SAR Academic Freedom Media Review-April 7-13, 2012

The Scholars at Risk media review seeks to raise awareness about academic freedom issues in the news. Subscription information and archived media reviews are available at here. The views and opinions expressed in these articles are not necessarily those of Scholars at Risk.

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Jadavpur University professor arrested over anti-Mamata cartoons
The Times of India, 4/13
Finally on solid ground (in Norwegian – Google translation)
Aksel Kjaer Vidnes, Forskerforum, 4/13
Colombia all ears after students vote with their feet
Graham Jarvis, Times Higher Education, 4/12
Tenuous Tenure
Kaustuv Basu, Inside Higher Ed, 4/12
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SAR Academic Freedom Media Review, March 24 – 30, 2012

The Scholars at Risk media review seeks to raise awareness about academic freedom issues in the news. Subscription information and archived media reviews are available here. The views and opinions expressed in these articles are not necessarily those of Scholars at Risk.

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Civil society demands inquest into student’s death, more academic freedom
University World News, 3/30
Academics, journalists vow to work for freedom
Pravit Rojanaphruk, The Nation, Thailand, 3/29
Mixing politics and science doesn’t help students learn
R. Matthew Poteat, Newsleader, 3/29
Indian Police Round Up Tibetan Exiles Before Hu Visit
Voice of America, 3/28
Saudi Arabia: Stop Arbitrary Arrests, Travel Bans on Opposition
Human Rights Watch, 3/28
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Academic Freedom Media Review – November 12 – 18, 2011

The Scholars at Risk media review seeks to raise awareness about academic freedom issues in the news. Subscription information and archived media reviews are available here. The views and opinions expressed in these articles are not necessarily those of Scholars at Risk.

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Ai Weiwei investigated over nude art
Jonathan Watts, The Guardian, 11/18
English universities enjoy ‘most freedom’ in Europe
Jack Grove, Times Higher Education, 11/17
CHILE: Opposition and students unveil reform plan
María Elena Hurtado, University World News, 11/17
East and West, African sector a middle-class fortress
David Matthews, Times Higher Education, 11/17
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Scholars at Risk Anniversary Celebration and Academic Freedom Media Review

Along with the Academic Freedom Media Review this week, Scholars at Risk announced registration is open for their 10th anniversary celebration and meeting in New York.

Registration open!  October 3-4: Scholars at Risk will mark our 10th anniversary with a celebration and network meeting in New York.  Click here for program, registration and travel information.

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Academic Freedom Media Review
July 30 – August 5, 2011

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The Scholars at Risk media review seeks to raise awareness about academic freedom issues in the news. Subscription information and archived media reviews are available on the SAR site. The views and opinions expressed in these articles are not necessarily those of Scholars at Risk.
Libyan students call for help, 8/4
Geoff Maslen, University World News
Iranian Academic Charged As ‘Enemy Of God’ Brands Court Illegal
Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty, 8/4.
Waging intellectual war on repression and class divides
John Morgan, Times Higher Education, 8/4
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SAR Academic Freedom Media Review–July 23-29, 2011

Compiled by Scholars at Risk
The Scholars at Risk media review seeks to raise awareness about academic freedom issues in the news. Subscription information and archived media reviews are available here. The views and opinions expressed in these articles are not necessarily those of Scholars at Risk.
Iranian scientist’s death ‘probably the work of western security agencies
The Guardian, 7/28
Unruly humanities scholars threaten the discipline, event hears
Matthew Reisz, Times Higher Education, 7/28
Scholars at Risk calls for letters: Vietnamese professor to face trial
Scholars at Risk, 7/27
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Scholars at Risk Academic Freedom Media Review, March 19-25

Scholars at Risk would like to draw attention to the situation surrounding Professor William Cronon of University of Wisconsin at Madison. According to media reports, the university was approached by the Republican Party of Wisconsin with a request, under Wisconsin’s open-records law, for Prof. Cronon’s e-mail records. The request was received just days after Prof. Cronon published a blog post regarding legislation proposed by Republican lawmakers. Please review the following two pieces—one featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education, and one written by Prof. Cronon on his blog—for additional information on this case.

