Northeastern is one of 85 colleges and universities to be investigated by the United States Department of Education (DoE) for Title IX violations in the handling of sexual assault cases on campus. Other schools under investigation include Boston area Harvard College, Boston University and Emerson College, as well as other institutions such as the University of Virginia, all which have been at the forefront of the national conversation of sexual assault.
In his state of the university address, President Joseph E. Aoun announced the creation of a social impact council, which is set to begin meeting in the beginning of the upcoming spring semester. The council was born from the original suggestion to create an ad hoc committee that would report to the university board of trustees and administrators to address social issues related to the university’s activities and the Northeastern community. The council will host both student, faculty and staff members.
Amid a developing dialogue about sexual assault and a Title IX case filed against the university, Northeastern students have begun pushing the administration to redefine sexual assault in the Code of Student Conduct (CSC).Advocates for the change are hoping the university will provide more educational and supportive services for students while also creating clear guidelines for handling sexual assault and its various sanctions.
On the night of Nov. 18, a former governor walked through the doors of West Village. He entered a room full of like-minded, politically engaged individuals. Professor and former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis had one thing this year that he doesn’t always at his yearly address to Northeastern University College Democrats (NUCD), a cast from a recent medical problem. Once he finished explaining the minor health issue that forced him to limp into the room, Dukakis began to talk politics.
In an attempt to connect business-savvy students across fields, Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) will wrap up tonight with its biggest event, NEXPO, a university-wide exhibition used to showcase student ventures and connect innovators with alumni and accelerator programs. Hosted by the Center for Entrepreneurship Education (CEE) and sponsored by student-lead entrepreneurship organizations, GEW featured speakers, workshops and panels throughout the week.
This Tuesday, a coalition of student activist groups on campus came together to air out their grievances with their university. At the event, The Real State of NU, in opposition to President Aoun’s annual State of Northeastern address, the Progressive Student Alliance (PSA), DivestNU, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and NU Sexual Health Advocacy, Resources and Education (S.H.A.R.E.) created a list of demands they intend to deliver directly to the president.
As students prepare for finals and make arrangements to head back home, Northeastern University’s Institute on Urban Health Research and Practice (IUHRP) has its focus on something a little different: a final game of dodgeball.
Professor Richard Saul Wurman, creator, curator and chair of the TED series, was honored at the Museum of Science for his contribution to the sciences. The Oct. 23 ceremonycelebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Bradford Washburn Award, as well as the accomplishments of Sir Timothy Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web and Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City and the UN Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change.
On Nov. 12, Northeastern held a campus day of action in the name of the Carrying the Weight Together movement that started over the summer by Columbia University senior Emma Sulkowicz.
With the close of midterm elections, three Northeastern alumni were elected into various offices in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Eric Estevez, CPS class of 2008, won a seat as a New Hampshire state representative; Maggie Hassan, law class of 1985, was re-elected as governor in New Hampshire; and Maura Healey, law class of 1998, was elected to attorney general in Massachusetts
The College of Arts, Media and Design is beginning the search for a new dean after the college’s founding dean, Xavier Costa, left the university in Spring 2014 for unknown reasons after four years as dean in the position. Currently Bruce Ronkin, a professor of music at CAMD, is the acting interim dean.
As Ebola continues to spread and public concern rises, Northeastern professor Alessandro Vespignani has developed a model to predict the spread of Ebola in Africa and across the globe that has been featured in publications from The New York Times to The Wall Street Journal.
