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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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October 20, 2008
9 Volunteers in Harvard Study Agree to Post Their Personal Genomes Online
Nine of the first 10 participants in a genetic study at Harvard Medical School, who include some well-known researchers, have agreed to post newly decoded segments of their DNA sequences and other medical information on a publicly accessible Web site, the group announced at a news conference at the school today.
The Personal Genome Project, as the study is known, is being led by George M. Church, a geneticist who is also among the first participants (the “PGP-10”). The project aims to build database of decoded DNA of 100,000 volunteers and make the information available online as a tool to investigate “the genetic basis of diseases and other traits,” according to a news release. The volunteers control who can see the information in their personal profiles, choosing among three levels of access: to themselves and a small number of researchers only, to researchers generally, or to anyone with Internet access.
After consultations with a physician and with relatives, most of the PGP-10 decided that the public service of releasing their personal information to all outweighed any privacy issues. Only one — Misha Angrist, a science editor at the Duke University Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy — decided to wait to review his DNA sequence before releasing it to the public. Mr. Angrist will, however, release his health records and other data.
Mr. Church said that the current data are preliminary and that each of the PGP-10 will receive updated information along the way and can choose whether to make that data public. Participants said none of the information they have learned so far was startling.
Critics of the project say that making such personal information public could create problems between participants and their employers or insurance providers. Kathy Hudson, director of the Genetics and Public Policy Center at the Johns Hopkins University, said her research has found that people want information about diseases they may be predisposed to. She has reservations, however, about making such information public. “I think Dr. Church is pressing the envelope and asking hard questions on whether we have become ‘privacy prudes,’” Ms. Hudson said. But ultimately, she said, “research is to maximize benefits for participants and minimize risk.” —David DeBolt
Posted on Monday October 20, 2008 | Permalink |
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