Sometimes there are just too many stories to critique, share, and embed... Here's what I've been reading/watching:

Free Tuition Is Not the Answer

In an opinion piece for the New York Times that's surely meant to ensure the survival of a really expensive higher education institution, Vassar College's president makes the case against free tuition for all. Sorry, I'm not buying it. Fundamentally altering the funding structures for higher education so that people aren't saddled with enormous debts seems to be a more worthwhile goal than trying to obfuscate the free tuition conversation with net price details and a thinly veiled sense of private education elitism.

Student Suspended From Colorado College for Social Media Posts Speaks Out

A student at Colorado College has been suspended for two years due to a comment on Yik Yak post. While the facts of the matter are largely protected by FERPA, if what the student posted on Yik Yak was what led to his suspension then we should all be troubled. What he posted was idiotic, but the punishment/sanction seems to have been amplified/exaggerated due to the fact that his comment was posted on an extremely controversial geosocial mobile anonymous app.

Social Media Is Hurting Fraternities, Frat Lobby Claims

As evidenced by myriad examples of abysmal behavior by fraternities this year that ended up being shared on social media, I would say that social media isn't hurting fraternities...fraternities are hurting fraternities...as in fraternity culture is the problem. Social media just lets everyone else in on what has apparently been happening for quite some time. For example, check out r/Frat, the subreddit that I wrote about a couple of months ago for a sense of why social media isn't really the primary issue with fraternities.

Thoughts on ACPA/NASPA Technology Competency Area

Joe Sabado consistently shares important insights about the profession. His latest essay is an excellent read on the new ACPA/NASPA technology competency. The technology competency is a major step forward for Student Affairs and Sabado asks some key questions in his post.

Season's Greetings

This is a beautiful drone video from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. While the snow in the air might be an "after effect," the snow blanketing the campus is absolutely real.





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