Ivy Watch: Economy Edition

News from around the Ivy League

Brown:
Missing Students Found
Kimberly Hays ’11 and Sophia Roy ’10 went to Trinidad for Spring Break were declared missing after they didn’t return home on their scheduled flight. The two are reported to be safe, although Steven Hays, the father of Kimberly, told the Daily Brown Herald that “one of them may have been drugged.” The FBI and State Department are looking into the matter.

UPDATE: Students Safe and Unharmed

Columbia:
Relay for Life Event Affected by Economic Downturn
Every year Columbia hosts the Relay for Life, an American Cancer Society event. But this year’s economic climate has affected the charities donations. Two years ago the event raised $92,000 and last year $72,000. As of April 2nd, the event had raised $46,254 which is roughly $2,000 less than the same time last year.

Cornell:
Shrinking Economy Forces Cuts
Although Cornell University has had plans to reorganize and increase the efficiency of the Alumni Affairs and Development (AAD) Office for about 18 months, the economic crisis has quickened the necessity of implementing them. Out of 76 positions eliminated from the AAD, 41 were layoffs. The AAD is in charge of fundraising for the University.

Dartmouth:
New Invention May Save American Lives in Iraq
Jacob Jurmain ’08 is working on a device that has the potential, he claims, to reduce roadside bomb casualties in Iraq by more than 50 percent. The device would extend from the front of a Humvee, for instance, and have the capability to set off roadside bombs. Three years ago, Jurmain worked on a project for the Department of Defense in which he helped create “a robot prototype that allows emergency responders to dispose of hazardous material easily and quickly.”

Harvard:
Matt Lauer to Address Senior Class
It was announced yesterday by the Harvard Senior Class Committee that Matt Lauer will address the class of 2009. The host for the Today Show received mixed reviews from Harvard students. Some felt the decision was wise considering Lauer’s experience and involvement in current events. Others hoped that a more satirical speaker would have been chosen. The speech is usually a light-hearted and comical castoff for the graduating class.

University of Pennsylvania:
The Demise of the Rejection Letter
For the first time this year UPENN will not send out rejection letters to students unless they have not logged in online to see their admission status. The new policy will be “green” and help the university save money. Yale and MIT have also initiated a paperless rejection letter policy.

Yale:
Koh Angers Conservatives
The New York Post reported last month that Yale Law School Dean, Harold Koh, made comments in support of incorporating Shariah law in the U.S. court system. While the accuracy of Koh’s comments is still unverified, some conservative pundits like Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck have attacked him. Others like Ed Whelan, however, cautioned that critics should refrain from attacking Koh until his true remarks can be verified.