Student proposes rock wall at gym
The construction of a $70,000 to $100,000 rock wall has been proposed at Cousens Gymnasium. The TCU Senate pledged support for the project through a "tentative agreement" of $3,000 in upkeep costs throughout the year.
Senior Jonathan Jones began the effort as President of the Tufts Mountain Club (TMC) last year, and three underclassmen plan to continue the effort after his graduation.
Although no money has been raised yet, Jones has already spoken with University officials about the possibility of finding a potential donor or alumni to donate. "Tufts' current tight budget is causing us to be cautious," Jones said. He stressed the importance of raising funds at the appropriate time.
Staffing for the rock wall is also uncertain, although Jones proposed using trained TMC members or work study positions to supervise climbers. Meetings have also been held with the Athletics Department to determine possible locations and time to begin physical education classes on the wall.
Eight of the 11 NESCAC schools already have a climbing wall on campus.
Student database far from ready
A new report from the US Department of Justice charges that the Immigration and Nationalization Service (INS) is far behind on creating a database that would track all foreign students studying in the US.
The database, known as SEVIS, was supposed to be implemented by Jan. 1, but INS's schedule has now been pushed back to August. The program has not developed adequate measures to prevent fraud, the report alleges.
INS officials defended SEVIS, however, and said the new timetable was consistent with Congressional testimony from last year. "We disagree with the inspector general's conclusion that SEVIS isn't fully implemented as advertised," Christopher Bentley, a former spokesman for the INS, told The Chronicle of Higher Education.
The report recommends additional communication between the Department of Education and the Department of Homeland Security, which includes the INS.
Medical School freezes tuition
Tufts University School of Medicine has announced that its tuition will be frozen at $39,579 per year -- $40,094 including expenses -- for the 2003-2004 school year. The Medical School cited the already high cost of medical school for medical students. Currently, Tufts Medical School tuition is the highest in the United States.
Dr. Nicolaos Madias, Interim Dean of the Medical School told the Tufts Journal that the high cost of education at Tufts med school is the result of a low endowment and the lack of revenue from a school-owned hospital.
The high cost of a medical education "imposes a limitation on the pool of qualified candidates for admission," he told the Journal. "It progressively shifts the student body toward the offspring of the affluent; it influences our students' career choices; and it oppresses our graduates' lives as they launch their professional careers."
--compiled by Keith Barry and Jon Schubin
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