Common sense in higher education? Could this be the start of a new trend?

"Use of government to stifle innovation"??? Isn't that pretty much the definition of accreditation?

Quote:In Victory for Common Sense, Minnesota Will Allow Free Online Courses After All
By Will Oremus
Posted Friday, Oct. 19, 2012, at 7:03 PM ET

For one day, Minnesota's Office of Higher Education felt the Internet's indignation as word spread that it was cracking down on free online college courses offered through Coursera and other websites. The bizarre bureaucratic decision was first reported by The Chronicle of Higher Education on Thursday morning, and it became Internet-wide news after my blog post about it Thursday evening went viral, thanks in part to the user-generated news board Reddit.

I've just gotten word that the state has reconsidered its stance. Here's the new statement from Larry Pogemiller, director of the Minnesota Office of Higher Education:



Obviously, our office encourages lifelong learning and wants Minnesotans to take advantage of educational materials available on the Internet, particularly if they’re free. No Minnesotan should hesitate to take advantage of free, online offerings from Coursera.


He added that the 20-year-old statute in question clearly didn't envision free online classes from accredited universities:


When the legislature convenes in January, my intent is to work with the Governor and Legislature to appropriately update the statute to meet modern-day circumstances. Until that time, I see no reason for our office to require registration of free, not-for-credit offerings.


In my original post, I wrote that Minnesota should win a grand prize for "most creative use of government to stifle innovation." It's only fair now that I also give it, if not a grand prize, at least an honorable mention for government responsiveness in the face of a backlash.

Yup, she's a Dimocrat, so for some reason none of the inquiring minds who like to stick their big noses in other people's business in Spokane noticed. If she had been operating an unaccredited school, well, I'm sure we would have heard something before now.

Quote:Candidate Caught Stripping For Playboy
October 19, 2012 By NewsEditor



Running for office as a devoted wife and mother of two sons besides Sunday school teacher, Amy Biviano’s campaign has been rocked by the revelation of her appearance in Playboy.

The dictionary definition of hypocritical is the “pretense of having virtues, beliefs, principles, etc.” Many politicians are well described by this adjective; but in 2012, none deserves it more than Amy Biviano.

Biviano has worked hard to transform her image from a [regionally accredited] Yale educated anthropologist and self-avowed feminist into a suburban mom with an adoring husband.

This is how she describes herself on her own website:

“I am a long-time Spokane Valley resident, a mother, and small business owner… I grew up in a small, close-knit town in Oklahoma, the daughter of a farmer and a public school teacher. I met my husband Andrew in 1993, on our first day of freshman year at Yale University, and we married two months after graduation. We moved to Andrew’s hometown of Spokane Valley in 2001, deciding that it is the ideal place to raise our family. We have now been married almost 15 years and have two incredible sons: Alex, age 13, and Aidan, age 11…I am an active member of Bethany Presbyterian Church, where I teach Sunday school and serve on the finance committee.”

What she doesn’t share in her bio is her work as a model for Playboy. She appeared in the October 1995 issue of the Men’s soft porno magazine as part of a special spread on “The Women of the Ivy League.”



Amy Biviano until now has been a darling of the Democratic Party in Washington State. After serving as the Chairman of the Democrats in Spokane County, she is now locked in a race to unseat conservative favorite Representative Matt Shea in the 4th Legislative District which stretches across the Spokane Valley.

Usually a conservative stronghold, this year, liberals on the state redistricting committee have redrawn the 4th district lines to make it competitive for Amy Biviano.

Ironically, a central theme of her campaign has been repeated demands that Representative Shea tell all about his past. She is referring to Shea’s divorce from first wife Lisa. This is well-trod turf with Democrats and the local liberal media bringing up his divorce in every one of his earlier campaigns. They claim that the breakdown of his first marriage is fair game because Representative Shea is the Legislature’s biggest opponent of gay marriage.

It is appropriate since she is demanding answers from Shea’s past that she fully disclose her own. She tells Playboy in the interview that accompanies the photo spread that she is a feminist, saying, “I wanted to pose for Playboy to show that we’re not asexual man-haters.” She also told Playboy that her future plans as an Anthropologist included a desire to study sex in other cultures around the globe.

None of her high profile work as a Playboy model is in her currently-posted biography. Her attempts to hide this episode in her life from voters’ view until now have come to an end.

CHEA has dumped George Gollin as a member of its 2012-2013 Board of Directors.

  Board Contact List 2012-2013 rev.4 - 9.26.2012.pdf (Size: 81.36 KB / Downloads: 2485)

Why did CHEA dump the reprobate Gollin?

Did it have anything to do with his getting sued multiple times in federal court for stalking, defamation, extortion, computer hacking, and civil rights violations?

Or was it the death threats and impersonations?

Perhaps the 1,280 posts on a website operated by a gay boy pornographer?

The 16-person dissertation "collaboration" he palmed off as his independent work?

His wife being cited by the FDA for selling 386 mutant lab pigs for food?

