Medford, MA, United States (AHN) – Tufts University is ending a decades-long tradition of running naked through campus after the fall semester due to safety issues.

In an op-ed column published Monday in the student newspaper, university president Lawrence Bacow said Tufts would no longer continue its Naked Quad Run, a winter event that has proved increasingly difficult for school officials to manage.

“Even if I did not act now, NQR would end some day. The only question is whether a student has to die first,” he wrote. “Traditions are important and we want to encourage them, but they also need to be safe. No tradition is worth sacrificing a life to preserve.”

Bacow made the decision after consulting with the dean of student affairs and the Tufts Community Union. He cited the last run on the Medford-based campus in December, when one student was arrested and 12 others were taken to hospitals.

The university president said two students “narrowly avoided” death from blood alcohol levels above 0.3, four times the legal limit in Massachusetts. Inebriated students also put other patients at risk by disrupting emergency room operations when they visited their friends at Lawrence Memorial Hospital.

University officials are now working on a new event to replace the run.

The winter tradition is ending after efforts by the school to manage the event. Bacow made a list of steps his administration undertook to ensure the safety of students since he first witnessed the run in 2002, when a student suffered acute alcohol poisoning while another dislocated a shoulder.

Barriers had been erected along the path to keep spectators away and prevent any incidents of groping. The course was lined with bales of hay, salted and sanded.

In addition, the campus police limited access to West Hall, where the run begins, to avoid overcrowding. Food was also made available to students running and drinking on an empty stomach.

“Unfortunately, our efforts to manage the risks associated with the run may only have helped it grow,” Bacow said.

Moreover, the efforts of the university coincided with the withdrawal of the Medford and Somerville police from the event.

Bacow said the campus police officers are ” uncomfortable” providing security during the run because students are not only nude but drunk and disrepectful. “Some [officers] have even suggested that requiring officers to continue to work the event might constitute a hostile work environment in violation of federal regulations governing sexual harassment,” the president said.

The decision to end the NQR received mostly negative reactions on the pages of theTufts Daily.

The Daily responded to the decision with its own op-ed, “We cannot reasonably expect [campus police] and university administrators to single−handedly ensure the safety of several−hundred participants. Nor is it fair to ask officers and administrators to do so. It puts them in the uncomfortable position of having to physically subdue nude college students while avoiding touching them inappropriately.”

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Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – The First Couple on Thursday hosted a White House conference on school bullying noting that all Americans including “parents and students, teachers and communities” and people in general are responsible to stop children from being threatened or intimidated by their peers.

Outlining “the goal of this conference,” President Barack Obama said, “It’s to dispel the myth that bullying is just a harmless rite of passage or an inevitable part of growing up. It’s not.”

“Bullying can have destructive consequences for our young people. And it’s not something we have to accept,” said Obama, adding, “We can take steps that will help prevent bullying and create a climate in our schools in which all of our children can feel safe.”

Citing his personal example, Obama said his big ears and unusual name made him a target: “I wasn’t immune. I didn’t emerge unscathed,” noting that bullying is frequently targeted as “kids that are perceived as different,” from the color of their skin to sexual orientation.”

On the attendees comprising of about 150 students, parents, and teachers, who discussed their experiences and possible ways to prevent bullying moving forward, Obama said, “No family should have to go through what these families have gone through,” adding, “No child should feel that alone.”

“As parents, this issue really hits home for us. It breaks our hearts to think that any child feels afraid every day in the classroom, on the playground, or even online,” First Lady Michelle Obama said. “I hope that all of you – and everyone watching online – will walk away from this conference with new ideas and solutions that you can take back to your own schools and communities.”

The White House also highlighted private, non-profit, and federal commitments to bullying prevention including from Facebook, MTV, Formspring, a social network and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The National Education Association (NEA) launched a nationwide online anti-bullying campaign entitled Bully-Free: It Starts with Me, to identify and support caring adults in each school who will listen and act on behalf of bullied students in schools across America.

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) is launching a national bullying campaign, See a Bully, Stop a Bully. Make a Difference, focused on raising bullying awareness and providing resources, training, and technical assistance for leaders and members.

In addition to different programs from various organizations, the Department of Education noted that federal funds are available for interventions in those schools identified as having the greatest need.

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Miami, FL, United States (AHN) – President Barack Obama was the guest of honor Friday afternoon at one of Florida’s formerly failing high schools to deliver a speech pushing America to refund and reform education.

