Arizona Wants G-Rated Professors; Stanford Scores Six Billion with Fundraiser

Skip Detention, Go Directly to “Fired.” Arizona’s State Senate has proposed a bill that would suspend instructors at public schools who engage in speech or conduct that would violate FCC standards—obscenity, indecency, or profanity—without pay for a week. The consequence gets worse with each occurrence: two weeks for the second and expulsion for the third offense. This bill would affect all public schools in Arizona if passed, from elementary school through state colleges and universities. Neither a context for when or how this would be enforced was provided in the bill. [Huffington Post]

Fighting Sioux to Fight for “Racist Moniker.” The University of North Dakota is petitioning to keeping its school mascot, the “Fighting Sioux,” by holding a statewide vote. Most schools changed mascots while a few got permission from the respective tribes to keep them after the NCAA issued new sanctions, which UND is protesting. One of the state’s Sioux tribes has approved the existence of the nickname, but the other has declined to say either way. A fight that has been going on and off for seven years might be reaching its zenith, as university officials and the state Board of Higher Education debate whether they should go to court over the issue. [Press of Atlantic City]

Education Campaign Makes Bank. Stanford University brought in $6.2 billion through a five-year fund-raising campaign called “The Stanford Challenge.” It is the largest sum ever collected in a single campaign by a higher-education institution, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. The money will be used to renovate campus buildings, provide $250 million in need-based, undergraduate scholarships, and fund staff endowments and graduate fellowships. The challenge’s goal was a mere $4.3 billion but, because of some $50 million donations from Silicon Valley executives, the school was able to push well past their goal. [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

The DREAM Keeps Expanding. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn announced that the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) would be extending scholarships for Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Fund Commission. The Illinois DREAM Act, signed in law in August, works to provide scholarships for undocumented immigrant and first-generation students and this commission from the ICIRR will help it reach more aspiring college students. Quinn also vowed to donate $1,000 to the scholarship fund. [Windy City Media Group]

Jeff Raines is a journalism intern with Campus Progress. You can follow him on Twitter @Jeff_Raines.

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