Wisconsin GOP Seeks E-Mails of a Madison Professor Who Criticized the Governor
A Tactic I Hope Republicans Will Rethink: Using the Open Records Law to Intimidate Critics
Academic Freedom Media Review
March 19 – 25, 2011
Compiled by Scholars at Risk
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Academic Freedom Media Review, October 30 – November 5, 2010

The Scholars at Risk media review seeks to raise awareness about academic freedom issues in the news. Subscription information and archived media reviews are available here. The views and opinions expressed in these articles are not necessarily those of Scholars at Risk.
Singapore suppresses dissident
Drew Anderson, Yale Daily News, 11/5
Scholars at Risk Expresses Concern Over Professor Denied Entry to India
Scholars at Risk, 11/4
Iran Sets New Conditions For Employing Teachers
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 11/4
News of Government Guidelines on ‘Pluralism’ Alarms Israeli Academics
Matthew Kalman, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 11/4
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Academic Freedom Media Review, August 21-27

Compiled by Scholars at Risk
The Scholars at Risk media review seeks to raise awareness about academic freedom issues in the news. Subscription information and archived media reviews are available here.  The views and opinions expressed in these articles are not necessarily those of Scholars at Risk.
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Call for Urgent Action for Detained Mechanical Engineering Professor Abdul Jalil Al-Singace of Bahrain
Scholars at Risk, 8/27
A Recovery at Risk
David Moltz, Inside Higher Ed, 8/27
U. of Louisiana Board Postpones Vote on Tenure
The Chronicle of Higher Education, 8/27
Iran Launches New Crackdown On Universities
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 8/26
Vietnamese Professor Detained
NEAR International, 8/26
A straight case of discrimination? Lawsuits come in all shades for US institutions
Jon Marcus, Times Higher Education, 8/26
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Can Social Networking Redraw Boundaries?

In cyberspace there are no boundaries or frontiers, yet it has a lot to say about borders and boundaries.  Not only is it used as a vehicle for nationalist, minority and anti-nationalist communication and propaganda, but there are attempts to actually assert borders in cyberspace.  There are national domain name extensions and ISPs are regulated by national agencies.  Anyone who has traveled just across the border to Canada or Mexico knows, you don’t have to go very far before you are off network if you try to use a mobile computing device and hence begin to incur massive international data charges.
Authoritarian regimes, in particular, attempt to assert national control through censorship, blocking access to politically sensitive or even morally offensive sites, at least as they see them.
Here, though, are two cases in which sites that have an international user base took decisions relating to territories in dispute.  The policies they came up with are interesting and probably the best available, given the status of these territories under international law.  All the major social networking sites are, in a very real sense, transnational.
In the case of the Gloan Heights, for example, Syrians resident there may belong to Syrian nationalist groups and Israelis there to comparable Israeli groups, but unlike what happens at the actual boundary between the Golan Heights and Israel or even in everyday life, they might also interact easily in in other groups because there are no documents or visas required.  Individuals in the network may see their location as a reflection of identity, but they may also see it simply as a geographic indicator. That background is what makes these cases so interesting.
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While Facebook is busy increasing our awareness of other people’s lives around the world, it stamps on globally sensitive nerves with one apparently very simple question: where do you live? Last week it started a controversy when it allowed residents of the Golan Heights to choose whether they lived in Syria or Israel. To put this in context: Israeli forces invaded and occupied the area in 1967, capturing it from Syria. They’ve controlled most of the area since. (The UN considers Golan a illegitimate part of Israel, and labels it Israeli-occupied territory.) But apparently Facebook considers itself an important enough global player to offer a re-drawing of the map. It’s not the first time: Facebook deems people in Kashmir as residents of India, though Pakistan and India control different portions of the embattled region, which has been in dispute for decades.

What do you think?  Social networking is a powerful thing and potentially and excellent tool for cross cultural interaction.  So I’m very interested in seeing how this plays out in the real world.  Read more at Could Social Networking Change the World.

Global Tweets

Global Tweets

International Admissions Fall – Inside Higher Ed

For the first time since 2004, admission of international students to U.S. graduate schools has declined, and students from India and South Korea are applying in significantly fewer numbers as well, according to a report (pdf) released today by the Council of Graduate Schools.
Admissions from prospective international students declined by 3 percent from 2008 to 2009, and applications from India and South Korea fell by 12 percent and 9 percent, respectively.
“The entire global economy has got to have played a part in what’s happening for fall of ’09,” said Nathan Bell, the council’s research director.

Virginia Tech in Blacksburg is still doing well, in spite of the negative publicity generated by the terrible mass shootings there in 2007.  The university
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saw increases or less significant declines in applications from areas of the world that have declined overall in application numbers. The university had an 8 percent increase in South Korean applications, for instance, besting the average by 17 percentage points.

via News: International Admissions Fall – Inside Higher Ed.
The breakdown of the statistics is particularly interesting.  Applications were up by 4% for the 2008-09 Academic Year, whereas offers where down by 3%.  Moreover, he applications are broken down regionally and in no region did the percentage change in number of applications correspond with the percentage change in the number of offers.   For example, for the 2008/09 academic year, applications from China were up by 14%, but applications from S. Korea the were down by 9%.  On the other hand, offers to Chinese students were up by 13%, and to Indian students they were down by 16%.
The really The biggest discrepency is between applications and offers to scholars from the Middle East and Turkey.  In 2008/09, applications were up by 22%, but admissions only by 10%.  I have no explanation.