UC Berkeley Gets $113M to Corral Profs

Activists win concessions after 7 hours on ledge

(NEWSER) - A tense day of protests against massive budget cuts at UC Berkeley ended with protesters claiming victory. Eight activists who spent seven hours chained together on a fourth-floor ledge as riot police faced off with protesters below came down after reaching an agreement with campus officials, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. As part of the arrangement, university officials have agreed not to punish the students involved and to drop charges against several other protesters arrested over the last year. Officials haven't budged, however, on cuts to the university system. More»

And yes, they can bet they will flunk—with 'grade insurance'

(AP) - A new website is taking wagers from American college students who want to bet on their own grades. Just as Las Vegas sports books set odds on sporting events, Ultrinsic will pay top dollar for A's, a little less for the more likely outcome of a B average or better, and so on. Students can also wager they will fail a class by buying what Ultrinsic calls "grade insurance." The site is taking wagers from students at 36 colleges nationwide starting this month. More»

It's a four year—or more—waste of time, author says

(NEWSER) - College is a must if you want to have a real career, right? Nope, it’s “a scam, a self-perpetuating Ponzi scheme that needs to stop right now,” writes James Altucher for DailyFinance.com . Here are his seven reasons you shouldn’t send your kids:

• It’ll cost more than you think: Thanks to the fact that more than 60% of college students will take more than 4 years to wear that cap and gown.
• It doesn’t matter, money-wise: Yes, the difference in income between a college grad and a non-grad is approximately $800,000 over a 45-year career. But if you invest the $200,000 likely college cost in bonds yielding 3%, over those 45 years plus the 4 spent in college, you’ll end up with $851,000.

(NEWSER) - An SMU dean has a message for his fellow college professors: Ditch the PowerPoint. Jose A. Bowen isn't anti-technology, explains the Chronicle of Higher Education, he just thinks too many instructors rely on it as a crutch. He's challenging others to "teach naked," without computers in the classroom, that is. Instead, give students podcasts of lectures before class, then use class time to debate and think. More»

(NEWSER) - California's budget crisis has taken an $813 million toll on its famed UC system, Time reports. The University of California's 10 campuses are attempting to deal with the 20% budget cut by instituting mandatory furloughs for 80% of staff, drastically cutting or even freezing new hires, and increasing tuition by 10%. Even a budget solution in the capital will likely not affect state funding, which UC officials say is now “exactly where it was in real dollars a decade ago.” More»