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"Some college administrators seem so distracted with fund raising, academic infighting, and community initiatives that they set up their emergency communications departments very poorly. Training is poor to nonexistent, secretaries are pressed into service with tremendous responsibilities for running 'notification systems' 24/7 and on weekends because no one else knows how to do it and the administration won’t pay for additional staff. Procedures are seat-of-the-pants and dependent on HIPPO (highest paid person’s opinion), except when something like Virginia Tech happens and there is some sort of scramble to do something different." --Donna
Most Colleges Avoid Risk Management, Report Says
Jill Biden Shines a Global Spotlight on American Community Colleges
Speaking at a Unesco conference in Paris, the vice president’s wife stressed the importance of two-year institutions to the nation’s educational goals.
Connecticut Public Colleges Lose 200 Professors to Early Retirement
Administrators are scrambling to plug holes in their course schedules for fall, with most expecting to do so by hiring more adjuncts or increasing class sizes.
U. of Georgia Paid 2 Fraternities $2.4-Million to Relocate, Contracts Show
The two were among five with houses on property where the university plans to build new academic facilities.
New Allegations in Admissions Controversy at U. of Illinois Suggest Ex-Provost Played a Role
Linda P.B. Katehi, the incoming chancellor of the University of California at Davis, has insisted she knew nothing of the admission of politically connected applicants at Illinois.
Sonoma State U. Foundation May Lose $350,000 on Loan to Former Board Member
The foundation will be forced to issue fewer scholarships in the 2010-11 academic year because of a diminished endowment, a university official said.
College Suspends Student for Working in Gay Pornography | 58
President Obama's Visit to Notre Dame Carries Barely a Hint of Controversy That Preceded It | 58
Drug Sting Nabs 21 Students at U. of Illinois | 57
Faculty Members and Union Protest Staff Layoffs at Temple U. as 'Cruel' | 57
North Dakota Board's Vote Puts 'Fighting Sioux' Mascot on Thinner Ice | 57
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April 18, 2007
Sovereign Immunity Will Protect Virginia Tech From Lawsuits
When students die on college campuses — whether in suicides or sports accidents or other incidents — grieving parents sometimes respond by accusing the institutions of negligence and filing suit.
But if the families of Virginia Tech students killed in Monday’s shootings try to sue the university, they will run into roadblocks, according to William E. Thro, solicitor general of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Under a legal concept known as sovereign immunity, Virginia law prohibits an individual from suing a state institution like Virginia Tech directly.
Family members of the gunman’s victims could file negligence lawsuits in state court against the commonwealth, but Mr. Thro said they could collect no more than $100,000 each — assuming they prevailed in litigation. He added that they would not be able to sue the state in federal court. —Andrea L. Foster
Posted on Wednesday April 18, 2007 | Permalink |Comments
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1) Does the recent (December 2006) Supreme Court ruling (albeit on a different topic – it revolved around a bankrkuptcy case) open any doors regards Virginia’s sovereign immunity status?
Also, what about the mental health facility/facilities Cho was taken to in 2005? Were they private companies and not state entities? If so, do they bear any legal responsibility, opening them up to lawsuits?
— Angela Lee Apr 20, 04:09 AM #