Legislative Offer Would Ease Sudan’s Removal From Terror List

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Two U.S. lawmakers who sit on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations are offering a compromise with the Trump administration that would clear the way to remove Sudan from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. The U.S. State Department has already reached an agreement with Sudan that would provide for Khartoum to financially compensate victims of deadly 1998 and 2000 terror attacks in Africa and the Middle East in exchange for removal of the list and the restoration of its sovereign immunity. However, some U.S. legislators are threatening to block the deal because it would prevent families of the victimsmore

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Young Bernie Sanders Supporters Wait for Reward

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Young people who avidly supported Senator Bernie Sanders for president before he urged them to vote for Democratic former Vice President Joe Biden in the November 3 election are waiting to see what rewards Sanders might reap.“I thought that was a really good show of leadership back in March or so, and I’d love for him to just keep being a figurehead on some of these major progressive legislative actions going forward,” said Peter Ditzler, a senior at Temple University in Philadelphia, who was the co-leader of Temple for Bernie.Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont, is an advocate for themore

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UN Official: Sudan Needs World’s Support in Transition to Democracy

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A U.N. official says Sudan is at a critical juncture as it transitions to a democracy and needs the support of the international community to overcome its myriad economic challenges.Rosemary DiCarlo, U.N. undersecretary-general for political and peacebuilding affairs on Sudan and South Sudan, addressed the Security Council on Tuesday in New York via teleconference.“[Sudan] can move forward decisively in its transition, but that progress can still be derailed by the many challenges it faces. It is incumbent on all of us to support Sudan in its efforts to achieve democratic governance, economic prosperity and an inclusive society for all Sudanese,”more

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If It’s 3:30 a.m., It Must Be Time for Online Class

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It’s 3:30 a.m. It’s almost time for class.I take a moment to stare into my pitch-black room. I always set my alarm 30 minutes before class starts so I don’t oversleep. Sometimes I hit the snooze button to get an extra 10 minutes of rest.After a few minutes, I get up and slowly open my door. I tiptoe to the kitchen to get a glass of water, careful not to wake my sleeping family members.As I click the link into the Zoom classroom, my professor greets everyone with a “Good afternoon.” It’s 2 p.m. in Virginia, but 4 a.m. inmore

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Young Saudis Grapple With Life-Altering COVID-19

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Ethar Fahad, a young legal specialist in Saudi Arabia, was dumbfounded when COVID-19 infected her family.   “I didn’t believe it at first,” said the 26-year-old, whose mother and sister caught it before she did and all fell seriously ill with the fever and lethargy, the standard symptoms of COVID. “We were joking around about it … but then we started to fall down, one after the other.”  Saudi Arabia shut quickly and broadly in April in a nationwide lockdown. Only essential businesses were open, and citizens were prohibited from going beyond their neighborhoods.  “We felt very uncomfortable at first. Wemore

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US Schools Confront ‘Off the Rails’ Numbers of Failing Grades

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The first report cards of the school year are arriving with many more Fs than usual in a dismal sign of the struggles students are experiencing with distance learning. American school districts from coast to coast have reported the number of students failing classes has risen by as many as two or three times — with English language learners and disabled and disadvantaged students suffering the most. “It was completely off the rails from what is normal for us, and that was obviously very alarming,” said Erik Jespersen, principal of Oregon’s McNary High School, where 38% of grades in late October weremore

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US Universities Ask for $120 Billion During Prolonged Pandemic

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Colleges and universities are asking congressional leaders to appropriate $120 billion toward higher education to offset “massive new expenses” because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.“The situation currently facing America’s colleges and universities is a crisis of almost unimaginable magnitude,” said a letter signed by Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, on behalf of dozens of higher education groups. “Colleges and universities have already pushed their financial capacities to the limits in addressing this crisis.”Mitchell described the efforts by colleges and universities to adapt to the crisis as Herculean “… so that we can educate our students safely,more

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Sweden Closes High Schools to Stem COVID-19

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Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven announced Thursday that high schools would switch to distance learning beginning Monday through early January to slow the rate of COVID-19 infections in the country. Lofven made the announcement at a Stockholm news conference alongside Swedish Education Minister Anna Ekstrom. He said he hoped the move would have a “breaking effect” on the rate of COVID-19 infections. He added it was not intended to extend the Christmas break for students and he said he was putting his trust in them that they would continue to study from home. The distance learning will be in effect until January 6.Peoplemore

