Study: High Mortality, Low Happiness Among Ivy Leaguers; 72 Arrested After Protesting Higher Ed Cuts

Deadly Ambition. A new study shows that students who are accepted into Ivy League and other top colleges tend to die young and live unhappy lives, relatively speaking. “Ambitious kids had higher education attainment, attended highly esteemed universities, worked in more prestigious occupations, and earned more,” said Timothy Judge, the study’s author. “But that doesn’t seem to translate into leading happier or healthier lives.” The individuals used in the study attended schools such as Harvard, Yale, Penn, Northwestern, and Oxford. Judge suggested that the results could indicate that the investments students make in their careers come at the expense of factors that affect longevity, such as healthy behaviors and stable relationships. [Huffington Post]

Students Strike Back. Cuts to public colleges in California are coming at a time when students are facing rising tuition costs, meaning they’re paying more for less—and they’re not happy about it. Thousands marched on the Golden State’s Capitol building earlier this week, flooding into the Capitol rotunda and leading to dozens of arrests. “They say cut back, we say fight back!” the protesting students chanted. Police have confirmed 72 arrests, 68 of which occurred inside the Capitol building. In addition to rallying inside the Capitol, some students brought the protest to lawmakers’ offices. The controversial cuts to higher education seem unavoidable, as several ballot initiatives have eradicated the state’s tax base, creating a major budget crisis. [LA Times]

Battle Over Pepper Spray Report. An Oakland, Calif., judge has blocked the release of a report that provided explicit details of an incident last year in which campus police used pepper spray on students at the University of California–Davis. The judge held that police officers deserve some level of protection from public scrutiny, after an attorney for the campus police union argued that the report could contain potentially damaging information about several officers. But students say that’s the point. “It’s upsetting, and it doesn’t give us much hope,” said Fatima Sbeih, a UC–Davis current involved in a lawsuit against the school over the incident. “This hasn’t really done much good for the students, the school or the faculty relationships we’re trying to rebuild.” The judge’s decision does not mark the end, but rather the beginning of a long legal fight to release the report. [Sacramento Bee]

No More Tran$fer Students? Are transfer students hurting public schools? One University of California–Los Angeles professor says they are, and that public colleges could benefit from accepting fewer transfers. Focusing on revenue, economics Professor Matthew Kahn argues that transfer students are far less likely to donate to their alma mater after graduating. Kahn suggests that UCLA and other public schools could increase their total endowment by accepting fewer transfers and more four-year students. “I think that future donations to UCLA would be much higher,” he reasons. “Loyalty takes time to build. If you spend 4 years in one place, you will have stronger roots to the community.” [Christian Science Monitor]

Graham White is a journalism intern for Campus Progress. You can follow him on Twitter @GrahamWhiteNY.

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