Campus vandalism has become extremely costly for colleges and universities. Most vandalism occurs on weekends and during special events and is committed by both students and outsiders. Its results affect the entire campus community, either immediately or in increased costs. Successful preventive measures include penalties, police patrols, and good…

Pennsylvania's 10-year-old system of 14 state-owned universities has focused on increasing the stature and character of individual institutions, limited centralization, and fostered cohesion and cooperation rather than competition, particularly in difficult economic conditions. (MSE)

Colleges and universities, once largely homogeneous communities, are being transformed by the new diversity of their populations, and sense of community is endangered by racial and ethnic grouping. "Emancipatory knowledges" (critical, feminist, postcolonial views of community) provide a framework and language for building a community…

This article offers information and suggestions to administrators on dealing with cults on college campuses. Reasons why students are vulnerable to cults as well as cult recruitment techniques and ways to help students make informed choices are considered. Print, organizational, and videotape resources are identified. (DB)

Assessments of campus climates can be difficult and be accomplished by several methods, according to purpose. However, a well-designed survey can yield comprehensive and substantive data about the characteristics of people in the institution, workings of programs and policies, and interaction of these elements to inform institutional decision…

Twenty-seven key resources for understanding, researching, and managing organizational climates and cultures are cited and described. The articles, books, and monographs reflect a relatively recent wave of interest in culture as a tool for understanding organizational settings. (Author/MSE)

The charge that there is thought control and intimidation in the college classroom must be examined more closely. There are times when politics overtakes "correctness" on the campus, but it is more often the students intimidating the teachers, through choice of courses, than the other way around. (MSE)

This introduction to the special issue on student political activism and attitudes notes the importance of college student attitudes toward politics, education, and society in affecting campus politics, academic choices, and society. (MSE)

A discussion of volunteers on the college campus looks at research on volunteerism in the United States in general and on campuses in particular, and reviews literature on volunteer motivation, the college campus as a context for transmission of values, and the importance of mentors in development of humanitarian concern. (MSE)

Based on a study of the general education statements and course requirements of 322 colleges/universities, describes 4 types of curricula--the diverse, personalized/individual, integrative curricula, and interdisciplinary core/major dominated programs. Ties each type to institutional characteristics, faculty teaching practices, and student…

By focusing more on the educational values of community life and development of the whole student, as exemplified in the tradition of residential colleges, educators can help make the modern U.S. university more student centered, building characters and sharpening minds. (MSE)

A study integrated the major propositions of 2 theories of college persistence (Tinto's and Bean's) and used the resulting framework to survey a population of 466 first-year college students at 1 university. Findings supported most of the hypothesized links between the models and revealed a complex role for environmental factors in retention.…

Sexual harassment in American higher education is currently a problem of ethics and morals rather than of law. Any meaningful remedy for the student victim must be created and implemented by the institution, because courts, legislatures, and administrative agencies do not offer a remedy to student victims of sexual harassment. (MSE)

Two new programs, European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students (ERASMUS) and European Community Action Program for Education and Training for Technology (COMETT), will allow for greater student and staff mobility. These programs need to be supported by adequate administrative structures. (MLW)

This paper suggests areas that need to be made implicit in developing the successful freshman seminar course including knowledge domains, acculturation, and metacognition. Literature on critical thinking, metacognition, and freshman seminars is brought together. (Author/MLW)