Notes in the Margins: Paper mills, private loans and Penn St.

Better Disclosure for Private Loans At a minimum, Congress should revisit the bankruptcy law. It should also pass a pending bill sponsored by two Democratic senators, Richard Durbin of Illinois and Tom Harkin of Iowa, that would require colleges and lenders to thoroughly explain borrowing options to students. It would also prevent unnecessary borrowing by requiring lenders to check with colleges to determine how much money students are eligible to receive. (The New York Times)

Study: MBA Programs Don't Connect Social Media Dots Facebook, Twitter, and other social sites play limited b-school admissions roles, a UMass survey says. (U.S. News & World Report)

How academic standards disappear A literature professor at a Washington-area college wasn’t surprised by my column last week on the terrible quality of college essays purchased on the Internet. She had suffered from the output of the paper mills and told me a story illustrating how bogus work sells even when it is bad. (The Washington Post)

UC Berkeley to offer free online classes through edX UC Berkeley announced it is joining the new online education website founded by Harvard and MIT that offers free, not-for-credit courses to a worldwide audience. The addition of UC Berkeley will give edX its first expansion into a prestigious public university and a foothold on the West Coast away from its Cambridge, Mass., base, officials said.

[image]

(Los Angeles Times)

Separate and Unequal: Changing Campus Culture Beyond Penn State So while the mob screams for another ounce of flesh from an already wounded Penn State, we should not let our collective indignation blind us to the systemic problems that that go hand in hand with our over-valuation of intercollegiate sport culture. (The Huffington Post)

Create a More Connected Minnesota

MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.