The current emphasis on education of transfer students is placing profound demands on community colleges. The transfer activity of both nontraditional and career-education students, the need to understand what is effective in transfer education, and financial commitment needed to achieve results produces academic, research, and public policy…

The University of North Carolina responded to escalating waste disposal costs and shrinking landfill space with a structured program of recycling, including a mobile recycling drop, student family housing recycling, a newspaper drop-off site, high-volume glass pick-up, high-volume newspaper pick-up, and cardboard recycling. Campus-wide cooperation…

Because school violence is not confined to cities, even rural administrators and board members have become legally responsible for addressing the issue. To prevent lawsuits and ensure school safety, districts must have an official policy, knowledge about potentially disruptive students, law enforcement liaisons, and inservice education for…

Based on the landmark "Gebser" Supreme Court decision, school officials may be held accountable when they are aware of alleged sexual misconduct involving a teacher and a student but fail to initiate corrective measures. Although districts have some latitude, they must follow guidelines and construct clear, enforceable policies. (MLH)

School officials have a moral and legal duty to preserve all students' safety and well-being while not trampling on the constitutional rights of students involved in disruptive behavior. Administrators must adopt defensible school policies, ensure parent understanding, observe due process, and exercise administrative authority in a reasonable…

Supreme Court decisions to date underscore school boards' responsibility to take action against on-campus sexual harassment. The high court will support employers who issue, communicate, and enforce policies prohibiting unlawful gender discrimination. Such policies need a clear "no tolerance" statement, detailed legal definitions, and a…

A group of selective liberal arts colleges will bar many of their athletic teams from postseason championships as of academic year 2001-02, following an eight-year experiment to see if postseason competition would fit into the colleges' missions. Factors in the decision include students missing examinations and increased tension with faculty over…

Female college professors feel pressure to plan childbirth for the summer because maternity policies don't accommodate mid-academic-year births and finding a substitute instructor may be difficult. A few institutions offer paid maternity leave. Wesleyan University (Connecticut) offers mothers and fathers the option of part-time pay for leave or…

School environments should foster both learning and self-esteem. Important elements in a good environment are acknowledging students and ensuring that they are accepted by others, having policies that support student growth, fostering student voice in decision making, offering opportunities for self-expression and self-exploration, and creating a…

Pressured by religious conservatives, Congress passed the Equal Access Act (1984), allowing secondary school students the right to form on-campus extracurricular religious and other clubs. Recently, a Gay-Straight Alliance Club at a southern California high school was granted court protection under this statute, despite the community's objections.…

Reports findings from the College Alcohol Study to help institutions develop intervention campaigns with binge drinking. Findings address the prevalence of binge drinking, the inadequacy of alcohol education alone, student support for tougher policies, the value of marginalizing the heaviest drinkers, the easy availability of low cost alcohol, the…

In a case involving use of physical force against a misbehaving eighth grader, a federal court judge concluded that the teacher's conduct did not violate the student's due-process rights, after applying the "shock the conscience" test. However, the case proceeded to trial, since district policy supported such force. (MLH)

Approximately 10% of school children will eventually come to identify themselves as gay or lesbian. Issues frequently confronting students include identity conflict, feelings of isolation and stigmatization, peer relationship problems, and family disruptions. School policies, curriculum, support services, and staff development are needed to create…

The 11th Circuit Court upheld a Georgia district's termination of an exemplary teacher who refused an immediate drug test after a police dog sniffed out a marijuana cigarette in her unlocked car. This case illustrates application of zero-tolerance policies to teachers and other personnel despite employees' signed contracts. (MLH)

Examines how data from student self-report surveys and other sources can be used to assess the weaknesses in current school iincidentreporting systems and improve the validity of surveillance data on school violence. Assesses the validity of data from Gun-Free Schools Act reports on the number of guns in school in light of nationally…