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South Korea to Hold College Entrance Test Amid Pandemic ‘Third Wave’

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As nearly a half-million South Korean students prepare to take an all-important college entrance examination later this week, health and education officials are stepping up efforts to prevent test sites from becoming coronavirus hotspots.  On Thursday, much of South Korea will quiet down as students in their third and final year of high school complete a test that is widely seen as having an oversized impact on one’s academic, professional and even marital prospects. Officials say that roughly 490,000 people have applied for this year’s one and only College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), better known in Korean as the suneung.more

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Political Rancor Feels Old to America’s Youth

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Young people watching the rancor between political parties and among average Americans say they do not expect it to get better anytime soon.“No one seems to want to listen to the other side, and it’s halting any possible progress that could be made otherwise in terms of finding out how best to run the country and what would make the most people happy,” said Christopher Charles Laverde, 22, who writes for the popular anime YouTube channel We the Celestials.  Among Gen Zers (18 to 24 years old), three-quarters said they felt the United States is more divided than before, accordingmore

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Political Rancor Feels Old to Young in US

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Young people watching the rancor between political parties and among average Americans say they do not expect it to get better anytime soon.“No one seems to want to listen to the other side, and it’s halting any possible progress that could be made otherwise in terms of finding out how best to run the country and what would make the most people happy,” said Christopher Charles Laverde, 22, who writes for the popular anime YouTube channel We the Celestials.  Among Gen Zers (18 to 24 years old), three-quarters said they felt the United States is more divided than before, accordingmore

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Vanderbilt Kicker Becomes First Woman to Play US College Football in Major Conference

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Sarah Fuller was playing around with a teammate a couple months ago when she kicked a soccer ball through the uprights from 45 yards away. She joked about being able to kick a football with teammates during the Southeastern Conference soccer tournament.On Saturday, she made history.Fuller became the first woman to participate in a major conference football game when she kicked off for Vanderbilt to start the second half at Missouri, a moment that may take some time to soak in for her.”I just think it’s incredible that I am able to do this, and all I want to domore

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Student Journalists on Front Lines of COVID-19 Coverage 

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College student journalists have been at the forefront of university COVID-19 coverage, breaking news stories about campus outbreaks and holding university leadership accountable for its handling of the pandemic.But COVID-19 has been a challenge for students, too, as many college papers have had to maintain virtual newsrooms, cut back print editions, and struggle to build rapport among their remote teams.Student newspapers have offered a unique inside scoop about how students are navigating the pandemic.“We know of student hospitalizations that the university doesn’t because they have to be self-reported to the university,” said Eli Hoff, managing editor for the University ofmore

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Colleges Closing Quickly as COVID-19 Cases Rise

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As the Thanksgiving holiday looms, more colleges and universities in the United States continue to abruptly shut down their campuses for the remainder of the fall semester because of increased COVID-19 cases across the country.  At the beginning of the COVID-19 shutdown last spring, colleges and universities scrambled to respond to the pandemic and keep students safe. A George Mason University (GMU) study found that three-quarters of 575 colleges with more than 5,000 students had moved courses online, discouraged campus housing, canceled travel, closed campuses, and worked remotely.  That study, published October 16, analyzed actions colleges had made between Februarymore

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US Rhodes Scholars Chosen Virtually for 1st Time

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The U.S. Rhodes Scholars for 2021 were elected virtually this year for the first time as the coronavirus pandemic swept across the globe, though that didn’t extinguish enthusiasm among the 32 students who won scholarships to Oxford University.The Rhodes Trust announced the winners early Sunday, which include 22 students of color. Ten are Black, which ties the record for the most Black students elected in a single year. Nine are first-generation Americans or immigrants, according to the Rhodes Trust press release.  Shera Avi-Yonah, a 22-year-old Harvard University student, said she found out about her win Saturday night while she wasmore

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China-Sensitive Topics at US Universities Draw More Online Harassment

