I considered not writing Daily Digest today because of all the commotion in the newsroom regarding President Kaler and AD Joel Maturi’s news. But then I came across this blog called “100 Reasons NOT to Go to Graduate School.” It’s written by an unnamed person who claims to have learned these 100 reasons through experience, but acknowledges that many who read them will not listen. It focuses on humanities and social sciences – Reason #72: those fields are in trouble. The posts are passionate, thought out and sometimes odd. So if you’re looking for a diversion (or if you’re looking for someone to talk you out of graduate school) go take a look.
Okay, now for real news. Here’s your Daily Digest for Thursday, Feb. 2:
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Susan G. Komen for the Cure announced Tuesday that it will no longer fund breast cancer screenings for low-income women performed at Planned Parenthood. Komen pointed to a new policy that prohibits donations to groups under congressional investigation. MinnPost dug into the public’s reaction to the announcement, reporting that many made donations to Planned Parenthood. Over the course of 24 hours, people donated about $400,000. The Komen Foundation provided $680,000 in grants to Planned Parenthood last year. Nationwide, the group performed 750,000 mammograms and 170,000 of those were paid for by Komen. The backlash has also led to very public criticism on Komen’s Facebook page and message boards, according to the Washington Post. Commenters have accused site administrators of deleting comments, which Komen denies doing.
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Twelve more law schools across the country have been accused of luring students with false job-placement and salary statistics. The lawsuits, similar to some filed last year, have been filed on behalf of 51 graduates. The schools being sued are primarily in California, New York and Illinois. The lawyers suing the schools said there will be more in the coming months, according to the Chronicle. The plaintiffs in the lawsuits filed in Aug. 2011 claim their alma maters reported high percentages of employment nine months after graduation. But those stats included temporary and part-time work, as well as work outside the legal profession. “The real numbers should shock people,” one lawyer representing a graduate said.
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Republican candidates have been through Minnesota leading up to Tuesday’s caucuses trying to rally support. Rick Santorum was here Monday — Mitt Romney on Wednesday. Ron Paul (the only candidate to have visible student support at the University of Minnesota) will pass through several cities Saturday and Monday. First, he’ll hold town hall meetings in Rochester and Chanhassen, as well as a rally at Bethel University in Arden Hills, according to the Star Tribune’s political blog. He’ll be back on Monday for stops in St. Cloud and Minneapolis.