Examines the Commission of the European Communities' draft directive on database copyright. Components of the directive are discussed, including a definition of a database, databases protected as literary works under copyright law, piracy protection, fair use, and licensing requirements; and problems with the directive are described. (four…

Discusses legal implications of "Ex Corde Ecclesiae" and the Particular Norms issued by U.S. bishops. Addresses: (1) legal autonomy of Catholic colleges and universities; (2) changes resulting from adoption of "Ex Corde Ecclesiae"; (3) civil court challenges to the "mandatum" requirement; (4) other potential court…

Over the last several decades a number of strategies have emerged and evolved to promote gender equity in development efforts. Yet debates regarding the relative efficacy of these strategies remain. On Thursday, April 26, 2007, the Woodrow Wilson Center convened a group of experts on gender and development to address the issue of gender inequality…

This presentation was meant to identify for principals some of the issues surrounding the education of the handicapped by the use of questions and answers that include citations of selected federal court cases. Issues discussed include history of the education of the handicapped, problems related to handicapped student identification and testing…

The paper reviews the legal basis for interagency collaboration in providing services to the handicapped, notes the rationale for such an approach, and examines the obstacles encountered in an interagency intervention project for emotionally disturbed children and adolescents. The Cheltenham Project, an interdisciplinary approach featuring a…

Discusses the 1997 collapse of a balcony on a historic building at the University of Virginia, which resulted in a death and several injuries. Explores the balcony structure and cause of the collapse, any possibly preventative measures, and the resolution of legal proceedings resulting from the collapse. (EV)

The admissions decisions of a university are one of its four "essential freedoms," and the courts, as a general rule, defer to universities' judgments regarding academic decisions. In many cases, the courts have said that admissions standards cannot be high-handed, arbitrary, or formulated in bad faith, and they must fall within constitutionally…

Training in suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention is lacking in most counseling psychology training programs despite the likelihood of trainees encountering suicidal individuals in their careers. Part of the reluctance to address this issue may be due to the potential problems of incorporating training into existing counseling programs…

The central failure of conventional, or positivistic inquiry has been the inability to handle deception in research and the violation of societal ethics, moral and legal caused by such deception. Moral dimensions include tests for whether the research would be approved by reasonable persons, whether it might pass the test of publicity, and whether…

The events associated with the demise of a software firm (AXXESS, Inc.), which supplied a software package to higher education institutions are reviewed. Attention is directed to what was learned that might be of assistance to other colleges using or considering third party software. Some of the topics include: particular crises, legal…

Analysis of how the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) regulates college athletics outlines the organization's internal legislative process, examines current internal attempts to deregulate NCAA legislation, and looks at the future of such regulation in the face of organizational restructuring. The legislative process is seen as…

The school effectiveness movement stresses a safe and orderly learning environment for students. Concern for students' and parents' legal rights, coupled with recent criticism of school practices regarding corporal punishment, suspension, and expulsion, has spawned research into theoretical, practical, and legal implications related to pupil…

What transpires when an institution of higher education is the defendant in a class action suit charging prejudicial treatment of a minority group is summarized. A demonstration of how the plaintiffs can use the institution's own data to establish a prima facie case for disparate treatment is presented. (Author/MLW)

Areas of potential faculty liability are reviewed: evaluation of student performance, and liability for student work, for injuries to students, and as author or consultant. The emphasis is on faculty's efforts to control these aspects of their work. (MSE)

A recent case at a state university sought to challenge the notion that Directors of Forensics are empowered to make decisions that will govern tournament entries. A student who had been doing extremely well in forensics, but was causing some difficulties in the program was admonished for her behavior. The student's debate tournament participation…