Global, Europe and US: Education News

The TopUniversities.com guide to the latest higher education news from around the world, on 16 April 2013.

US: Dartmouth students introduce red cups to help students make friends

Communal dining has been found to be a source of stress for students at Ivy League institution Dartmouth College, with many feeling uncomfortable when they’re eating alone. In order to help tackle this, a group of students have introduced US$100 worth of red cups to the university’s dining hall, reports The Dartmouth. By drinking from these cups, students indicate that they are willing to eat with people they don’t know, the idea being that it will help students approach each other and to make friends. The cup system has met with a mixed response, with some students worrying that it will single them out in a negative way.

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Global: University of Texas wins Quidditch World Cup

The sixth edition of the Quidditch World Cup has been won by the University of Texas, who fought their way past eight teams on their way to the final in which they beat UCLA 190-80. A total of 80 teams in total took part in the tournament based around the fictional sport featured in JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series. As flying broomsticks and magic are, sadly, not really an option in real life, the game has been adapted (two students in Vermont devised the rules in 2005), and has been described a mixture between lacrosse, rugby and dodgeball. A total of 80 teams from Europe, North America and Australia took part in the tournament, which took place in Florida, reports The Metro.

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Europe: Study underlines positive economic impact of international students

A new study has confirmed the positive economic impact that international students have on countries in the European Union. The Immigration of International Students to the EU by the European Migrant Network looked at the impact of international students in 24 EU countries, and found that through fees, taxes and work, international students made a huge contribution to the countries in which they studied. The UK and Ireland, perhaps unsurprisingly, made the most from fees, in the Netherlands, taxes were a considerable source of income, and in Italy, student living expenses account for 0.05% of the country’s wealth. The number of international students studying in Europe increased by 114% between 2000 and 2010, reports The Pie News.

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US: Controversial rapper plays at Harvard despite student opposition

Tyga, a Grammy-nominated musician signed to Lil Wayne’s Cash Money Records, is due to perform at Harvard University this Saturday despite protests from students who object to his “violently misogynistic” lyrics. A campaign to prevent him from playing at the university’s Yardfest event attracted over 2,000 signatures, which led to university administration moving to ask the Harvard Concert Commission to reconsider their choice of headliner. The commission however declined to remove the rapper from the bill, but has apologized for not putting on an “inclusive event”, reports Boston.com.

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US: Student developer auctions 10% of future earnings

A 19 year old student has auctioned 10% of her earnings over the next 10 years in order to raise the funds she needed to drop out of university debt-free and start up her own business. Sarah Hanson saw an opportunity to start a service which helps elderly people find care homes after helping her grandmother to find one last year. She was put off university as she didn’t feel the academic world was relevant to her future career. Her earnings were purchased for US$125,000 reports VentureBeat.

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