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Last week, students at Brandeis University hosted an online discussion about China’s controversial Xinjiang policies, hearing experts discuss the detention, abuse and political indoctrination of more than 1 million Uighurs and other Muslim minorities.But as Uighur attorney and advocate Rayhan Asat appeared before the student group last Friday, her screen was taken over as hackers wrote “fake news” and “liar” on it.For some participants, the hacking was unwelcome but unsurprising.James Millward, a professor at Georgetown University and a prominent Xinjiang scholar, told VOA that the group had been warned about a potential interruption beforehand.He said some letters had been writtenmore

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Millennial Life: Eat, Sleep, Work, Screens

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Would you give up nearly a decade of your life looking at your cellphone?Calculated by today’s usage, the average person spends a little over 76,500 hours – or 8.74 years – on a smartphone over a lifetime, according to a FILE – Marilu Rodriguez checks a news website on her smartphone before boarding a train home at the end of her workweek in Chicago, March 13, 2015.This widespread usage of smartphones has sparked worries among teens themselves, with 54% of U.S. teens saying they spend too much time on their phones. And 52% have also reported trying to take stepsmore

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Wealthy California Couple Receive Prison Terms in College Admissions Scandal

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A wealthy California couple was sentenced to prison time on Tuesday after admitting they paid $250,000 to fraudulently help their daughter gain admission to the University of Southern California as a volleyball recruit.Diane Blake, the co-founder of a retail merchandising company, and Todd Blake, an entrepreneur and investor, were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Nathaniel Gorton in Boston to six weeks and to four months in prison, respectively.They are among 57 people charged in relation to a vast scheme in which wealthy parents conspired with California college admissions consultant William “Rick” Singer to fraudulently secure spots for their children atmore

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More Universities to Close After Thanksgiving 

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As COVID-19 cases surge around the U.S., more universities and colleges plan to move all classes online after Thanksgiving break in late November, while others say they will allow students to return to campus. FILE – Students wait in line at a testing site for the COVID-19 set up for returning students, faculty and staff on the main campus of New York University (NYU) in Manhattan in New York City, Aug. 18, 2020.”By requiring all students to test negative before leaving, we are implementing a smart, sensible policy that protects students’ families and hometown communities and drastically reduces the chances ofmore

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Former Harvard Coach, Dad Charged in Latest Admission Scheme

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A former Harvard University fencing coach and a Maryland businessman have been arrested and charged with conspiring to circumvent the school’s admissions process, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston.Peter Brand, 67, a former Harvard fencing coach who was fired in 2019, is alleged to have taken more than $1.5 million in bribes to get the sons of Maryland businessman Jie “Jack” Zhao, 61, into Harvard by recruiting them to the school’s fencing team.In 2013, Zhao, who runs a telecommunications company, allegedly donated more than $1 million to a fencing charity run by Brand. That same year, one ofmore

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New International Student Enrollment Falls 43% in the US

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COVID-19 has drastically cut international student participation in U.S. colleges and universities, punctuating three years of declining enrollment tied to costs, immigration barriers and perceived chaos in American society.Fewer Foreign Students Enrolling in US College and UniversitiesAnnual Open Doors report of international students in US shows increase in total international enrollment from previous year, but a decrease in new international student enrollmentIn the school year that began three months ago, new enrollment of international students dropped 43% because of COVID-19. Nearly 40,000 students — mostly incoming freshmen — have deferred enrollment at 90% of U.S. institutions to a future term. The data were compiled and reported bymore

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Ivy League Cancels Winter Sports Because of COVID-19

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The Ivy League became the first Division I conference this year to cancel all winter sports, including men’s and women’s basketball.   The decision Thursday came 13 days before the scheduled start of the college basketball season. The league had decided this past summer, when it canceled fall sports, not to allow any of its sports to start play before early December.   “Regrettably, the current trends regarding transmission of the COVID-19 virus and subsequent protocols that must be put in place are impeding our strong desire to return to intercollegiate athletics competition in a safe manner,” the Ivy Leaguemore

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Harvard Cleared of Racial Bias in Admissions

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Harvard does not discriminate against Asian American applicants, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday in a decision that offers relief to other colleges that consider race in admissions but also sets the stage for a potential review by an increasingly conservative U.S. Supreme Court.The decision came from two judges on the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston who rejected claims from an anti-affirmative action group that accused the Ivy League university of imposing a “racial penalty” on Asian Americans. The judges upheld a previous ruling clearing Harvard of discrimination when choosing students.It delivers a blow to the suit’smore

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