NYPD Unapologetic After Spying on Muslim Students; Villanova Cancels Gay Artist’s Workshop

Big Brother is Watching. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New York Police Department officials remained unapologetic in the wake of an Associated Press report that the New York Police Department spied on Muslim student groups across the northeast. According to the report, the effort included daily tracking of student websites and blogs, monitoring who was speaking to the groups and even sending an undercover officer on a whitewater rafting trip with students from the City College of New York. “We have an obligation … to protect the very things that let colleges survive,” Bloomberg said. “We have to keep this country safe.” [Huffington Post]

“Don’t Back Down”. In a chilling response to campus police officials who described the use of batons on student protestors at University of California—Berkley last November, school Chancellor Robert Birgeneau reportedly told police: “Don’t back down.” The use of force was criticized by students and faculty, as well as and others throughout the country. Police officers were caught on camera using batons on nonviolent student protestors who had setup tents in violation of school policy. While privately encouraging the use of necessary force to breakup student protestors, Birgeneau said publicly, on behalf of the university, that “we cannot condone any use of excessive force against any members of our community.” [San Francisco Chronicle]

Cancelled. Villanova University has canceled a gay performance artist’s workshop on personal narrative, claiming his shows aren’t in line with the school’s Catholic values. The artist, Tim Miller, was scheduled to lead the five-day workshop for students in April. “The thing that they worry about, I think, is that I am a gay person,” Miller said. “It’s clearly homophobia and panic.” Miller had previously done similar workshops at other schools including DePaul University, the nation’s largest Catholic school. Villanova officials wrote in a statement that there was growing concern that Miller’s workshops “were not in keeping with our Catholic and Augustinian values and mission.” The officials declined to comment further. [Washington Post]

GMAT Change. The Graduate Management Admission Test, the exam required by graduate business school programs across the country, will undergo major changes in June. The changes to the GMAT, which will include a new Integrated Reasoning section, will be the first alterations in 15 years. Students and administrators alike say the change makes sense, with some claiming that it is a step forward toward testing the actual skills students will need to succeed in business school. About 270,000 students take the exam each year. [The Daily Pennsylvanian]

Graham White is a journalism intern for Campus Progress. You can follow him on Twitter @GrahamWhiteNY.

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