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The Best of Our Knowledge # 845

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-544969.mp3

Albany, NY – ACQUAINTANCE RAPE ON COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY CAMPUSES -
When it comes to high profile rape cases, the example that immediately
comes to mind is the instance at Duke University in Durham, North
Carolina. Duke's highly ranked Men's Lacrosse Team ended its
season early last Spring over allegations that several team members
raped a dancer at an off-campus party. The number of cases is
staggering. In the U.S. alone, the Justice Department's National
Institute of Justice and Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that about
3% of college women experience a completed or attempted rape during
a typical college year. 3% computes to as many as 300-thousand
cases each year. The study also reveals that nearly 90% of the
victims knew the offender, who was usually a classmate, a friend,
ex-boyfriend or an acquaintance. In fact, acquaintance rape has
its own category, and is the subject of this most recent case we
hear about. TBOOK speaks with Susan Herbst, Officer-in-Charge
of the University at Albany, State University of New York in the
state capital.
Glenn Busby reports. (4:55)

HOW DO COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES HANDLE BAD NEWS? -
When something terrible happens on a university campus, like occurred
at Duke, or the University at Albany rape case we just spoke about,
what do school administrators need to do? What kind of action plan
should administrators have in place to assure students, staff and the
community of their safety?
Dr. Karen Hitchcock comments. (3:22)

COMMISSION ON THE FUTURE OF HIGHER EDUCATION, Pt. 2 of 2 -
Saying she hoped to jolt American higher education out of a dangerous complacency...Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings, has made
several pledges: to finance state universities that administer standardized
tests; establish a national database to track students; and to cut red tape associated with federal student aid. Secretary Spellings said This is the beginning of a process of long-overdue reform. She talks about the controversial issue of creating a data base to track student progress
through graduation.
Glenn Busby reports. (5:23)

**(Attention Program Directors. For those who are interested in reading
the entire Commission Report, listeners are advised to go to: www.ed.gov
and click on Boards and Commissions.)**

ORIGINS OF LIFE - SCIENCE RESEARCH IN EDUCATION SERIES
EXPLORING HOT SPRINGS ECOSYSTEMS AT YELLOWSTONE ,
Pt. 2 of 2 - When thinking about the origins of life on earth, there are a
couple of basic competing views. One suggests that life was brought
here by comet or meteorite impacts, or interplanetary dust. The other...
that life was generated here either at the ocean floor, through a
lightning spark that touched off an atmosphere that produced organic compounds in watery environments, or in volcanic gases. Regardless,
all the scenarios involve organic compounds. Dr. Everett Shock is a
Professor in the Department of Geological Sciences and Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Arizona State University in Tempe,
Arizona. Dr. Shock is also Director of the Keck Foundation Laboratory
for Environmental Biogeochemistry. TBOOK asked Dr. Shock which
side of the debate he supports? Organic compounds that were already
on earth? Or ones that were imported by impacts?
Glenn Busby reports. (4:53)

The preceding material is supported by the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration.

**(Attention Program Directors. For listeners interest in more information
about this story, or any of the other more than 130 stories featured in this exclusive radio series, or would like to hear them again via their computer,
the website mentioned at the conclusion of the above story is www.origins.rpi.edu, then click on Seminar Program.)**