The Latino population of the United States has grown dramatically in recent years, but Latino postsecondary participation and graduation rates have not increased. In 1998, only 7 percent of Mexican Americans (11 percent of all Latinos) held college degrees, versus 25 percent of the total U.S. population. This digest reviews the research on…

During a faculty strike at York University (Ontario), two telephone surveys were undertaken to assess student perceptions of the strike. The first survey was taken during the fifth and sixth weeks of the strike, with the objective of documenting the experiences of students while the strike was on. The questionnaire for this survey was developed…

In this study 10 first-year African American students (five men and five women) took photographs that illustrated their perceptions of the predominantly white research university they attended and discussed their pictures in subsequent individual and focus group interviews. Two theoretical frameworks provided the structure for the analysis:…

A project at Stanford University Medical School (California) was undertaken to train students to deal effectively with sexism and to promote change by increasing sensitivity of university leaders. Training involved sexual harassment workshops for medical students and faculty, and leadership retreats for deans and chairpersons. Five workshops were…

Increasing public dissatisfaction with the cost and quality of higher education is creating pressure for fundamental change. Higher education is not as certain to produce a higher standard of living as it used to be, and costs are rising faster than the rate of inflation. Declining state contributions to higher education have shifted the financial…

A project explored the politics of the marginalization of adult education in three studies examining invisibility of adult undergraduates in higher education (HE) institutions. An analysis of the Chronicle of Higher Education studied the marginalized status of adult learners in HE. A study of course syllabi currently used in graduate degree…

Available data on Canadian and U.S. student drinking patterns are compared. Among the factors and implications discussed are prevalency and volume of drinking, its relation to other drug use, negative behavioral consequences, student characteristics, attitudes, motivation, and the influence of home, high school, and college environment in…

It is suggested that the value of education is due to student life more than to college instruction. Samplings of studies of college life are delineated for the validity of student traditions as a field of research, and the aid of sociologists and anthropologists is solicited. (Article originally published in 1935.) (AF)

A faculty member at a state university expresses his opinion that the structure and functioning of large institutions of higher learning have created a frustrating, dehumanizing learning experience for students, functioning as knowledge factories and not places where students learn to grow and develop as educated persons. (AF)

The John Templeton Foundation encourages colleges and universities to foster students' moral development by establishing the "Honor Roll for Character-Building Colleges" to recognize institutions that emphasize character building as an integral part of the undergraduate experience. Ten programs featured in the 1996-97 honor roll are profiled…

Maintains that the standard Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) does not include many common events that act as stressors for college students and includes many events that have little or no meaning for them. Introduces an instrument intended for classroom demonstrations: the College Undergraduate Stress Scale (CUSS). (MJP)

Reviews racial bias and racial intolerance among college students during the late 1980s. Asserts that campus bias-related indents are predictable outcomes of increasingly self-interested values and limited personal experience with racial and ethnic diversity. Discusses the need to create more opportunities for contact and interaction among…

Although little research is available on the evaluation of peer intervention programs, several strategies and approaches can be used by educators to determine the effectiveness of prejudice reduction efforts. Presents a sample program evaluation. Notes the importance of a clear theoretical framework and understanding of the factors to be examined…

Reports preliminary findings of a new project aimed at understanding the nature of time-series fluctuations in degrees awarded in various disciplines, including economics. Examines the consequences of such fluctuations for resource allocation within universities. Compares statistics among economics, history, and political science degrees. Includes…

If universities were serious about enhancing student learning, they would explore other ways of organizing work, including reorganization of the curriculum into learning communities that enable learning to span the disciplines, creating classrooms that promote collaborative learning experiences, and using forms of assessment that encourage shared…