Student Union
- By Pete Musto
Campus Computer Systems Seek Upgrade
While STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — is a top choice of study and career paths at U.S. colleges and universities, many schools are not keeping their campus computer networks up to speed.
Research suggests it is becoming routine for the schools to limit their spending on information technology, or IT.
In October, the Campus Computing Project, which studies how American higher education uses IT, reported that two-thirds of IT offices among 242 public and private schools across the country said they faced budget cuts recently. The schools polled did not provide financial support to recover from the cuts.
More than 79 percent of those leaders questioned said budget cuts made it difficult for them to keep their employees from seeking jobs elsewhere.
Kenneth Green, founding director of the Campus Computing Project, checked off the reasons that maintaining campus IT is so important: Students often visit a college or university first on its website. Professors use technology to share educational materials and connect with other educators. Schools use online databases to collect information about their students. And, students use the internet to research, register for classes, and pay for their education.
Green said budget issues, especially at public education institutions, are to blame because the schools depend on public money and many state governments reduced spending on higher education in the past decade. And while the U.S. economy has improved, an increase in financial support for higher education has not followed, he added.
"We have this … exploding demand for … more wireless services, for instructional support in the classroom and online courses, for user support," including IT security, Green said. But "not enough money to do all of that very well."
"At a college or university, you have … competing groups saying, 'Over here, over here! We need money to do this.' And … leadership has to make some hard choices."
Many schools have chosen funding administrative jobs on their respective campuses at the expense of IT, according to Alan McQuinn, with the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a nonprofit research group not involved in the Campus Computing Project study.
A 2017 George Mason University study found that schools added a large number of administrative employees between 2001 and 2011, increasing 50 percent faster than the number of classroom teachers added during the same period.
IT products and services can reduce operating costs, McQuinn said, because technology can replace human tasks, like recordkeeping, document preparation and standard funding requests.
"One of the major problems that we see here is that different institutions are treating IT as a cost center rather than a strategic investment that can pay off … to both students and their administrative body in terms of efficiency, in terms of better learning environments, and definitely in terms of security," he said.
The Campus Computing Project's Kenneth Green said schools need to get a better picture of how well their IT services are operating. His study found that only about 20 of 242 colleges and universities have a process to examine the benefits of technology on their campuses.
"We talk about the power … of technology," Green said, "but it's still the case that a lot of the decision-making is done with opinion or epiphany. We don't do a good job, at least in the United States, about gathering evidence and doing research about our investments in technology."
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Trump administration opens antisemitism inquiries at 5 colleges, including Columbia and Berkeley
The Trump administration is opening new investigations into allegations of antisemitism at five U.S. universities including Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley, the Education Department announced Monday.
It's part of President Donald Trump's promise to take a tougher stance against campus antisemitism and deal out harsher penalties than the Biden administration, which settled a flurry of cases with universities in its final weeks. It comes the same day the Justice Department announced a new task force to root out antisemitism on college campuses.
In an order signed last week, Trump called for aggressive action to fight anti-Jewish bias on campuses, including the deportation of foreign students who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.
Along with Columbia and Berkeley, the department is now investigating the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University and Portland State University. The cases were opened using the department's power to launch its own civil rights reviews, unlike the majority of investigations, which stem from complaints.
Messages seeking comment were left with all five universities.
A statement from the Education Department criticized colleges for tolerating antisemitism after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and a wave of pro-Palestinian protests that followed. It also criticized the Biden administration for negotiating "toothless" resolutions that failed to hold schools accountable.
"Today, the Department is putting universities, colleges, and K-12 schools on notice: this administration will not tolerate continued institutional indifference to the wellbeing of Jewish students on American campuses," said Craig Trainor, the agency's acting assistant secretary for civil rights.
The department didn't provide details about the inquiries or how it decided which schools are being targeted. Presidents of Columbia and Northwestern were among those called to testify on Capitol Hill last year as Republicans sought accountability for allegations of antisemitism. The hearings contributed to the resignation of multiple university presidents, including Columbia's Minouche Shafik.
An October report from House Republicans accused Columbia of failing to punish pro-Palestinian students who took over a campus building, and it called Northwestern's negotiations with student protesters a "stunning capitulation."
House Republicans applauded the new investigations. Representative Tim Walberg, chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, said he was "glad that we finally have an administration who is taking action to protect Jewish students."
Trump's order also calls for a full review of antisemitism complaints filed with the Education Department since Oct. 7, 2023, including pending and resolved cases from the Biden administration. It encourages the Justice Department to take action to enforce civil rights laws.
Last week's order drew backlash from civil rights groups who said it violated First Amendment rights that protect political speech.
The new task force announced Monday includes the Justice and Education departments along with Health and Human Services.
"The Department takes seriously our responsibility to eradicate this hatred wherever it is found," said Leo Terrell, assistant attorney general for civil rights. "The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is the first step in giving life to President Trump's renewed commitment to ending anti-Semitism in our schools."
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STEM, business top subjects for international students
The Times of India breaks down the most popular subjects for international students to study in the U.S.
STEM and business lead the pack. Read the full story here. (January 2025)
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Safety and visa difficulties among misconceptions about US colleges
U.S. News & World report addresses some of the misconceptions about U.S. colleges and universities, including the difficulty of getting a visa.
Read the full story here. (January 2025)
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Work opportunities help draw international students to US schools
US News & World Report details the three top factors in foreign students' decision to study in the U.S. They include research opportunities and the reputation of U.S. degrees. Read the full story here. (December 2024)
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British student talks about her culture shock in Ohio
A British student who did a year abroad at Bowling Green State University in Ohio talks about adjusting to life in America in a TikTok video, Newsweek magazine reports.
Among the biggest surprises? Portion sizes, jaywalking laws and dorm room beds.
Read the full story here. (December 2024)