Or was it just his Marxist political rhetoric, anti-Christian bigotry, effeminate mannerisms and public exhibitions of poor personal hygiene?


Violence-prone extremist George Gollin has been dumped by CHEA.

All this time I thought it was that butt-scratching bald guy who got 15 pals to write his dissertation for him, then proclaimed himself an accreditation expert.

Turns out it's some clown in Pakistan named Salem Kureshi who is clearing $70 million/year selling fake degrees. The Googasian law firm (perhaps best known for class action suits against Belford and CCNH) appears to have him in their sights.

Quote:Biggest Diploma Mill Scam in World History

The massive Karachi-based Organization for Global Learning Education has perpetrated a scam on the American public that continues to contravene domestic and international laws. They have lied to and ignored our government investigators -- and it appears they are going to get away with it. They get your money through a number of fake universities and launder the money through an organization known as Education Services Provider (in California) that in turn deposits your money to a bank in Pakistan.

These fake college websites are just a few of the known schools to be part of the scam known as The Organization for Global Learning Education

• Ashbery University
  
• Ashwood University
  
• Belford University
  
• Belford High School
  
• Cambell University
  
• Campile university
  
• Corllins University
  
• Grendal University
  
• Headway University
  
  
• Hill University
  
• Lorenz University
  
• Lydon State University
  
• McFord University
  
• McGraw University
  
• Must University
  
• Northern Port University
  
• Panworld University
  
• Rochville University
  
  
• Rise University
  
• Rochville High School
  
• Walford University
  
• Western Advanced Central University
  
• Western Valley Central University
  
• Wilson State University
  
• Woodfield University
  
• Woodfield High School

If you've been scammed by any of these within the last six months, read this page. If it's been more than six months, or if you've been unsuccessful with your charge-back, please contact The Googasian Firm, P.C., by calling 1-877-540-8333, or send an email to the Googasian Firm.

Quote:By the end of 2003 Kureshi began making more money than he had ever imagined possible. Orders for college degrees and high school degrees were coming in by the thousands. Soon Kureshi hired his friend from the United Arab Emirates to print and ship the diplomas to unsuspecting students in the United States.

With more money coming in then [sic] ability to handle alumni, Belford/Rochville completely stopped providing any follow up service beyond issuing the fake diploma. Once a student received his or her diploma, they were ignored by Belford/Rochville.

By 2005, the Better Business Bureau had recorded over 200 complaints about these two fake universities.

Complaints to the Better Business Bureau went unanswered. Most of the complaints were about lack of service after the sale and refusing to offer refunds even though their website clearly stated that refunds were available.

It is currently estimated that Kureshi and his group of co-conspirators from Pakistan earn approximately $55 million per year from Americans and another $15 million per year from Europeans, Australians, and residents of all other countries combined. In 2004 – 2007 when the USA economy was at its strongest, it is estimated that Kureshi and his Pakistani co-conspirators earned between $150 million and $200 million each of those years.

Regionally accredited Ohio State QB lets it slip...the Gold Standard ain't about school. The coach values integrity.....it's being honest he don't like so much.

When is someone going to notice that big time NCAA football ain't wearing no clothes? When you're just a minor league development program for the NFL, classes really are pointless.

Quote:Ohio State Suspends QB Cardale Jones for Tweeting Classes Are Pointless
By Mike Hoag Jr. on October 6, 2012

Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones has been suspended for Saturday night''s contest against the Nebraska Cornhuskers after tweeting that classes were pointless.

Jones, the team's third-string quarterback, voiced his opinion that classes are pointless and that he only came to Ohio State to play football on Friday morning via Twitter.

That tweet, shown below, earned him a night off as the No. 12-ranked Buckeyes take on the No. 21-ranked Cornhuskers in prime time Saturday night.



As a result of the national recognition of the remarks, the freshman Buckeye's Twitter account has been taken down.

While it may have been a childish and harmless act, players must understand the level of scrutiny they are under. The Ohio State football program is represented by the comments its players make through social media.

That's why the school took action.

Bill Rabinowitz of the Columbus Dispatch contacted the school after noticing Jones was absent from warm-ups on Saturday night.

Ohio State confirmed to Rabinowitz that Jones was suspended for the game. ...

As a freshman, Jones' playing time has been nonexistent, as he is third on the depth chart and still learning head coach Urban Meyer's system. Meyer values integrity, and he's sure to remember this incident when making decisions about Jones' playing time in the future.

Junior second-string quarterback Kenny Guiton has looked sharp in backing up starter Braxton Miller. His job looks secure from the athletic, 6'5" freshman Jones for the immediate future due to these recent developments.

Want to get your kid out of self-serving union goon and libtard infested government high schools? A good starting point might be to check Tom Nixon's recently updated version of his book on online high schools.

Complete Guide to Online High Schools: Distance learning options for teens & adults

Absolutely no truth to the report that Thomas "Chip" White signed the kid to star in 20 videos. At least not yet.

