Evolving Views at the U of Iowa

According to Inside Higher Ed today, there is one of those evolutionary brouhahas that seem to arise periodically – this time at the University of Iowa. 

It seems that a faculty member wrote a blog piece trying to reconcile religion and science and said in passing that there were flaws in the theory of evolution. You can read the blog piece at http://now.uiowa.edu/2013/08/common-ground. And you can read the Inside Higher Ed piece at http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/09/23/should-university-website-publish-anti-evolution-views. To yours truly, it reads as if the author was trying to build a bridge, although maybe a bridge too far.

Nonetheless, it’s an excuse – once again – for a reading of the early 20th century poem, Evolution, which takes what some might term poetic license with the concept:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4i96M0YDfGE?feature=player_detailpage]

Everyone loves recycling except maybe not for tuition

Inside Higher Ed today has a lengthy piece about an apparent revolt in Iowa against the idea of recycling tuition at public universities from higher income students to lower income.

As readers of this blog are likely to know, UC has followed such a policy.  Excerpt:

Last month, the Board of Regents of the State of Iowa, which oversees the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, and the University of Northern Iowa, eliminated their policy of earmarking 20 percent of in-state tuition revenue for financial aid purposes… 

…(I)t’s easy to see why so many families think they are paying for other students: many colleges and universities say explicitly that they take money from some students to fund others. The University of California and California State University systems agree to set aside about a third of the new revenue they generate through tuition increases for financial aid purposes…

Full story at
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/11/05/use-public-tuition-financial-aid-likely-become-political-issue-many-states

It appears that those who are being recycled from are beginning to have a new anthem:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehMx12dSF6w?feature=player_detailpage]