Obama spoke alongside Education Secretary Arne Duncan and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, but only after cheering students from Miami Central Senior High, a majority African American school, gave a heartfelt welcome to America’s first African American president.

“How do we attract new jobs, new businesses, new industries to our shores?” Obama asked the crowd. “How do we grow our economy and out-compete our competitors? In today’s economy, companies are making decisions on where to locate, who to hire, based on key factors [including where to find] highly skilled, highly educated workers – that’s what they’re looking for.”

“I decided to come to Miami Central to kick-off ‘Education Month’ because you’re doing what I challenged states to do when I took office, and that’s turning the lowest performing schools around,” Obama said.

In his address, Obama outlined plans to increase funding for failing schools, citing Miami Central as proof federal assistance aimed at turning around “F” institutions can produce real results. The Department of Education has been giving states School Improvement Grants (SIG) since 1965, but Obama boosted funding as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Duncan pushed for $3.5 billion in SIG funding in 2009 and Obama has added an additional $545 million in funding for 2011.

Obama toured Miami Central, making a surprise visit to spill-over students who couldn’t fit into the gym and thought they were going to see the president speak from a television. Awaiting the Commander-in-Chief’s speech in the school’s library, the students were given a surprise visit from Obama, who received a warm welcome. Other students showed the president their work in creating robots in the classroom.

“This used to be a place where problems on the streets followed children into the classrooms,” Obama explained. “Where there was a culture of failure that brought everyone down. Now, turning around these schools isn’t easy… we have to reform how things are done. It isn’t easy to turn around an expectation of failure, and turn that into an expectation of excellence.”

In Florida, SIG funding totaled $170.2 million, with almost $14 million going to 19 embattled schools in Miami-Dade County, home to America’s fourth-largest public school district serving more than 380,000 students. One SIG success story is Miami Central High School. Miami Central earned an “F” the year Obama took office, but after receiving federal SIG funding, the school improved to receive a “C” this year.

“Here’s what I say; I’m not willing to give up on any child in America. I’m not willing to give up on any school in America. I do not accept failure here in America. I believe the status quo is unacceptable. I believe it’s time to change, and it’s time we come together. Just like Jeb [Bush] and I are doing today – to give every child in America the chance to live up to their God-given potential.”

“A good education equals a good job,” Obama explained. “If we want more good news on the jobs front, we need to make more investments on the education front.”

“Educational achievement is an issue of national priority,” added Bush, whose father and brother have both served time as Republicans in the White House. “Every child, regardless of their zip code or family income should have access to a quality education.”

Aboard Air Force 1 enroute to Florida, newly installed White House Press Secretary Jay Carney explained Obama’s had his eye on Miami Central for a while. “The president very much wanted to go to this particular high school to highlight the dramatic turnaround they have accomplished there and still in the process of accomplishing, and also to make the point that by having former Gov. Jeb Bush join him at this event that he firmly believes what I think most Americans believe and that certainly former Gov. Bush believes, and that is that education and education reform are not Democratic issues, they’re not Republican issues, they’re American issues.”

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New Brunswick, NJ, United States (AHN) – Beginning next year Rutgers University will allow co-ed rooming in some “gender neutral” dormitories.

Many link the new move to the suicide death of Tyler Clementi last year.

Freshman Clementi jumped off the George Washington Bridge last September after his roommate allegedly filmed and posted footage online of Clementi engaging in a sexual encounter with another man.

Clementi reportedly complained to university officials about being harassed by his roommate.

The new university housing option was advocated by members of the school’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) community. University officials hope the new measure will make the campus more inclusive for gay students.

Three resident halls will offer co-ed housing, however it will not be an option for freshmen. Only students who already know each other can live together in gender-neutral rooms. Additionally, two of the resident halls will also gain new gender-neutral bathrooms equipped with locks on the shower stalls.

According to Joan Carbone, executive director of residence life, co-ed housing can ease an LGBTQ student’s fear of not being accepted by his or her assigned roommate.

Some parents, however, are worried that some students will use the co-ed dorms for greater ease of fraternization. Gender-neutral housing arrangements are already in place at several other schools including the University of Maryland, Columbia University, and Ohio University.

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Lubbock, TX, United States (AHN) – FBI agents arrested Wednesday a Saudi student in Texas for allegedly plotting terror attacks in the United States, including on the Dallas home of former president George W. Bush in the name of jihad.

Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari, 20, had been planning the attacks while enrolled at South Plains College near Lubbock, according to the FBI. Agents said they found in his possession chemicals used for making explosives and a list of targets. He also had a blog indicating his plan to wage jihad against Americans.

