Duke increases sleep-in time for students
Duke University recently announced that it will be eliminating the8 a.m. class block. The change is a result of the school's attemptto ease the burden from the shoulders of its sleep-deprivedstudents.
College students throughout the country have been getting fewerand fewer hours of sleep. Today, the average student sleeps anaverage of six to seven hours per night, down from seven to sevenand a half hours per night in the 1980s.
James Clack, Duke's Director of Counseling and PsychologicalServices, said students should be receiving at least nine hours ofsleep to maximize academic performance.
Duke is considering other plans to increase healthy behavioramong its student body. The school has tentative plans to conductindividual health assessments and set individual goals fornutrition, exercise, and appropriate sleeping patterns.
Transgender students remain unprotected in Calif. schooldistrict
The head of the California Department of Education said Monday thata school district's policy regarding discrimination based on"perceived gender" was legal despite bypassing state-mandatedprotections.
The Westminster School District in Orange County, California hadrefused to adopt the state's antidiscrimination policy intended toprotect transgender students, claiming it was immoral.
Officials had warned the district that it could lose up to $10million in state funding if it refused to comply with the policy.The Department of Education's decision spares the district fromlosing the funding.
In a letter to the district's board president, SuperintendentJack O'Connell said he is concerned the district's policy indicatesan unwillingness to accept the state's mandate.
"In fact, it appears the district may intend to deny protectionfrom discrimination and harassment to a class of students that thelaw clearly protects," O'Connell said.
Harvard Law to expand its fight for racial equality
After a week-long celebration focused on the 50th anniversary ofthe Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court ruling, Harvard LawSchool (HLS) announced yesterday the formation of a program aimedat promoting racial justice.
The Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice isscheduled to begin operations sometime in the fall of 2005.
While the details of the Institute's day-to-day operations areunclear, it will support research, organize conferences and offerpolicy analysis pertaining to race and justice, with emphasis onvoting rights, affirmative action and criminal justice.
The Institute is named in honor of the 1922 HLS graduate who wasinstrumental in legal battles that predated the Brown decision.
Compiled from CNN.com and The Harvard Crimson.
