A Great Place to Party? Survey Says… Chapel Hill

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill received the dubious honor of being rated on www.PartySchool.com – a web site that rates schools’ party scenes, gives advice on planning parties (including a list of drinking games “to get the party started”), and provides the “world’s only patented, scientifically proven cure” for combatting hangovers. PartySchool.com awarded UNC-CH with 4 out of 5 stars for its “wild” party scene.

Among the pros of partying at Chapel Hill:

* “Tar Heel sports. An intense rivalry with nearby Duke double the chances for celebration. When the Tar Heels win, everybody is a player, when Duke loses, everybody parties (even when they don’t lose to UNC.)”
* “Franklin Street. While Chapel Hill is a small town, there’s tons to do on its main drag.” The cons, according to PartySchool.com, are that:
* “UNC forbids the use of alcohol in dorms and kegs at parties.”
* “Membership is required at bars that do not serve food but serve hard alcohol.” UNC received the distinction of being the first school to join www.PartySchool.com’s list of party schools.

Supreme Court Drops Title IX Appeal

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday declined to review a case brought by former students at Illinois State University, who accused the university of violating their rights by dropping men’s soccer and wrestling. The athletes argued that dropping the teams to comply with Title IX was a form of reverse discrimination and a violation of their constitutional right to equal protection under the law. Federal courts in Illinois, however, ruled that the measure did not violate the plaintiffs’ rights. Miami University of Ohio and California State University at Bakersfield also face Title IX lawsuits from male athletes.

“On the Run” for Distance Ed.

A University of Kentucky professor will bike across the country while teaching a course in family studies in order to prove the advantages of distance education, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported this week.

Professor Gregory W. Brock talks to his students via cell phone while riding his bike. And at night he logs on to the Internet for the course using a palm pilot and a keyboard.

“The distance-learning part is easy,” Professor Brock told the Chronicle in an interview by cell phone. “It doesn’t matter whether I’m on campus or off-campus, the workload is the same.” But the trip has been “taxing, physically,” he said.

Brock travels 60 to 100 miles a day, six days a week. His trip began in Santa Monica, California on June 1 and will conclude in Savannah, Georgia on July 2. Brock will serve as a “high-tech ambassador” for the university on the trip, which is being funded by the university and several corporate sponsors.