The chemicals in Aldawsari’s possession included concentrated nitric and sulfuric acids he bought in December. He had also bought a gas mask, a Hazmat suit, and other items the FBI believes were to be used in carrying out his terroristic plan.

A chemical vendor tipped off the FBI to Aldawsari on Feb. 1 when he tried to buy phenol concentrate, which can be used to make explosives.

Aldawsari was granted a foreign student visa in 2008 and initially enrolled at Texas Tech University. He is facing life imprisonment if convicted.

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Boise, ID, United States (AHN) – Hundreds of teachers rallied across Idaho on Presidents’ Day to protest a bill that would make drastic changes in education, including investments in technology and cuts to teaching positions.

Teachers, parents and students gathered in Boise, Twin Falls and other locations to call on lawmakers not to approve state Senate bills 1108, 1110 and 1113.

The measures outline a proposal from Education Superintendent Tom Luna called “Students Come First” that would save the state $500 million over the next five years.

Unions say the plan would “nearly obliterate” their collective bargaining power and replace teachers with computers. They question how the quality of education will improve by increasing class sizes and removing teacher tenure.

In addition, they cite reports the plan would profit companies that financially supported Luna’s re-election in 2009.

The education department says “all the credible research available… [has] no substantial correlation between class sizes and student outcomes.” The agency, which Luna has headed since 2007, lists as one of several “myths” the warning that laptops would replace teachers.

Luna’s proposal invests an unprecedented $53 million in software and equipment to enhance learning. It also requires every student to take four of the minimum 46 credits online before graduating high school.

The plan would require 770 teaching posts to be cut but would use $250 million to raise pay for teachers. Teachers would get compensation in addition to their salary for strong performance, which is tied to the achievements of her students.

Merit-pay is an issue even President Barack Obama has attempted to introduce into his national education overhaul, with little support and vigorous opposition from unions. Opponents of pay-for-performance plans cite studies about the inaccuracies and logistical difficulties of linking student test scores to teacher performance.

Gov. C.L. Butch Otter, however, has invoked his experience as a former teacher to push for the proposal. “If I was still in the classroom, I could earn up to $8,000 in bonuses a year. We have great teachers all across our state. It’s time we showed our appreciation,” he said over the weekend.

The Idaho Education Association has warned the plan would drastically cut the ability of unions to bargain.

The process of fact-finding and mediation allowed by state laws would change, allowing only for mediation if the local school board and the union agree. Without agreement between the two parties, the board can impose a compensation package.

Officials argue that Luna’s proposal gives local school boards and parents greater control. “Local school boards–those elected to make education decisions in their local community–will continue to implement objectives defined by the Legislature, as is the practice today,” according to the education department.

The debate has formed along party lines, with Republicans and Tea Party conservatives rallying behind Luna.

Democrats are on the other side with unions citing reports that tie Luna’s plan to his campaign contributors, including K12 Inc. of Virginia, operator of the Idaho Virtual Academy, and the Apollo Group of Phoenix, parent company of an online university.

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New York City, NY, United States (AHN) – New York Michael Bloomberg is under fire for proposing an annual budget requiring mass teacher layoffs and cuts to social services for infants and the elderly.

Citing reduced funding from the state and the deficit, the mayor has proposed eliminating 6,166 teaching positions, including 4,666 through layoffs. It would be the city’s first mass layoff of teachers since the 1970s fiscal crisis.

Bloomberg wants 16,000 child-care slots eliminated and 20 fire houses shuttered. In addition, he plans to save $27 million by closing 100 senior centers.

The proposal requires no tax increases, and closes a $4.58 billion deficit despite a $2.1 billion drop in state aid. But it was met coldly by unions and advocates for social services.

“Playing politics with people’s lives is an ugly, shameful act, and that is exactly what Mayor Bloomberg is doing,” United Federation of Teachers president Michael Mulgrew said in a statement.

Mulgrew said that instead of adding to problems of underfunded public schools and “skyrocketing class sizes” the mayor should support the extension of the state’s millionaire’s tax.

The call echoes those made by the city council’s Progressive Caucus to let the tax continue generating $4 billion annually. The income tax on the city’s wealthiest expires by the end of the year.

District Council 37, the city’s largest public worker union, is questioning the mayor’s decision to continue laying off public workers instead of examining the city’s 18,000 outside contracts.