Quote:Second-Graders Accused Of ‘Horrific Sexual Abuse’ Of Classmate At School
October 2, 2012

INDIANAPOLIS (CBS Cleveland/AP) — The parents of a central Indiana boy are suing [regionally accredited] Ball State University, alleging their son was subjected to “horrific sexual abuse” by three second-grade classmates at a university-run school.

The lawsuit filed Friday in Delaware Circuit Court alleges the students’ teacher and officials at Burris Laboratory School in Muncie failed to act to halt the alleged abuse at the K-12 school. It also contends the four 8-year-old boys had “unfettered access” to pornographic videos they downloaded on school computers and iPads.

According to the Indianapolis Star, the lawsuit states the boy “was forced, on multiple occasions, to engage in explicit sex acts with other children and forced to perform oral sex on children his own age.”

The Star reports that the alleged incidents took place in the library, the school bathroom and in the second-grade classroom.

Ball State spokesman Tony Proudfoot says the school will “vigorously defend these unwarranted allegations.”

He says Ball State learned in December 2011 of alleged inappropriate behavior among four second-graders at the school. Proudfoot says the suit’s allegations “bear no resemblance to the evidence” in the case.

Non-Michigan student tuition: $32,632/year.

Fleeing your Gold Standard regionally accredited calculus class when the fat ass prof strips buck nekkid and goes on obscene atheist rant: Priceless

Quote:Michigan Professor Strips Naked In Class, Shouts 'There Is No F--king God'
By Noel Sheppard | October 02, 2012

The rigors of teaching apparently got to [regionally accredited] Michigan State University professor John McCarthy Monday.

According to multiple sources, the math teacher stripped naked in the middle of his Calculus 1 class and started shouting obscenities.

Freshman Kyle Hillman told MLive.com that while walking the class through a routine derivative equation, McCarthy said, "Math is all about questions and answers. And Steve Jobs invented the computer, but what do computers do? They ask questions and we answer them."

"He started talking about his colleagues and how they're all actors," Hillman told MLive.com. "He said, 'It's all an act and none of it's real.' Then he ran out of the classroom."

Reddit user TheCookieKing posted Monday (photo courtesy WILX Lansing):



Background story: I was in Calc 1 at Michigan State University, and my teacher was always pretty eccentric, but today he went overboard. Half way through class, he started screaming at us -- swearing left and right. He then started slamming his hands on the window and pressing his face against it, still screaming. Eventually he walked out and down the hallway to the end, all while screaming. He then came back into the classroom and took off his clothes, except for his socks. You know someones [sic] crazy when they leave their socks on lmao. At this point everyone in class ran out. We were literally scared for our lives. The police took about 15 minutes to get here, and during this time he continued walking around screaming.

According to the Huffington Post, one of McCarthy's obscene rants included, "There is no f--king god."

MSU police released the following statement:

The Ingham County 911 Central Dispatch Center received a call at 1:07 p.m. this afternoon about a man in the Michigan State University Engineering Building shouting in the hallway.

MSU police responded and took the man, a university professor, into protective custody and transported him to a local hospital.

No one was injured, and the professor is not being charged with a crime.

MSU's Counseling Center has reached out to students who may have witnessed the incident to offer any support they need.

Why do Klempner Klones and union goons hate online schools and for-profits? They want a one-size-fits-all government-run monopoly.

Quote:Online Schools Becoming More Popular, Despite Union Resistance
Kyle Olson
Oct 02, 2012

Enrollment in online schools has increased twelvefold in Ohio since the first internet-based school was created in the state in 2000, The Gazette Medina reports.

More than 30,000 students are currently enrolled, most of them concentrated in seven statewide cyber schools. Only Arizona had more students in online schools, according to the news report.

Online schools, and other forms of digital learning, are an inevitable and promising form of education for the 21st Century, unless special interest forces are able to keep technology from becoming more integrated into everyday education.

Professor Gary Miron of the National Education Policy Center is a leading voice for those special interests, which include teachers unions and the education establishment in general. He suggested that online schools in Ohio may not be properly serving their students due to a lack of state regulation.

"Miron ... said Ohio has fewer requirements for online schools than most other states. He cited items like financial reporting, student-to-teacher ratios, and how long students have to stay in a school or pass state tests in order for schools to receive state money," the newspaper reported.

And?

Miron states those facts as if they're negatives. Toledo schools may have more "financial reporting," but does that make them better? The Columbus teachers' contract may mandate "student-to-teacher ratios," but does that make the most sense? The state may dictate how long some students must stay in school, but is that always in the best interest of students?

The educational establishment prefers more regulation for alternative school choice options, presumably to make them less attractive to students and families.

The National Education Association -- the teachers union that funds Miron's opinions -- wants a one-size-fits-all, government-run monopoly where kids are assigned to schools based on where they live, regardless of that school's performance. Union leaders don't want options for parents. They don't want competition from for-profit operators because they know they'll lose business.

But competition is what they're getting. Now that Ohio has lifted the cap on the number of online schools, watch for even more students to exercise their newfound freedom, which is the American way.