ANAAY, Yale College Council propose making Indigenous Peoples’ Day an official Yale holiday [Yale Daily News]

The flava:


While student groups like the Association of Native Americans at Yale and the Yale College Council participated in virtual celebrations in honor of Indigenous People’s Day on Monday, notably absent in the holiday’s acknowledgement was the University itself.

The commemorative holiday is held on the second Monday of October. The day is traditionally known as Columbus Day, a federal holiday which marks the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas. But many towns and states have abandoned Columbus Day in favor of honoring the history and contributions of Indigenous peoples, pointing to Columbus’ historical role in perpetuating violence and genocide against Indigenous peoples.

The article:

https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2020/10/13/anaay-yale-college-council-propose-making-indigenous-peoples-day-an-official-yale-holiday/

12-year-old genius on soaring through college: 'I just grasp information quickly' [WINK]

The flava:

Whip-smart kids apply every year to Georgia Tech. But no one like Caleb Anderson. He’s 12 years old.

“I’m not really smart,” he told correspondent Mark Strassmann. “I just grasp information quickly. So, if I learn quicker, then I get ahead faster.”

This elite engineering school fell over itself recruiting him. Caleb saw the labs, and met the school’s president, Ángel Cabrera.

Thank you.

Thanks for the kind and unexpected emailed greetings over this Columbus Day / Indigenous Peoples’ Day weekend.

Be well, everybody.

--Zooze

University of Texas professor charged with five counts of possession of child pornography [Austin American-Statesman]

The flava:
A University of Texas professor has been charged with five counts of possession of child pornography after investigators said he was exchanging child porn photos and videos to a woman in Tennessee, according to an arrest affidavit.

Mario Villarreal, 49, of Round Rock, was charged with five counts of possession of child pornography, a third-degree felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Villarreal is managing director at the Salem Center for Policy at UT’s McComb’s School of Business, according to his social media and the school’s website.

The article:
https://www.statesman.com/news/20201005/university-of-texas-professor-charged-with-five-counts-of-possession-of-child-pornography

Former tech CEO gets home confinement for bribing son's way into Georgetown University [CBS News]

The flava:
A former technology executive was sentenced Monday to one year of home confinement for paying $300,000 to bribe his son's way into Georgetown University as a tennis recruit, even though the son did not play tennis.


Peter Dameris, of Pacific Palisades, California, appeared before a Boston federal court judge via video because of the coronavirus pandemic. He pleaded guilty in June to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. His sentence also included a $95,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

Prosecutors had recommended a sentence of 21 months of home confinement along with a fine of $95,000. Dameris' lawyers asked for probation only, saying he deserved leniency to help care for a son who has leukemia.

U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns said he took the medical considerations into account in the sentence, along with an "outpouring" of support from friends and family members who submitted letters to the court.

"I really feel for your family, and I understand your anguish," Stearns told Dameris. "You have lived a good life, and I believe you deserve some reward for that."

The article:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/peter-dameris-georgetown-university-admissions-bribe-home-confinement/

Friday, October 2, 2020

Colleges Learn How to Suppress Coronavirus: Extensive Testing [NYTimes]

The flava:
In rural Iowa, just one of the 875 students on Cornell College’s campus has tested positive for the coronavirus this semester. At Amherst College in Massachusetts, the number of undergraduate virus cases has been a bit higher: three.

And Colby College’s rigorous measures have so thoroughly contained the virus that students like Logan Morrione can wander on and off the Waterville, Maine, campus, attend most classes in person and even do without masks in some social situations — privileges that students elsewhere can only dream of.

The article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/us/colleges-coronavirus-success.html