State Considers Dropping Some Regents Exams

The State Department of Education will meet today to discuss the future of the New York State Regents Exams. The state's $8 billion budget deficit has led education officials to contemplate eliminating 13 of the 17 tests to save money.

The eliminated exams could include tests for math, social studies, geography and foreign languages. Eliminating the translation of exams to other languages, excluding Spanish, and only offering the exams in June are other ideas being considered. Officials say the cuts could save more than $13 million.

The State Education Board says eliminating tests is a worst case scenario. Currently, all New York State high school students are required to take the exam to complete their diploma.

Olympic Issues

Seventeen days of Olympic Games have drawn in viewers from around the world. Ninety seven million watched NBCU's Vancouver Winter Games during the first 2 days of coverage. Over the course of the games several issues caught the eyes of millions.

Rick Burton the former US Olympic Committee Chief Marketing Officer who is currently teaching Sports Management at Syracuse University says, "the unfortunate thing for the games has been the death of the luger on the day of the Opening Ceremonies." Burton adds, "if that death happened perhaps later in the Games, they wouldn't have the same cloud hanging over their heads."

Despite other issues including the weather, Burton said, "The games, sport in general, always belongs to the athletes. Not to the people who put the games on and not to those of us who watch. The athletes, I think are giving us the performances of their lives."

Increasing Number of SU Applications

Fall 2010 Syracuse University reports a 9 percent overall increase in undergraduate applications. This has set a record of 22,661 applications.

Donald Saleh, SU vice president for enrollment management said, "this year we experienced quite a substantial increase." Saleh added, this increase can be attributed to a marketing and outreach admissions campaign as well as having well know alumni.

The economy may not seem to be a factor yet with the high number of students applying but SU has seen more student applying for tuition assistance.

Don't be discouraged by the high number of applications, Saleh says, "SU plans to accept enough students to meet its target of 3,300 freshmen, about 50 more than last year's class.

(Photo: Business Week)

SU Basketball Fans Have A lot to Celebrate About

Syracuse Orange is now ranked number one seed in the NCAA Tournament since 1980. Receiving 59 first-place votes from the national media panel to make the jump from fourth.

Ryan Marfurt Syracuse University Sophomore says, "never through in my four years I would see the Basketball team at number one. It kind of makes you think they will win the National Championship."

SU Orange defeated 8th ranked Villanova at the Carrier Dome on Saturday. A record number of fans topping 34,616 witnessed a great victory. And today they are still celebrating.

"It's nothing like I've ever felt before, it's awesome, it's so cool I don't know if words can describe it," Conor Hillman, Syracuse University Junior.

There are two more games left for the men's basketball team in the regular season. Tuesday they will play St. John's at the Dome and Saturday away against Louisville.

(Photo: The Post Standard)

SU Students Safe After Chile Earthquake

Syracuse University Abroad reports that the twenty-one students studying in Chile during the 8.8 magnitude earthquake that hit this past weekend are safe.

There are nineteen undergraduate students and two graduate students from SU currently in Chile. Even though SU'S abroad program is based 200 miles from the earthquake in Santiago, Jon Booth, executive director of SU Abroad said, "some of the students do not have electricity or Internet access. But all of the students currently have access to water and, within the next 24 to 48 hours, all are expected to have electricity and the Internet again."


"During the 2007-8 academic year, Chile was the 19th most popular destination for study abroad, attracting 2,739 students from colleges in the United States", according to the Institute of International Education.


Two days after the earthquake hit the death toll reached more than 700 people in Chile.

(Photo AP)

A New Life in Cicero For Haitian Brothers

Three brothers, Mackenson, MacKenzie and MacKenley Nerilus have been adopted by a Cicero family. Three years ago the brother's home was destroyed by a hurricane in Haiti and their mother turned to an orphanage in Port-au-Prince to care for her sons. Paul and Julie Rumo of Cicero saw the brothers for the first time last year. Paul Rumo said that the orphanage was planning on separating the three brothers but they decided to keep the brothers together.

What's next for these children? Julie Rumo says, "a little bit at a time we just let them go out into the community to see what's out there." The Rumo's also have two biological children who are welcoming their new brothers into their family. Emily Rumo, their sixteen year old sister said how they all love to play together. "Sledding and running around this loop right here is our daily thing. They just love to chase. They play hide and seek and they just run and run and run."

According to the Haiti Adoption, new adoption applications are not being processed. They also report, "in 2008, U.S. citizens adopted approximately 301 children from Haiti."

For more information on the adoption process you can visit Haiti Adoption.

Picture by Gary Walts / The Post-Standard

How Are Colleges Handling Sexual Assault on their Campuses

What kind of punishment do these attackers receive? According to a new study, there's not enough. An investigation by the Center for Public Integrity and National Public Radio found, "the attackers are most often given a slap on the wrist, if any punishment at all. As a result, victims might end up feeling abused twice, once by the attacker and a second time by the system."

Are these attackers receiving the right punishment?

"Colleges seldom expel men who are found 'responsible' for sexual assault; indeed, these schools permanently kicked out only 10 to 25 percent of such students." (Poynter Online)

According to "Fraternities of Fear: Gang Rape, Male Bonding, and the Silencing of Women” at least 1 in 4 college women will be the victim of a sexual assault during her academic career.

U.S. Department of Justice reports in 2000, "one in five will experience rape or attempted rape in their four-year college term.

(Photo: CN College News)