- Times are tough for students in these days of 拢9,000 fees - so tough that they have to rely on universities for their drugs. King鈥檚 College London 鈥渉as offered students the chance to take part in a clinical trial鈥y taking COCAINE鈥, The Sun shouted on 23 February. Prospective participants were promised 鈥渞easonable financial compensation鈥 in return for helping researchers to study the drug鈥檚 effects on the body, and were told that they would be taking the drug through 鈥渘asal admission鈥. Any financial help for students is not to be sniffed at, but given the social make-up of Russell Group universities such as King鈥檚, the students should at least be able to provide their own 拢20 notes.
- Scottish universities have been accused of perpetuating 鈥済ender inequality right out of Victorian times鈥 after figures showed that women constitute only 25 per cent of governing body members despite making up more than half the academic workforce. The Herald reported the analysis, by NUS Scotland, on 26 February. Alastair Sim, director of Universities Scotland, said in response that all university governing bodies 鈥渉ave staff and student representatives who are elected by their peers and whose gender diversity reflects their electorates鈥 choices about who is the best individual for the role鈥. He noted that all university chairs 鈥渉appen to be men at the moment鈥 - a remarkable coincidence indeed. And he concluded that gender balance is 鈥渁lso an issue that NUS Scotland has had to deal with, as only one-quarter of its presidents since 1971 have been women鈥. Full marks to Mr Sim for managing to dig himself into a hole while simultaneously fanning the flames.
- Your heart might sink yet further on hearing that Business Insider published a list of 50 of 鈥淭he Sexiest Scientists Alive!鈥 on 25 February. Well, rejoice, because the website ensured a 50-50 male-female split. Scottish universities, you could learn a thing or two from these people. The coveted top spot was taken by 鈥渟pace hunk鈥 Bobak Ferdowsi, systems engineer and flight director for the Mars Curiosity rover at Nasa鈥檚 Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In second place was Harvard University鈥檚 Lisa Randall, 鈥渃onsidered to be one of the nation鈥檚 foremost theoretical physicists鈥 - and equally importantly, a blonde. Professor Randall even agreed to an interview with the website, saying of its list: 鈥淥nce you鈥檝e achieved enough it鈥檚 not worth worrying about. When you鈥檙e older, it鈥檚 actually flattering.鈥 Is hotness part of the research excellence framework?
- New research funded by US taxpayers must be made available to the public free of charge within a year of its publication, the Obama administration has said in a major boost for the open access movement. 鈥淎mericans should have easy access to the results of research they help support,鈥 said John Holdren, head of the president鈥檚 Office of Science and Technology Policy, in a response to a petition urging the public release of taxpayer-funded studies, Inside Higher Ed reported on 26 February. The Association of American Publishers called the White House directive 鈥渞easonable鈥 and 鈥渂alanced鈥, after previously objecting to a Congressional bill on open access as a 鈥渂oondoggle鈥 - a term describing money-wasting projects that ranks alongside 鈥渇ilibuster鈥, 鈥減ork-barreling鈥 and 鈥渓ogrolling鈥 as the strangest and best terms in American political vocabulary.
- The government has sparked anger by rejecting MPs鈥 calls to exclude overseas students from the net migration count. The Business, Innovation and Skills Committee and four other parliamentary committees said students should be withdrawn from the count, thus sparing universities the impact of the government鈥檚 drive to cut net migration. In a response published on 26 February, the government said that the UK 鈥渨ill continue to comply with the international definition of net migration鈥, which classes students as migrants. But Adrian Bailey, chair of the BIS committee, hit back the same day, criticising the government for failing to offer anything new. 鈥淥ur report called for urgent action,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he government replies with a response that is almost four months late. This is not acceptable.鈥 The BIS committee was scheduled to meet and agree a formal response to the government on February.
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