Wednesday, October 22, 1997
Community Briefs
House OKs emergency student-loan bill
The House of Representatives voted Tuesday to expand options for
students consolidating their loans.
The bill was introduced in the House last month after the
Department of Education announced a backlog of 84,000 federal
student loan consolidation requests. Admitting that it could no
longer keep up with borrowers’ demands, the department said it
would accept no new applications until the problem was under
control.
Legislators hope that rapid passage of the new bill will
alleviate the hardship felt by thousands of students left in limbo
by the department’s freeze.
"We have 100,000 students dangling in the wind," said Rep. Bill
Goodling (R., Pa.), co-sponsor of the emergency bill. "The
Department of Education had no business becoming the largest bank
in the world," Goodling said. "We bailed them out."
Department of Education officials disputed the criticism,
planning to work to amend the bill in the Senate, and particularly
its source of funding.
The bill would allow immediate consolidation of federal student
loans.
Professors demand new admissions policy
Responding to plummeting numbers of minorities admitted to UC
Berkeley’s Boalt Law School, a group of law professors released a
report recommending ways to increase the school’s minority
enrollment.
Released last week, the report comes after a week of
pro-affirmative-action protesting on Sproul Plaza and a
demonstration at the law school, where 54 of the protesters were
arrested.
The 76-page report, prepared by a committee of four law
professors, said that increasing minority enrollment at the school
will require "a dedicated, across-the-board mobilization of
efforts" involving changes to admissions, curriculum, outreach and
recruitment policies.
Following the UC Board of Regents’ ban on affirmative action,
the school enrolled seven Latino students and no black students in
a class of 273 students this year. In 1996, the school enrolled 28
Latino students and 20 black students.
"The next step will be to engage with faculty," said law student
Kaaryn Gustafson. "This (new) report is meaningless unless the
faculty adopts these recommendations."
The report recommends that the school re-examine the weight
given to LSAT scores and grade-point averages in admissions, as
well as hire a full-time recruitment director.
It also recommends requesting applicants’ socioeconomic data,
such as levels of parental education and family income. The
admissions committee and faculty are expected to decide on any
policy changes after reviewing the report.
UCLA to develop
world food strategy
Addressing the country’s growing need for a new anti-hunger
strategy, the first National Food Security Conference will be held
at UCLA this weekend.
The conference will also serve as the founding meeting for a new
coalition to develop community-based food programs across the
country.
According to conference organizer Robert Gottlieb, the
conference will bring together people to "build one the strength of
local and regional initiatives and launch a national movement."
For information, contact Andy Fisher of the Community Food
Security Coalition, 310-822-5410 or asfisher@aol.com.
Compiled from Daily Bruin staff and wire reports.