Universities, traditionally places of new thought and innovation, are often the focus of media attention. From protests and school controversies to inventions and groundbreaking research, news stories featuring prominent institutions were a popular trend this week. Today’s Wrap examines three universities that have recently been highlighted by media outlets across the globe.
On Thursday, students from various universities stormed the African National Congress (ANC) in Cape Town, South Africa in protest of rising tuition fees. This was the largest student protest since apartheid ended in 1994. When ANC Secretary–General, Gwede Mantashe, tried to address the students, he was quickly silenced, and instead given a memorandum outlining their demands, mainly involving the price of education. Already, student groups have rejected a proposed six percent increase to tuition fees, down from the original 10 to 12 percent. Demonstrations began last week in Johannesburg at the University of Witwatersrand and have since spread to other universities, resulting in violent protests. Police have used excessive force on several occasions, and 29 South African students and family members have been charged with public violence.
On Tuesday, Franklin and Marshall College (F&M) in Lancaster, Pennsylvania became the latest school to rescind an honorary degree awarded to Bill Cosby. In the wake of recent allegations against the former comedian, F&M’s board voted last week on the action to revoke the degree, awarded 15 years ago when he came to the school as a commencement speaker. F&M said that Cosby’s conduct has been “egregiously in contrast to the college and our educational mission.” Several other schools have taken similar action, including Fordham, Tufts, Baylor and Lehigh. In addition to withdrawing the degree, F&M is considering returning money that Cosby donated to the school for graduate student scholarships.
Also on Tuesday, IBM fellow and Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) faculty member Chieko Asakawa crash tested the new smartphone app NavCog, which she and her colleagues designed. Asakawa, who is completely blind, says it is easy for people who are visually impaired to get disoriented or even lost. NavCog attempts to fix this problem using Bluetooth sensors, placed indoors and outdoors at turns, intersections and other important destinations, to provide the user with almost real-time updates on location and direction. Elaine R. Welch, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Association for the Blind, says the new technology has the potential to improve the quality of life of people with blindness. NavCog is now available for free download from the App Store on iTunes. While still in its pilot phase, the technology is open source, which allows others to advance the technology and expand on areas it can be used.
What can these universities do to separate themselves from controversy? How can they promote their positive news? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
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Brian Mulligan is an Intern at WordWrite Communications. He can be reached at brian.mulligan@wordwritepr.com or on Twitter, @brian_mulligan1
