Brackett filling in for Sue Caulfield.
“Former Penn State President Spanier Charged With Concealing Child Abuse”
http://chronicle.com/article/Graham-Spanier-Is-Charged-With/135510/ [story]
Our lead story this evening brings us back to State College, Pennsylvania, where the former president of Penn State, Graham Spanier, was charged with conspiring to cover up child abuse allegations. According to the Pennsylvania Attorney General, “This was a conspiracy of silence by top officials to actively conceal the truth.” Graham Spanier’s attorneys argue that he was unaware of the specific nature and extent of the allegations against Jerry Sandusky, the former football coach later convicted of 45 counts of molestation.
“Australia Proposes Law to Modify Privacy of Student and Staff Records”
http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/bd/bd1213a/13bd031 [bill]
The Australian Parliament has passed a law allowing its federal government to disclose information about students and staff to regulatory agencies and government contractors. While the bill awaits royal assent (the formal approval of legislation by Queen Elizabeth II), there are concerns that provisions of the bill would contradict the Privacy Act of 1988 and create a precedent of evaluating teaching performance based on credentials.
Lastly tonight,
“Gallaudet Diversity Officer Under Fire For Petition Signature”
Angela McCaskill, the chief diversity officer of Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., is taking heat for her signature on a petition advocating for Maryland’s same-sex marriage law to be voted upon. Gallaudet’s president placed McCaskill on administrative leave after it came out that she had signed the petition. At issue is how public university employees, especially those working in diversity and inclusion, are expected or allowed to voice their personal opinions outside of the workplace. McCaskill and Gallaudet are still in negotiations regarding her return.
That’s it for today; join us next week for another edition of the DailyDose.
