Effective June 8, 1995, new patent laws resulting from the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) will become effective. Some would protect researcher rights to intellectual property. Others may make it harder for institutions to commercialize on faculty and graduate student research due to shortened patent terms. (MSE)

Reviews legal and practical aspects of a university's potential liability for fraud, waste, and abuse. Discusses the array of criminal, civil, and administrative sanctions that may be imposed on grantees who engage in fraudulent practices. (84 references) (MLF)

As of August 14, 1991, the Agriculture Department will require institutions to have written plans for providing exercise for laboratory dogs and for improving the psychological well-being of nonhuman primates. The plans will dictate the way universities approach animal research. However, the costs and requirements of universities are still…

A discussion of fraud in the presentation of results of scientific research cites cases looks at variations in the degree of misrepresentation, kinds and intents of fraud, attention given by public agencies (National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Public Health Service), and differences between scientific and civil fraud. (MSE)

Discusses a recent Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals decision that when individuals are allowed to try out for or join a team participating in a contact sport and operated for members of the other sex, then discrimination against because of their sex is prohibited by Title IX. (22 footnotes) (MLF)

A discussion of informed consent by human subjects in experimentation presents background on the consent issue, including federal requirements; lists factors that may affect a subject's ability to understand the consent document; and offers suggestions for preparing consent forms to ensure the subject's better comprehension. (Author/MSE)

Addresses ongoing issues in research cost sharing between government and universities in the context of the current Presidential Review Directive on the Government-University Research Partnership. Issues include the procurement vs. assistance conundrum, systemic shifting of costs of research from the government to universities, and the failure of…

Discusses increasing federal regulation governing colleges and universities and notes that trustees and other campus leaders must pay attention to the increasing costs of compliance. Offers examples of regulatory difficulties experienced by Stanford University (California), Mount St. Clare College (Iowa), and the University of Phoenix (Arizona).…

Higher education institutions in Brazil are seriously behind in the use of distance education largely because of the highly centralized control by the Ministry of Education. Hybridization, or the combination of face-to-face and distance learning techniques, is not motivated by pedagogical choice, but rather the only legally permitted approach in…

Discussion of highly publicized regulatory problems and legal settlements involving colleges and universities leads to a proposed five-step process for improving an institutional compliance structure. Steps include selecting the compliance officer, determining appropriate reporting relationships, setting up the committee/council structure,…

Explores the after-effects on college laboratories of the anthrax mail scare; scientists say the anthrax scare justifies tougher rules on biological agents, but some fear that Congress may go too far. (EV)

The purpose of this brochure, which was produced as a service to the academic community, is to provide a brief outline of what can and cannot be done legally with software, and to clarify the implications and restrictions of the U.S. Copyright Law. Relevant facts concerning copying software precede the EDUCOM statement of principle on intellectual…

Two surveys were conducted to determine the attitudes of public relations practitioners and educators regarding whether public relations practitioners should be licensed. Questionnaires were mailed to public relations practitioners to obtain data for the first survey, and a second survey was mailed several months later to public relations…

Many of the issues confronting educators today are addressed in this interview with the new president of the University of Chicago. Topics covered include women's education, the government and higher education, the role of the university, the quest for campus harmony, teaching, and students. (Author/LBH)

This handbook presents guidelines for the installation, use, and storage of full-size or nearly full-size movable soccer goals to help prevent deaths and serious injuries from soccer goal tipover. The guide first reviews soccer goal injuries and deaths occurring in the United States and briefly examines the soccer rules associated with goals. It…