“Where are the cuts to billions of dollars in private contracts,” asked the group’s executive director, Lillian Roberts.

The union will hold a hearing next Friday to study the way the city’s funds are being spent, and make recommendations for a budget “that embodies fairness and shared sacrifice.”

Bloomberg’s budget accounts for a reduction of $1.4 billion in state funding for education in the city, as well as the loss of $850 million in federal stimulus support for teacher salaries.

Critics argue the mayor’s push for mass teacher layoffs is also a way to end a “last in, first out” law he has long opposed. “if we have to lay teachers off, we have to ensure we can keep the very best,” Bloomberg said on Thursday.

Mulgrew responded, “His efforts to scare newer teachers and demonize veteran teachers do nothing to help children or support the work that we do every day.”

Bloomberg presented his budget as a piece of “good news,” citing a $2.1 billion rise in revenues and a surplus of more than $3 billion. But the mayor is still seeking $600 million from the state, and he made clear there may be more reductions to programs and personnel if Albany does not agree to the provide the funds.

“If the state does not come through, layoffs and service cuts will be more severe,” the mayor said.

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Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – President Barack Obama on Monday interacted with several hundred noisy and excited eighth graders in a cafeteria at Parkville Middle School and Center of Technology outside of Baltimore, Maryland.

With a sign on the wall reading, “Positive, Motivated and Safe,” the students burst into a Beatles style – 12-year-old girl screams as Obama walked into the cafeteria.

Before concluding with Happy Valentine’s Day wishes, Obama answered a student’s question about what it is like to be president.

Obama complained about the bubble and said, “Some days you are burdened by some really tough decisions … Some of you may have family members in Afghanistan for example …. Some of them get hurt, some of them get killed, so you feel the responsibility that is profound.”

On the bubble, he said that he can’t go to the corner store to buy some shaving creaming. Also small things like taking the First Family’s dog Bo for a walk are next to impossible. Saying that he can’t do anything spontaneous.

“You always have to shave and comb your hair. You can’t just roll out of bed,” he said.

On another question about stress accompanying his job as the president, Obama said, “There are stresses involved being the principal of a middle school.” He also mentioned being a teacher. “There aren’t that many jobs out there where you just kind of sit back and have fun all the time … But that’s part of growing up.”

Obama said he feels good when at the end of the day he has done his best. He is bothered when he feels at the end of the day that he could have done better.

After the second question, he shook the hands of the students in the front row, audibly frustrating a group of mostly girls on a back table.

Earlier addressing the students Obama said, “This week I’ll be talking about the need to invest in education in places like Parkville so that every American is equipped to compete with any worker anywhere in the world.”

Citing the recent happenings in Egypt, Obama said, “We live in a world that is getting smaller because of technology.”

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New York, NY, United States (AHN) – Although millions of American children and teens are on the popular social networking site Facebook and use it to communicate across the digital expanse. There are two children with the last name of Obama whose mother won’t allow them on the site.

While speaking on NBC’s “Today” show first lady Michelle Obama said security issues limit some of the things her daughters can’t do.

However, even if they were two normal kids living in Chicago, she wouldn’t allow them on the site.

Michelle, who is “not a big fan of young kids having Facebook,” says Facebook is “not something they need.” She did say that when they get older it may be a something that gets revisited.

While on the morning program Obama also revealed her husband doesn’t dye his hair and attributed images that reveal a darker hair color could just be the lighting the picture was taken in.

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Kathmandu, Nepal (AHN) – Five Nepali students were recently deported from the United Kingdom for abusing student visas to travel to the UK in order to work, the British Embassy in Kathmandu announced Thursday.

The embassy said in a statement that all five students were returned to Nepal on Monday after being caught working illegally at a car wash in the British town of Bury St. Edmunds by UK Border Agency officers. “Immigration checks revealed that all the men had student visas, four of them were not studying while one was studying but working much more than the permitted hours,” the embassy said.

The statement said that the colleges that had sponsored the students are now being investigated for potential abuse of the immigration system.

Under Tier 4 of the Points Based System, colleges are required to report absenteeism by international students to the UK Border Agency. Against the backdrop of the arrest, UK Immigration Minister Damian Green made a strong statement to clamp down on abuse of student visas in the UK.

“I believe attracting talented students from abroad is vital to the UK, but we must clamp down on abuse and be more selective about who can come here and how long they can stay. Too many students arriving to study at below degree level have been coming here with a view of living and working, rather than studying,” Green said in the embassy statement.

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