Notes in the Margins: Spies, lacrosse and skipping remedial classes

FBI: U.S. Colleges Infected by Foreign Spies Hearkening back to Cold War anxieties, growing signs of spying on U.S. universities are alarming national security officials. As schools become more global in their locations and student populations, their culture of openness and international collaboration makes them increasingly vulnerable to theft of research conducted for the government and industry. (Bloomberg Businessweek via University Business)

Santa Monica College trustees postpone two-tier fee plan Proposal to offer classes in core courses such as English, math and history at a cost of about $180 per unit will get further study. It had sparked protests and a pepper-spraying incident. Santa Monica College reversed course Friday, canceling a two-tier fee program that had sparked student protests, opposition from the state's community colleges chancellor and national debate about the mission of public institutions.

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 (Los Angeles Times)

Donors to Romney super PAC have ties to for-profit colleges The donations come as the industry grapples with unprecedented federal scrutiny from Washington. (USA Today)

Connecticut May Let College Students Skip Remedial Classes Remedial help may be bundled into regular college-level courses under a new bill in the state Senate. (U.S. News & World Report)

Colleges use lacrosse to recapture suburban students Midwestern liberal arts colleges add lacrosse programs to hold on to a demographic that presidents say is central to the institutions' identities. (USA Today)

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