Elghandour said the engineering school's dean, Alberto Cuiti&ntil;o, had informed him that he was no longer scheduled to give the commencement address after a "few" students told the administration they would not attend the graduation in protest of Elghandour's online advocacy for Palestinian rights.
The mock funeral was a protest against the university administration's plan to overhaul the college by consolidating its departments into four thematic schools including one devoted to human narratives and creative expressions, encompassing what was previously taught in the English, classics, languages and Latino Studies departments, among others. Fears over the future of the humanities aren't limited to New Jersey's second-largest public university.
The assignment in question was supposed to be a reaction to an academic article on gender. But the paper written by junior Samantha Fulnecky failed to provide empirical evidence or even citations for her own beliefs, resulting in her failing grade. The essay was turned in on November 9. The teaching assistant - whose name Truthout is withholding due to privacy and harassment concerns - gave Fulnecky a 0 out of 25 points, stating that the student's editorializing was not accompanied by an evidence-based approach.
"This decision was driven by the increasing costs associated with operating as a nightclub after 10 PM, including the expense of hiring a DJ and the additional security now required," Clyde's President John McDonnell told Washingtonian in a written statement. "Unfortunately, offering this experience at no cost is no longer financially sustainable." McDonnell also said that Clyde's takes student feedback "seriously" and it will "pause the cover charge" to asses whether the Tombs should shift back to to being a "traditional restaurant" on weekend nights, but without the $5 cover.
New allegations have been filed against longtime Oakland police detective Phong Tran, who's about to go to trial for allegedly bribing and coercing a witness in a 2011 case. The latest allegations accuse Tran of using racial stereotypes against a Black suspect in order to fabricate a motive, which ultimately got the suspect convicted. [Bay Area News Group] Oakland is abuzz over the big Mexico-Japan soccer match taking place at the Coliseum Saturday. The Oakland Roots are set to play there Sunday. [NBC Bay Area]
