Over 500 unearned degrees

On Feb. 10 an internal audit at Dickinson State University in North Dakota revealed that 584 students in special programs for international students were given degrees without fully earning them.

Some of the students were from Russia but most were from China.

DSU gave the degrees to students who had not earned enough credit hours, did not meet admission requirements or had submitted falsified transcripts from their previous universities.

As of Feb. 12 there has been no discipline for any DSU employees involved in awarding unearned degrees.

But the vice president who was in charge of over seeing the programs resigned on Feb. 10 by his own choice, said the chancellor, William Goetz.

Another university administrator died, from apparent suicide, on Feb. 10 but Goetz would not discuss whether his death was related to the audit.

Oxford tries to keep 75 jobs

Oxford University, England, might have to get rid of up to 75 academic positions as a result of government cuts to education.

The university is going to contribute £60 million from its own publishing operation but also needs funds from donors. To keep all of the positions the university needs an additional £90 million.

The threatened positions are in the humanities including classics, modern languages and fellowships in German and ancient history.

Some positions have already attracted donations such as ancient history, which has received £1.2 million from donors and another £800,000 from the university.

Slow start to Cairo University strike

On Feb. 11 a protest organized by the Supreme Committee for Egypt’s Students’ Strike marched through Cairo University.

Around 200 people and students attended the march but the protest did not seem to disrupt most students at the university and the number was lower than expected considering the hype around the student movement.

The march protested the current rule of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF).

Feb. 11 was the anniversary of Egypt’s former president, Hosni Mubarak, being taken out of power and was planned as a start to a campaign of civil disobedience.

Activists at the university say it is too early to see the full effect of the student movement.